Build Your Trio

Don’t work alone. The habits in this book are designed to be adopted by a cross-functional trio. Even if your team isn’t fully resourced or your company culture doesn’t support the trio model, you can start building these relationships yourself. If you are a product manager, find a designer and an engineer to partner with. Consult them on key decisions. Work together to decide what to build.

If your teammates change from project to project, your trio may change with it. That’s okay.

If the first person you ask isn’t interested, find someone who is. Start small with your ask. Instead of asking them to partner with you on all of your discovery decisions, ask them to weigh in on one small decision. Iterate from there.

If your company doesn’t hire designers, find someone who is design-minded. Every company has people who naturally think from a usability perspective. Look for people who are good at simplifying complex concepts, have firsthand experience with your customers, and have an abundance of empathy for your customers’ challenges.

Your guiding principle is simple: How can I include all three disciplines in as many discovery decisions as I can? Make next week look better than last week. Repeat.

Once you have your trio in place, you are ready to adopt the keystone habit of continuous discovery.