Product R&D engineer here. I have a product manager who only knows how to give one piece of feedback: make it smaller and slimmer. What requirement is driving this? Can’t say. What user need are we trying to address? No idea. But smaller=better for some reason.
One thing people who don’t build products tend to imagine is that PMs are constantly doing market research, data analysis, focus groups, etc.
That may be true at some companies, but IME they can be clueless beyond belief because their real job is to be salespeople. They sell dreams to executives. Whether those will actually sell is a much lower concern.
See also: AI being shoved down everyone’s throats.
“Fun” little tidbit, the Mexican cartels call the guy who reduces bodies to a slurry “un pozolero” (a soup-maker) when they need to get rid of a body. Actual Pozole is quite delicious though.
I think it’s because, on one hand, it’s an engineering feat (useful or not) but also it’s one that is immediately visible and measurable. It’s useless beyond the novelty, as we saw with the iPhone Air, but it’s still impressive.
Also there is a history of great functionality being born from miniaturization. I’m not sure we’ll see much of that happening anymore, the low hanging fruits and nearly every other avenues have been explored, and it’s much less a problem of engineering as much as it is chemistry and physics. Unless you sacrifice usability for the sake of the feat.
So I agree with you that it’s not bringing much to the table, but I think there is an interest in pursuing it for one’s career
Product R&D engineer here. I have a product manager who only knows how to give one piece of feedback: make it smaller and slimmer. What requirement is driving this? Can’t say. What user need are we trying to address? No idea. But smaller=better for some reason.
compensating for complexes behaviour, I guess
Have you considered arranging an office white water rafting trip or perhaps cave diving, where a terrible misfortune may befall this person?
One thing people who don’t build products tend to imagine is that PMs are constantly doing market research, data analysis, focus groups, etc.
That may be true at some companies, but IME they can be clueless beyond belief because their real job is to be salespeople. They sell dreams to executives. Whether those will actually sell is a much lower concern.
See also: AI being shoved down everyone’s throats.
I bet that once upon a time, this was standard operating procedure.
Ask them why then.
Can’t you just kill him? You know, for the greater good?
Just make sure you dispose of the body in the smallest, thinnest container possible.
A slurry can be made very, very thin.
“Fun” little tidbit, the Mexican cartels call the guy who reduces bodies to a slurry “un pozolero” (a soup-maker) when they need to get rid of a body. Actual Pozole is quite delicious though.
br0th
The greater good!
Crusty jugglers!
Thinner until I can shave with this thing.
At least they’d be adding a function to a phone for once.
You’re gonna have to hone it to keep its edge. Wonder if it’ll come with vendor locked honing stones
I think it’s because, on one hand, it’s an engineering feat (useful or not) but also it’s one that is immediately visible and measurable. It’s useless beyond the novelty, as we saw with the iPhone Air, but it’s still impressive.
Also there is a history of great functionality being born from miniaturization. I’m not sure we’ll see much of that happening anymore, the low hanging fruits and nearly every other avenues have been explored, and it’s much less a problem of engineering as much as it is chemistry and physics. Unless you sacrifice usability for the sake of the feat.
So I agree with you that it’s not bringing much to the table, but I think there is an interest in pursuing it for one’s career
I mean, that’s actually really fair.
But now, we’ve seen how small we can go… Bring back the features! Swiss army knife time!
Fuck that person. They don’t need to exist.