Catering to the masses: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the mess that is app stores. We chat about how the race to produce more and more content and why trying to cater to as wide an audience as possible is making for frustrating user experience. We also discuss our dreams of getting rid of in-app micro-purchases and the need for better app reviews. Links: Apple Arcade Google Play Pass Monument Valley Cut the Rope Netflix The Verge iCloud Apple TV Pages ...
Dec 10, 2019•24 min•Ep 197•Transcript available on Metacast Answer the question: On this week's episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich share some interview advice they've learned after conducting hundreds of job interviews. We give some straight-forward tips on what to do in job interviews. We chat about the importance of listening, keeping your answers concise and being able to have a conversation with your interviewer. We also talk about what you shouldnt do. For starters, dont act like you dont want the job. Links: Careers at Postlight...
Dec 03, 2019•27 min•Ep 196•Transcript available on Metacast Facilitating a digital mindset: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to chat about the current job description for the Chief Digital Officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We go over the demands of the job and talk about the many complexities that come with being a CDO at such a large and political organization. We also talk about why it can be difficult joining a new organization and why you might have to accept that people will hate you for a while. Sadly its part...
Nov 26, 2019•27 min•Ep 194•Transcript available on Metacast Accountability is friction: On this weeks episode of Track Changes Paul and Rich sit down to chat about different types of accountability software. Whether its a CRM, a to-do list or an app, we discuss what works best for staying on track and getting things done. We talk about the importance of empathy and support and why tactics based on fear never work in the long run. We also discuss why some software is moving away from adding accountability into its workflows despite its importance. Links: ...
Nov 19, 2019•27 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast The new entertainment system: On this weeks episode of Track Changes Paul is flying solo without Rich. He is joined by New York Times writer Taylor Lorenz. Taylor answers all of Pauls questions about influencers, including how they actually monetize their brand in such a crowded online market. Taylor addresses stereotypes about influencers being vapid and shallow and shows us just how hard influencers work. LINKS New York Times - Taylor Lorenz Tumblr Tyler Oakley - Youtube Hannah Hart - Youtube ...
Nov 12, 2019•30 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast Software is like people: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss software baggage. We chat about how a simple software idea can morph into layers and layers of product features and about how implementing use-cases can lead to confusing and bloated software. We also share our many HR software gripes. Links: Recruitment Software Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis - Fortune Business Insights Scala JQuery Jira SAP Basecamp Slack Dash for Slack - Postlight...
Nov 05, 2019•31 min•Ep 191•Transcript available on Metacast Removing Friction: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down with Noah Brier and James Gross ahead of a Postlight event to talk about the new trend that is taking enterprise software by storm, product-led growth. We discuss why the shift to PLG is as big as a transition for enterprise as the switch from on-premise to cloud software and how this move to more user-centric products removes friction from all levels of product implementation. Links: Salesforce Lattice Pingboard G...
Oct 29, 2019•29 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast Listen, dont tell: Having trouble convincing your boss to invest in new software? On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich teach you everything you need to know about selling software services. We chat about changing the narrative to be about selling growth instead of products, and give some great sales tactics. Paul also shares some interesting car purchasing tips he learned from his brother. Links: Sarbanes Oxley - Wikipedia Chevy Blazer CarMax Google Analytics J.P. Morgan Amnesty...
Oct 22, 2019•26 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast Adjust the quirks: On this weeks episode of Track Changes we ask the question, is programming becoming obsolete?. As user-friendly visual interfaces continue to get more and more popular, we discuss why programming remains so important to tackle complex tasks and long-term software challenges. Paul and Rich also come up with a new, nicer, way to talk about bugs. In this weeks Hello Postlight segment, we hear from product manager Jorge Mir Alvarez, who tells us how he went from a Track Changes li...
Oct 15, 2019•32 min•Ep 189•Transcript available on Metacast Constant tweaking and improving: This week on Track Changes we are joined by friend and tech writer Clive Thompson, to talk about his most recent book Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World . We chat about coder culture, its influence on society, and why the search for efficiency can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Paul and Rich also share their worst bug stories. Links: Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World Shift Magazine This Magazine The N...
Oct 08, 2019•31 min•Ep 188•Transcript available on Metacast Beware the low-hanging fruit: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich share some industry warning signs. We chat about why you should be wary of long research phases and of people who have total faith in the product funnel. We also share some tips on how you can tell if your deadline is slipping and chat about the importance of long term product thinking. In this weeks Hello Postlight segment we meet Stephen Koch, a lead engineer who joins us to talk about his transition from marin...
Oct 01, 2019•35 min•Ep 187•Transcript available on Metacast To scrape or not to scrape: In this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the recent verdict in the hiQ v LinkedIn lawsuit. We chat about the importance of this case and how it helped solidify a basic aspect of the web: public information access. But first, in this weeks Hello Postlight segment we hear from Thomas Rudczynski, our Director of Product Management, who shares advice on how to be a good product manager and how to get into the field. Links: Huge LinkedIn Me...
Sep 24, 2019•35 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast The Fun of the Struggle: On this weeks episode of Track Changes we are joined by Netflixs first CEO and co-founder, Marc Randolph. Marc talks about the origins of Netflix and how he helped grow the company from a Patsy Cline CD to a billion dollar publicly traded media provider. He shares some tips on how to stay flexible in the face of changing demands and talks about the importance of timing and luck when starting a business. He also shares some details about why he left the company and talks ...
Sep 17, 2019•30 min•Ep 185•Transcript available on Metacast There is no perfect freedom: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss internet censorship on a global scale. We chat about how power impacts technology and information access and whether global software can really exist when countries have such different approaches to the internet. Also in this weeks Hello Postlight segment we meet Liran Okanon, a Senior Product Designer at Postlight, who talks about the importance of empathy in his work. Links: Life in an Internet Shutdown ...
Sep 10, 2019•35 min•Ep 183•Transcript available on Metacast Trojan Horse: Ever wonder why some web pages take forever to load? On todays episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich explore the mess that is the internet. We take a look at three different websites to see whats hiding behind them, and what we find is not pretty. From ad-tech to unknown JSON files, the results are surprising and confusing. Links: New York Post The Atlantic Chartbeat Mixpanel New Relic New York Times Scroll Wirecutter AMP uBlock Privacy Badger Ghostery...
Sep 03, 2019•30 min•Ep 183•Transcript available on Metacast We Need Guardrails: On this weeks episode of Track Changes we sit down to discuss the big question of regulating online content. Could a class action lawsuit be brought against sites that encourage violence? How can content be screened to ensure it doesnt lead to harm? What is the role of government in all this? We discuss these questions and many more and Paul and Rich share some online privacy tips. We also chat with Engineer, John Holdun! LINKS LGBTQ creators accuse YouTube of discrimination ...
Aug 27, 2019•39 min•Ep 182•Transcript available on Metacast Follow the Data: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, tech journalist Adrianne Jeffries sits down with us to talk about The Markup, a new non-profit data driven newsroom. She talks about the importance of using data to combat bias and about how using data in journalism can bring about greater change. She also addresses the shake up that happened at The Markup in its beginnings and tells us about her personal podcast Underunderstood. Links: - The Markup - Propublica - Machine Bias by Propublic...
Aug 20, 2019•29 min•Ep 180•Transcript available on Metacast Without the user there is no product: When Twitter rolled out its new design, many users were upset with the new changes, but what comes first, the product or the user? On this weeks episode Paul and Rich sit down to chat about Twitters redesign. We share our reactions to the changes and delve into questions of user consultation. Also featured in this weeks episode is the second installment of our new segment Hello Postlight. In it we hear from Aime Reed, Postlights Director of Product Design, w...
Aug 13, 2019•34 min•Ep 180•Transcript available on Metacast What's the purpose of Email today? This week Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the monster that email has become. Email has transitioned away from a place to have conversation and become a function that eventually moves to another platform (usually Slack). So what is email's real purpose? Do all meaningful conversations need to happen face-to-face? Can we collectively put an end to the eight-paragraph email? We answer these questions and share the top 5 worst email subject lines (Hint: "You have...
Aug 07, 2019•36 min•Ep 178•Transcript available on Metacast To ship or not to ship: Software is never ready, but sometimes you have to ship it. This week Paul and Rich sit down to talk about the difficulties of shipping software. We share tips on how to deal with numerous stakeholders and engineers so that you can release software on time. We also talk about the importance of setting deadlines and draw some parallels between software and Las Vegas buffets. Links: General Magic Tinysheet by Postlight...
Jul 30, 2019•29 min•Ep 177•Transcript available on Metacast Do Digital Boundaries Exist?: This week Paul and Rich sit down to talk about this weeks tech scandals. We chat about the security flaws found within email client Superhuman and teleconference software Zoom. Do these companies have an obligation to protect their clients information? Should usability trump security? Do we have a right to be angry? If that's not enough, we also chat about summer BBQs. Links: Mike Davidson: Superhuman is Spying on You Superhuman Zoom...
Jul 23, 2019•27 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast Technology is not a panacea:This week Paul and Rich sit down with Noah Brier, who explains to us why technology cannot solve all of our problems. Noah has done countless interviews with enterprises about their tech needs, and has created content marketing software for large enterprises. He shares his insights on current enterprise software trends and gives us some tips on how to better market our business. Pro tip: traditional marketing like billboards and taxi top ads give the most bang for you...
Jul 16, 2019•27 min•Ep 176•Transcript available on Metacast Digital Transformation is like a Horoscope:In this weeks episode, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss need creation and the tech industry's move to talk about trends in such abstract language that it seems like it applies to everybody. We chat about the relationship between service providers and tech research firms and why you should be suspicious of new industry buzzwords and complex acronyms. Reminder: its okay to ask what that new acronym means!
Jul 09, 2019•20 min•Ep 175•Transcript available on Metacast Focus on Core Needs: Lara Hogan knows and loves management so she wrote a book about it. This week she joins Paul and guest host Gina Trapani to chat about her new book and about leadership in the workplace. Lara breaks down her framework for managing different types of people and gives tips on how to adapt your management style. She also gives Paul some useful advice on where he should sit in the office and explains why moving desks can be so traumatic. LINKS: Lara Hogen - Resilient Management ...
Jul 02, 2019•27 min•Ep 174•Transcript available on Metacast One size never fits all:This week Paul and Rich discuss two of the need to decentralize or centralize software platforms. Worried about the dozens of unintegrated platforms that have appeared over the years? Feeling restrained by the old legacy software system youre using? Dont worry, youre not alone. We give some tips on how to move forward when dealing with these issues and how to avoid them in the future. Hint: get a product manager, develop a product roadmap, and be cautious of giant pieces ...
Jun 25, 2019•24 min•Ep 173•Transcript available on Metacast Dont hide what you want people to do: is the advice that Al Rotches gives Paul and Rich about online advertising. Al has built a career on making banner ads for clients like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. On this weeks episode, we chat with Al about how he gets people to engage online with his ads. He shares his insights about the importance of ad placement and about why most banner ads are so horrible. He also gives us some advice on how big and what colour the button should be on your ad. H...
Jun 18, 2019•31 min•Ep 172•Transcript available on Metacast No more slapdash,we want Slack-Dash:Ever get bogged down by a neverending Slack thread where few decisions ever get made? On this weeks episode of Track Changes we hear about a new Slack app that solves this very problem. Paul and Rich sit down with fellow Postlight employees Matt Quintanilla and Phil Johnson to chat about Dash, the app they developed that helps you organize your teams and deadlines in Slack. Matt and Phil tell us about why and how they created this new app and why it can be use...
Jun 11, 2019•29 min•Ep 171•Transcript available on Metacast Is this really necessary?: This week Paul and Rich sit down to discuss the current culture surrounding software updates. Are constant software updates necessary? Are they improving the user experience or complicating it? We chat about our love/hate relationship with updates and get to hear Paul compare Spotify to a shapeshifting witch! Links: Updating Spotify Postlight Labs...
Jun 04, 2019•24 min•Ep 170•Transcript available on Metacast Improworsement: is an improvement that makes things worse, and Erin McKean knows all about that. She's wanted to create dictionaries since the age of eight and this year she is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Wordnik, an online dictionary she helped create that has grown to 10 times the size of the Oxford English Dictionary. This week Paul and Rich sit down with Erin to discuss the evolution of Wordnik, from its humble beginnings in PHP to developing a full scalable API. Erin shares the chal...
May 28, 2019•36 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast Technology, Youve Changed: For years, the conversations weve had about tech have focused on the negative. Weve all heard about how tech giants have infiltrated our politics and our privacy, weve ridiculed the power-hungry people behind the platforms we love, but thats not the technology industry Paul and Rich fell in love with. On todays episode, we look at where were at right now, we ask ourselves if tech giants want to be ethical, and we try to defend an incredibly difficult and powerful indus...
May 21, 2019•22 min•Ep 168•Transcript available on Metacast 
