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The Steady Beat - Issue 24.11.2

Eliminating "process debt", product management for unpredictable SaaS, handling product tours with active users, and the "carefulness knob."

November 8th, 2024

by Henry Poydar

in Newsletter

You’re reading The Steady Beat, a weekly-ish round-up of hand-picked articles and resources for people who make software products: designers, engineers, product managers, and organizational leaders.

By the Numbers - Google Jupiter

  • 13 Petabits per second — Google’s fifth-generation Jupiter network now supports a staggering 13 Pb/s of bisectional bandwidth, enabling every person on Earth to video call simultaneously at 1.5 Mb/s.
  • 99.999% — Jupiter’s network availability is maintained at a “five nines” standard, ensuring ultra-reliable connectivity for global Google Cloud customers and billions of daily users.
  • 50x — The latest Jupiter networks deliver 50 times more reliability than Google’s previous data center network versions, raising the bar for dependable service.
  • 100,000+ — Google’s data center network fabric enables over 100,000 servers to access storage and compute resources at lightning-fast speeds, enhancing performance across the board.
  • 400 Gb/s — Native 400 gigabit-per-second link speeds form the backbone of Jupiter’s network, supporting demanding tasks like AI and ML workloads in real time.

Google Cloud, 6m, #tag

Embracing the Unpredictable in SaaS

For non-deterministic SaaS experiences, the unexpected is a feature, not a bug. This piece dives into the art (and science) of handling unpredictable outputs, where identical inputs can lead to varied responses thanks to AI and machine learning. Testing these systems means swapping “expected output” for broader validation methods—property-based testing, rubric scoring, and trying to break the experience all help ensure the AI doesn’t buckle under pressure. Non-deterministic elements can boost user engagement and personalization, but trust and transparency are key.

Leading Product, 7m, #product-management

Clearing Time for Innovation

Innovation doesn’t just happen because leaders say it should; it happens when employees actually have the time to innovate. This Harvard Business Review article highlights the “process debt” that clutters workdays and blocks creative thinking, with nearly 17 hours a week lost to emails and meetings alone. Companies like Roblox and Capital One are leading by clearing away bureaucratic baggage, while others make innovation a top priority in quarterly sprints and separate invention from optimization. Leaders are urged to regularly trim redundant tasks and give staff room to dream up solutions, helping companies stay agile in today’s relentless work culture.

Harvard Business Review, 14m, #leadership #management #productivity

Be Cautiuous with Caution

In the endless juggle between speed and caution, engineering teams constantly adjust an invisible “carefulness knob.” In a playful scene, a tech lead explains to an engineering manager that teams weigh testing, process adherence, and risk management based on deadlines and perceived risks—often leaving carefulness at a “default” setting to meet deadlines. But when incidents arise, they’re reminders of the inevitable trade-off known as the efficiency-thoroughness trade-off (ETTO principle). The reality? We adapt as best as we can… until we don’t, and someone inevitably calls for more caution.

Surfing Complexity, 4m, #tag

Skip the Tour, Keep the Flow

Active users aren’t interested in product tours that pause their momentum. Instead of trying to make them read or click through onboarding sequences, help them explore on their own terms. This article suggests embedding guidance directly into the product via tooltips and progressive onboarding, like Slack’s gradual feature reveal or Notion’s starter templates. These techniques keep guidance accessible but unintrusive, allowing users to learn as they go—following the “Paradox of the Active User.” The result? A friendlier, more adaptable experience that respects how people actually want to engage with software.

Laws of UX, 8m, #design #product


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