
Key Takeaways from Scott Belsky on Product Sense, AI, and Product Leadership
- Product Sense and Empathy
- Developing strong product sense starts with deep empathy for users, not just passion for your solution. Observe users in real contexts to understand their real problems and motivations.
- The “first mile” (onboarding, default experiences, initial orientation) is critical—*optimize for user psychology in the first 30 seconds: people want quick success, to look good, and minimal confusion.
- Iteratively reimagine onboarding, as new user cohorts have different needs and mindsets.
- Feature Discipline: Do Half of What You Want
- Only build half the features you think you need. Eliminate everything that doesn’t directly advance users to key value. Ruthlessly reduce to your product’s core—every addition should come with a removal.
- Focus on “problems you want to have”—the friction that means users are eager for more, not blocked by lack of essentials.
- What Makes Consumer Products Durable
- Surprise and delight users; products that feel like “magic” are memorable.
- Lasting consumer products often have under-the-hood network effects or new, durable user insights (e.g., Pinterest’s focus on collecting/curating rather than showcasing).
- Many popular new apps are simply features that incumbents can (and do) copy—so create defensibility at a deeper level.
- AI’s Impact on Product Teams
- AI will increase surface area of exploration: teams will be able to try many more ideas, faster, and with fewer resources.
- The stack “collapses”: PMs, designers, and engineers gain cross-functional abilities with AI tools, reducing the need for handoffs and intermediaries.
- The PM and designer roles will be augmented, not replaced—AI removes grunt work and expands creative exploration.
- Advice for PMs and Founders
- Stay ahead of AI by playing—experiment with tools, even outside your comfort zone, and make writing (e.g., newsletters, blogs) a forcing function for thinking.
- In the “messy middle” of building products, find motivation in micro-goals and celebrate progress. If your conviction in the problem and solution grows with learning, persist; if it fades, consider a pivot.
- Be resourceful over relying on abundant resources: constraints build lasting muscle and innovation.
- Favorite Mental Models
- “Golden gut”: developed instinct for simplifying user journeys, focusing on core success, and reducing cognitive load.
- Adobe’s Strategic Priorities
- Empowering creativity for all (Adobe Firefly, Express).
- Enabling professionals to explore 10x more possibilities.
- Personalization of experiences—products that adapt to you, with AI-driven interfaces and marketing.
These lessons center on relentlessly prioritizing user experience, leveraging constraints, and embracing constant experimentation and reduction.