Hello Friend 👋
Here are Seven Things I was curious about this week:
Mindset: It’s great to see friends and colleagues get some creative energy back. One asked me how to use it to start a new side project, expecting me to suggest some highly structured plan. I actually thought the ‘right-brain’ was more important and suggested following her passion (amongst other things).
Product: If you’re working in Tech, I highly recommend following Silicon Valley Product Group co-founder Marty Cagan. I’ve learned a lot from his book and talks and always enjoy seeing his newsletter in my inbox. This week I listened to him on the Design Better podcast bringing up some all too familiar frustrations and how to deal with them; it was also a great summary of his most popular material.
Tech: I deeply enjoyed Matt Klein’s ‘Meta Trends’ which looks at mentions of various trends across numerous reports and extrapolates how they might actually extend into the future. It’s a quick read too. What’s not to like?
Data Viz: Jason Forrest’s work is a bottomless well of inspiration in itself, but his references are also a great source for ‘visual troubleshooting’. One very common question I’ve certainly come across is how to choose the right visualization type. From Data to Viz, the Data Visualization Catalogue, and the FT Chart Doctor hold some answers.
Psychology:
Observation: Strava used to be mostly just people’s runs, rides, and the occasional ‘Kudos’. Now, I’m seeing more and more friends add photos and stories about their outdoor adventures and am noticing that it’s basically completely replaced Facebook for me. We made a wonderful cycle tour along the Lee Valley last weekend - it’s the furthest I’ve been away from my home in months!
Shared by you: Hilary Parker’s slides on Design Thinking for Data Science provide a lot of food for thought themselves and also come with a list of insightful links for further reading. Thanks for sharing Stephen!
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Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any current or previous employers.