Postlight loves playing with code and sometimes that play helps people be more productive. Paul and Gina introduce Account, a new open-source Labs project from Postlight that renders interactive math equations as text stories. Paul discusses the importance of creating data representations that people can explore, and thanks to Account, Gina is converted from an old-school coder to a React fan. Links: Account Tinysheet Soulver Tangle.io Idyll RFP Builder Whimsical Reveal Lifehacker Postlight Labs...
Jun 04, 2020•37 min•Ep 227•Transcript available on Metacast It seems natural to implement rules to reduce risk. But when dealing with fluid processes like software development, can rigidity and fear of unknown variables actually hold you back? Paul and Rich discuss whats at stake when leaders confuse rules with risk mitigation. We draw parallels between a good pilot, a good lawyer, and good software development and as a bonus, Paul tells you how you can earn a promotion using only four words. Links: Sarbanes-Oxley...
Jun 02, 2020•26 min•Ep 226•Transcript available on Metacast When you cant invite a prospective client into the office, how do you hold their attention and show them youre actively listening? Charisma and eye contact dont make the same impact over Zoom. Paul and Rich explain an adaptive sales approach that uses digital tools and tactics to demonstrate value. Behold our new Reactive Salestechnique. Links: Sitecore Adobe Experience Manager Pendo The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation Reveal.js Whimsical Miro Mural...
May 28, 2020•32 min•Ep 225•Transcript available on Metacast Good design often goes unnoticed, but not for Scott Berkun. In his new book, How Design Makes the World , Scott delves into how both good and bad design affect our daily lives. On this episode, Scott lays out the big questions you must ask about your users: Who do you design for, and why? And how do you avoid unintended harm when designing products? Links: Scott Berkun How Design Makes The World Scott Berkun Twitter...
May 26, 2020•36 min•Ep 224•Transcript available on Metacast The modern global economy has been built on relatively stable markets, so what happens now that stability is no longer a constant? Paul and Rich ask the big questions about our economic systems: Why is it so difficult to coordinate at scale? What is the best way to optimize a supply chain? And how can we meet everyones needs?
May 21, 2020•23 min•Ep 222•Transcript available on Metacast Creating a sensation: Jordan Mechner built his first video game in high school, sourcing info from books (there was no internet); a few years later, he concocted the hit game Prince of Persia in his dorm room. On the podcast, Jordan shares an inside look into his new book and chronicles the time he spent building a genre-defining game: his creative process, inspiration for his work, and insights about building games then vs. now. Links: Atari 400 Timex Sinclair Doom Karateka Jordan Mechner Strip...
May 19, 2020•32 min•Ep 222•Transcript available on Metacast Shared Crisis: When a stressed client comes to you with an urgent request, it's hard not to panic. The tight deadlines may seem daunting but there are ways to mitigate the crisis. Paul and Rich share their insights on how to lessen stress, limit expectations, and simplify processes to get a product shipped quickly. Some pro tips: take a breath, create a sense of shared responsibility, reduce risk, and dont forget to sleep! Links: McKinsey Airtable Squarespace Wix Booz Allen Zoho Writer SAP...
May 14, 2020•28 min•Ep 221•Transcript available on Metacast Apologize later: Renowned tech journalist and writer Steven Levy chats about his new book, Facebook: The Inside Story , which peers behind the scenes at the biggest social media monolith of our day. Levy breaks down how he convinced Facebook to give him inside access, what was happening there during the 2016 election, and why Mark Zuckerberg loves Caesar Augustus so much. Caution, books spoilers ahead! Links: Steven Levy Hackers - Steven Levy The Perfect Thing - Steven Levy Backchannel - WIRED S...
May 12, 2020•36 min•Ep 220•Transcript available on Metacast Paul and Rich have a follow up discussion about Marc Andreessens newest article and ask the important question: How can we connect and empower people to create crucial tools for society when the industry has become so transactional? Are we able to create necessary social momentum when theres no money involved? Paul puts out a plea for Postlight to create a software development kit for education at a platform level. It remains to be seen if VCs are ready to shift their focus to do the same. (Perh...
May 07, 2020•21 min•Ep 219•Transcript available on Metacast Theres a reason to expect criticism: Paul and Rich dig into the newest article from VC Marc Andreessen. In it, Andreessen exhorts Americans to innovate and blames our lack of preparation for the pandemic on a lack of desire to do so. We reflect on the current state of America and how apparent the holes in our social governance have become since COVID-19 (especially the education system). Is there a world where VC and startups can help us improve these old systems? Has social policy towards more ...
May 05, 2020•26 min•Ep 218•Transcript available on Metacast Brand Safety: Parse.ly founders Andrew Montalenti and Sachin Kamdar chat about their analytics platform and share the content trends they are following during the global pandemic. They discuss how publishers and media outlets are being impacted by COVID-19, and the myriad ways that advertising and brand safety are changing. They also share how to give clarity to clients in a time of uncertainty: with the insights of analytics. Links: Andrew Montalenti Sachin Kumdar - Twitter Parse.ly Facebook Ne...
Apr 30, 2020•25 min•Ep 217•Transcript available on Metacast Scripted Interactions:On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul, Rich, and Gina chat about ways to keep your team focused and on track when working remotely. How do you create urgency to make sure things get done? How can you keep people focused during remote calls? They discuss the need for clear communication and accountability, and share some tools to help structure meetings and interactions in a digital-first work world. Links: Gina Trapani Cheer on Netflix Tiger King on Netflix Campfire ...
Apr 28, 2020•31 min•Ep 216•Transcript available on Metacast This isnt remote, this is pandemic: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich chat with friend and client Tim Meaney about when things could return to normal and if they should return to normal. We reflect on some of the positive changes that have come from this pandemic, like more time with family and getting rid of inefficiencies. We also talk about the importance of resilience and of course, the hit documentary series Tiger King. Links: Coronavirus chic: Top sales up, bottom down ...
Apr 23, 2020•29 min•Ep 215•Transcript available on Metacast Excelsior: In this episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich discuss the new Apple-Google contact tracing app aimed at tracking the spread of COVID. We explain what contact tracing is and how the app works. We chat about the potential difficulties of onboarding these types of apps and whether the app will be able to help the most vulnerable. We also discuss how we can best combine technology with good old fashioned testing. Links: Dyson Andrew Cuomo Video, B-Roll, Audio, & Rush Transcript - Govern...
Apr 21, 2020•29 min•Ep 214•Transcript available on Metacast Priorities as a leader:On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss how the pandemic is impacting business and mental health. Priorities are changing, so what comes first? In juggling health, family, and work, its important to give employees space and empathy. But work can be a welcome distraction from the news and rising COVID-19 numbers. Links: Yeti Nano Screen Time Linux Windows 8 Windows 10 HP Pavilion Candy Crush Chrome Zoom Remember Jade Helm 15, the controvers...
Apr 14, 2020•21 min•Ep 213•Transcript available on Metacast The Grind: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich chat with Postlights Head of Engineering Jeremy Mack about all things video games. Jeremy teaches us about current video game trends. We learn about loot boxes, battle passes, pay-to-win games and the controversy surrounding these types of monetization. We also get some great indie game recommendations and chat about the future of gaming. Warning for anyone playing the game Journey, this episode contains some spoilers. Links: PlayStation 4 Jer...
Apr 07, 2020•31 min•Ep 212•Transcript available on Metacast Specify like a caveman: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich are joined by Gina Trapani, a managing partner at Postlight, to talk about statements of work (SOWs). We chat about Postlights unique SOW process. We talk about why we base our approach on trust and relationships rather than just time and money. We also talk about managing risk, what to do when someone oversteps their original demands and Paul gives some tips on how to make the SOW writing process easier. Hint: write like a cavema...
Mar 31, 2020•34 min•Ep 211•Transcript available on Metacast Craft and Quality: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich chat with Vice President of Partnerships and Community at InVision, Mike Davidson. We chat about everything from tomato seeds, to shower heads to how to lead a remote team and the ups and downs of remote work. Mike shows us that the one thing these all have in common is they can help simplify your life to help you dig deeper into the things you love. Links: Typescript Sketch Figma Mike Davidson InVision Twitter NBC News Newsvine ESPN C...
Mar 24, 2020•38 min•Ep 210•Transcript available on Metacast Work from home: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich chat with Postlights head of engineering Jeremy Mack about ways to improve your remote work setup. From basic tips like getting dressed in the morning and using wired headphones to tips on how to navigate remote meetings, Jeremy shares the best practices hes developed after 6 years of working remotely. He also gives us some examples of non-verbal cues to show others that youre busy and ways to unwind after a day working from home. Links: ...
Mar 17, 2020•26 min•Ep 209•Transcript available on Metacast Big thoughts: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss how branding impacts product design. We chat about how branding is critical when designing products, and how helpful it is when the brand comes first. Of course, thats not always the case. We talk about the challenges of developing brand and product simultaneously and ways to deal with the complexities that come with this type of agile development. Nike Craftsman Ford F-150 Michael Bierut Jessica Helfand - Twitter A Conv...
Mar 10, 2020•25 min•Ep 208•Transcript available on Metacast Theres no secret knowledge: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich are joined by Postlight managing partner Gina Trapani to do a follow up on our previous episode about intranets. Gina explains why she was annoyed that we didn't know we had an intranet. From there we discuss why management and employees often need different tools and talk about what makes a good leader. Protip: a good leader is someone who knows how to limit stress, not spread it. Links: Gina Trapani The Private Network: Paul...
Mar 03, 2020•33 min•Ep 207•Transcript available on Metacast Campaign Design: On this weeks episode of Track Changes Paul and Rich chat with political reporter Hunter Schwarz about political design trends. He breaks down the forms of visual design hes seeing in political campaigns today and gives us an overview of the evolution of political design. He also tells us about how the Obama campaign in 2008 changed political visual branding and about the rise of grassroots political design. Links: Tiny Month Tiffanys Harry Winston Mike Bloomberg Hunter Schwarz ...
Feb 25, 2020•32 min•Ep 206•Transcript available on Metacast People want to be heard: This week on Track Changes, Paul and Rich bring on their design team to talk about The Design Elephants -- Poslights quarterly event dedicated to tackling difficult issues within design. From there we go onto discuss one of the main ways agencies find their clients, the RFP. Paul and Rich share their thoughts on the process as a whole and how they prefer a more genuine and empathetic approach to sales. Links Eventbrite - The Design Elephants Aime Reed - website Nora Vann...
Feb 18, 2020•34 min•Ep 205•Transcript available on Metacast Keep it simple: There are a million different to-do apps, what makes one stand out? This week on Track Changes Paul and Rich chat with Doist founder Amir Salihefendic. He tells us about how he grew Todoist from a side project he would work on in his dorm room to an app that now reaches 20 million people. He also tells us about his struggle with venture capitalists and about the importance of persistence and simplicity. Links: Hello, World! - Wikipedia Todoist Amir Salihefendic - Twitter Wunderli...
Feb 11, 2020•26 min•Ep 204•Transcript available on Metacast Action Items: On this weeks episode of Track Changes Paul and Rich sit down and share their top 5 tools that keep them productive. We chat about our favorite to-do apps, calorie counting apps and about apps that will make your meetings more productive. From simple tools to complex tools, we share our secrets for staying sane and productive at work. Whimsical OmniGraffle Visio Navigator Bloomberg - What is Code? by Paul Ford Basecamp Emacs Org mode FatSecret CalorieKing Google Fit Todoist Tinyshe...
Feb 04, 2020•24 min•Ep 203•Transcript available on Metacast Control your data: This week on Track Changes Paul and Rich sit down to chat about storage and subscriptions. We talk about Pauls new network attached storage setup and why we consider it to be the third wave of computing. We also talk about ongoing and annoying online software subscriptions and Rich gives us some good tips on how to remember to cancel those subscriptions before your free months run out. Links: Basecamp SeaGate Ironwolf Pro QNap Thunderbolt 4 drive Nas CommonCrawl Flickr Google ...
Jan 28, 2020•28 min•Ep 202•Transcript available on Metacast Tools to manage your tools: This week on Track Changes Paul and Rich discuss the best way to keep track of company communications and tools. Our verdict, an Intranet. We lay out what an Intranet actually is, what it should and could look like and why its so important in an age of using too many apps at once. We also make a pact to build a functional intranet in the next six months. Wish us luck! Trello Basecamp Github TriNet Pingboard Slack Abacus Airtable Dropbox Paper Whimsical Jira Pipedrive ...
Jan 21, 2020•30 min•Ep 201•Transcript available on Metacast Still in reactive mode: On this weeks episode of Track Changes we continue off from last week to talk about broad trends in information technology in 2020. This week we dig into the more unsettling trends, like foreign interference in elections, a need for better and more proactive laws that govern internet use and cloud service confusion. We also chat about the return of bundled content creation and break down an unprecedented year in information technology. Ivanka Trumps Appearance at CES Tech...
Jan 14, 2020•27 min•Ep 200•Transcript available on Metacast The year to come: On this weeks episode of Track Changes, Paul and Rich sit down to discuss some of the top trends to look for in 2020. From codeless platforms to Product Led Growth we chat about some of the biggest trends in tech right now. We share our thoughts on new products and discuss whether some of these trends should actually be trends. We also talk about the craziness that could be 2020. Gina Trepani Lifehacker Jobs to be Done Hasura GraphQL PostGraphile MySQL PostgreSQL Elixir Erlang ...
Jan 07, 2020•28 min•Ep 199•Transcript available on Metacast Friction is introspection: How did the iPhone come to feel like an intuitive thing to use? This week on Track Changes Paul and Rich sit down with UX designer Cliff Kuang and co-founder of Dalberg Design Robert Fabricant to talk about their new book User Friendly: How the hidden rules of design are changing the way we live, work and play . We discuss the history of the concept and how its become something that we demand yet often take for granted. We also chat about the greater paradigm shift tha...
Dec 17, 2019•34 min•Ep 198•Transcript available on Metacast 
