Product Growth
Product Growth Podcast
The Ultimate Guide to Knowing Your Users as a PM | George Harter, 20+ Years of PM
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The Ultimate Guide to Knowing Your Users as a PM | George Harter, 20+ Years of PM

One of the hardest tasks when building great products is understanding your users and getting relevant insights from them. In today's episode, George gives a masterclass on knowing your customers.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.


Brought to you by:

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As a PM, you have to be the expert in your user.

In this episode, 20+ year PM George Harter (a 'Super IC PM') breaks down his two part strategy to knowing your users:

  1. Listening tour

  2. Surveys

Tune in for his methodology and much more - like navigating leadership challenges to the future of AI and product management.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • How to know your user | 08:42

  • Conversations with users | 27:37

  • The underrated user surveys | 37:32

  • Insights as PM responsibilities | 45:51

  • The History and Future of PM | 56:49


Here are the Key Takeaways

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Here were my favorite lessons from our conversation:

1. Know Your Users Like Your Best Friends

Product managers must develop a deep understanding of their users’ needs and pain points.

This knowledge should be so ingrained that PMs can answer questions about user behavior and preferences without needing to consult additional resources.

Without this deep user knowledge, PMs risk losing credibility and slowing down the development process.

2. Value of In-Person User Interviews

Conducting user interviews in person provides richer insights than zoom calls. In-person conversations allow product managers to:

  • Observe body language and non-verbal cues

  • See the user's full work environment and context

  • Notice subtle reactions that might be missed on video calls

  • Build stronger rapport with users

These advantages lead to a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior, pain points, and the overall user experience, ultimately resulting in better-informed product decisions.

3. The Power of the Humble Survey

Surveys are a crucial tool in a product manager's arsenal.

They help validate and prioritize insights gathered from user interviews. Survey results provide quantitative data to support product decisions.

George on how to carry out a survey:

  • Use simple, focused surveys (e.g., drag-and-drop ranking of pain points)

  • Aim for at least 100 survey responses to gain statistical validity

Surveys, when used effectively, can bridge the gap between qualitative user interviews and data-driven decision making. This enables product managers to justify their roadmap choices and gain stakeholder buy-in.

4. Timing Matters in Career Transitions

As a Product Manager seeking to switch industries or roles, timing can be crucial. Strategic job searches can significantly improve outcomes for PMs looking to make a change.

For example, look for opportunities during periods of economic growth when companies are more willing to take chances on candidates without specific industry experience.

There were so many more amazing insights by George. Check out the full episode to dive into the details!


Referenced

  1. George’s book: Build a Better Product Manager

  2. George’s favorites:

    1. Newsletter: Product Growth Newsletter by Aakash Gupta (Yours truly)

    2. Book: Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself by Wes Bush


Where to find George


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Up Next

We have some great podcasts coming from Maria Cuasay, Shobhit Chugh, and Tibo Louis-Lucas. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

In the newsletter, check out this week’s latest piece if you haven’t yet: Ultimate Guide: Product Estimation Questions.

Look out for these pieces up next:

  • The Multiplayer Lever: How to Drive Product-Led Acquisition and Expansion

  • Job Hunting Sucks: Here’s What I Learned After Four Grueling Months

  • How to Win the Enterprise: The Ultimate Guide

I’ll announce an AMA on Substack Chat soon (so consider getting the app). I’m also announcing several India events soon.

I think you’re going to love what we have coming up,

Aakash