Product Habits - The culture at Stripe

The Design of Everyday Things

The Design of Everyday Things is a must-read in the creative community. One of the big takeaways from the book is that it's easier to notice poor design than good design because the latter fits our needs so well that the design is invisible, helping us without drawing attention to itself. It's worth reading the whole book, but if you want a thoughtful summary, check this out. 

The Pitfalls of Reporting Numbers at a Startup

Choosing which numbers to report at a startup will significantly impact your ability to attract investor interest. But it's a double-edged sword—the most attractive numbers will help you fundraise but tend to be inflated and unsustainable. Focus on metrics that accurately portray the health of your business—in the end, you'll be happy you did. 

What I Miss About Working at Stripe

Writer and researcher Brie Wolfson reflects in this piece on her time working at Stripe. What stands out to her the most is the way people really cared about their work. It's the kind of culture Silicon Valley was once known for but, Brie argues, has fallen by the wayside. The comments alone are worth reading in this reflection piece. Check them out here. 

The History of User Interfaces

A user interface is where interactions between humans and machines occur. I stumbled across this visual history of user interfaces and enjoyed taking a journey all the way back to the 1970s when the first PC ever with Ethernet support became available. Seeing how things have evolved over the past 50 years is fascinating. 

How To Increase Your UX Skills

Recently, a software developer posted a question on Hacker News asking the community for resources to help increase their UX skills. The thread is filled with great advice from seasoned designers and dabblers alike. One of my favorites is not to be afraid to put unfinished work in front of people you trust for feedback. 

How Layoffs Create a Vacuum for Fraud

We're in the middle of a downturn, and with it comes rounds of layoffs. One of the unintended consequences of layoffs is fraud, which usually gets pulled off by people who used to be on the inside. Here's how it happens. 

Building a Sales Team in a High-Growth Environment

It's the quintessential startup challenge: Build your company quickly but intentionally. One of the most critical teams you have to nail early is sales since they will often be the first touchpoint for many of your leads. Intercom is known for the quality of their sales team, so it's worth reading the step-by-step process they used to create theirs. One of the most important steps: Be clear but not rigid with your hiring profile. 

Lessons on Growth Function Shocks

Plenty of investors labeled some companies as "pandemic winners" and assumed there was a new industry-wide growth baseline in tech. But the pandemic's impact was not linear or one-dimensional, so the evolution of tech company growth is more nuanced than it appears on the surface. Here's a distillation of the three growth archetypes that emerged in the past several years.