Kaiti Carpenter

“If there is no clear owner, then it’s the PM that owns it.” I sat down with Esteban Contreras from #ProductState to discuss Product leadership, or Prioritization process at Productboard. We also dug into the concept of Extreme Ownership, which is a principle I firmly believe in. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVN47mWn #productmanagement #productexcellence #ownership

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The north star metric isn't just a compass guiding us; it's a window into the soul of our product, reflecting the core value we deliver and the profound impact we aspire to have on our users. #NorthStarMetric #ProductManagement #ProductValue #Impact #UserFocus #StrategicDirection #ProductVision #ProductStrategy #MetricsThatMatter #CustomerCentric #ProductGrowth

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As a seasoned design leader at this stage in my career, I’d like to share a reflection of one of my greatest challenges—and privileges—navigating the delicate balance between leveraging well-established design patterns and crafting new, innovative product experiences. Why the balance matters: Tried-and-true design patterns are powerful because they provide familiarity and usability for users while reducing cognitive load. They’re a testament to the collective wisdom of our industry, refined over time through countless iterations and user feedback. However, relying solely on established patterns can sometimes limit creativity and lead to stagnation in product innovation. This is the dark side of established design systems. On the other hand, designing new flows and experiences allows us to break boundaries and chart new paths. This is where creativity shines, where we sharpen our skills and apply design principles in novel ways to solve evolving user needs. Yet, this comes with its own challenges—higher risk, potential user friction, and the need for extensive validation and iteration. As a design leader, the key is balance: 1. Master the fundamentals – Deep knowledge of design principles and established patterns is critical. These are the foundation upon which we innovate. 2. Push new horizons with intention – When we step into uncharted territory, it’s essential to root our explorations in a strong understanding of user goals, behaviors, and context. 3. Foster collaboration and experimentation – Building something truly innovative often requires stepping outside our comfort zone and collaborating across disciplines. 4. Measure and adapt – Whether we’re refining a pattern or creating a new one, data and user feedback are our guideposts to ensuring success. For me, the joy of designing the Akaio platforms lies in mastering this balance: ensuring products are intuitive and accessible while also delivering delightful, groundbreaking experiences. It’s a constant interplay of discipline and curiosity, structure and exploration. #designleader #innovation #exploration #flow #creativity #leaderrship #balance Check out a live use case of my latest product build here:

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How is Bonsai rapidly becoming the go-to platform for scaling agencies? 📈 We're obsessed with making our customers' lives easier, and each week we ship meaningful new features shaped by feedback from real teams. In just the last couple weeks, we've rolled out: ✅ Client task collaboration ✅ Client messaging ✅ Budget forecasts for projects ✅ Custom roles & permissions And we’re just getting started—some game-changing updates are coming before the year ends. 🚀

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Product peeps - who are you using for incentive payments based on product feedback? As in take a survey, get paid cash. Or, agree to an interview with our Pm and get cash. Or, provide a product review and get cash?

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Product peeps - who are you using for incentive payments based on product feedback? As in take a survey, get paid cash. Or, agree to an interview with our Pm and get cash. Or, provide a product review and get cash?

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Strategic alignment across product and field is complex and not easy to get right, but it's a pleasure to work alongside Brett Crane, Trevor Jett (Childers), and Jarod Greene. It's wonderful to be in conversation with them, sharing what we have learned, in this webinar: https://lnkd.in/gc-qp7Hk

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For 5+ years, I (alongside the MQA team) have been dedicated to helping customers build QA programs with QA scores. Now, we're talking about the Death of the QA Score. Why the 180 degree change? It's rooted in the craziness that makes us human. We get so obsessed about numbers, and reporting, and ACCURACY. Then, when it comes to #s about people, we hyper focus on FAIRNESS. Even , if the # wasn't related to performance management, Numbers Judging People drives 7 out of 10 people off the wall. (Hmm maybe it originates from our school system and grades and SATs and GPAs etc.? 🤔 ) Next thing you know - your average QA Score is 97% and deep down, everyone knows that's not the truth. The system is being gamed. Next thing you know - you see a situation that should be dug into but you have to randomly sample to be FAIR. We get wrapped up in a tornado ( 🌪🌪 🌪 ) of conversations about the above...and lose sight of what ACTUALLY MATTERS. Kaizen. Learning. Personal Development. Continuous improvement. Getting 1% better each and every day. Focus on finding insights to improve the business. When you remove the score, you can shift from Random to Targeted Issues. When you remove the score, you can focus on finding problems and opportunities than 'grading the person fairly' Going from 1% QA to 100% QA to get a statistically significant score misses the point and perpetuates the original issues. The the future of QA is Targeted and Non-Scoring. Use AI to find better things to Target.

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Inside how Stripe crafts quality products from Katie Dill (Stripe's Head of Design): "Beauty can elevate utility and usability. Beauty can attract users to your product and motivate them to try it earnestly. If users have to jump through hoops to get the utility, they might never reach the magic moment." "Even the best builders can make wrong decisions and assumptions. So we practice continually showing things to users, getting feedback, and iterating, sometimes in less than 24-hour cycles. This has been key to Stripe's success." "We try to minimize “presentationing” and the "let me tell you the story" narrative as much as possible. We like reviews where we just jump into the prototype to see and feel it from the user's perspective." Katie is one of the most influential design leaders in tech, and I think everyone can learn from Stripe's obsession with craft and users. 📌 Read the full interview now: https://lnkd.in/g963QAQs

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I'm curious how other companies approach the decision to build vs buy. What fuels a business's decision to build a product in house versus buying something off the shelf? What factors or principles do you use to help you make the decision?

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I found this article to be a great summary of what a product manager does- understanding all stakeholders and acting as the glue across the organization. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/g39gC_4G

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The title may appear intimidating, but the core message is actually very encouraging and exciting. We are entering an era of creators, whether we refer to ourselves as designers, engineers, or product managers. By mastering the power of AI, we can unlock a new level of autonomy in our ideation and creativity.

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Gotta love lunchtime conversations around my house. These were just from today! This is what happens when you have two product people under one roof. - How to handle WCAG compliance recommendations - Dealing with scope creep - How to document assumptions around R&D for quarterly planning

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Great products are born from actively listening to customers. Investing in user-centered design and research is the place to start. As a product design leader, I always tell my teams to deep dive into customer journeys, analyze support tickets, and gather insights from community forums before designing anything. Products like Loom and Calendly shine because they prioritize simplicity and align with user workflows. #CustomerExperience #ProductDesign #UserCenteredDesign https://lnkd.in/ghD8fUJ2

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Really love this and the break down of the process. I can apply this to make many of my communications more direct and get to the root of “so why should I care?” Or “how does this impact me/my team/mywork?” faster. This is simple and easy to apply to all copy!

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How are marketer leaders thinking about AI? Join Klaviyo's webinar on June 23 at 1 PM EST to hear insights from 600+ marketers at top brands about how they're using AI—and how they expect it to change in the future. Plus, hear from our internal AI experts on how they see these trends playing out. https://bit.ly/3zJbSRv

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Third and final post in my series on active users, stickiness, and retention: how do you actually *use* these metrics to diagnose and react to common problems with product-market fit? As always, let me know what you think! https://lnkd.in/efhcav47

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Do your CRM and Marketing tools need couples therapy? If the answer is anywhere close to "yes", I'd love to hear from you. This survey takes <2-minutes: https://lnkd.in/geaf-A3Z

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"You'll bounce back." I heard that a lot during my recovery from a stroke in October 2023. "You'll get back to where you were before the stroke. You're resilient." I appreciated the thought then and do to this day. The problem is resilience isn’t about bouncing back; it’s about bouncing forward. The world is noisy, unpredictable, and often unkind to those who dare to stand out. But resilience isn’t just enduring the noise—it’s using it as fuel to create, innovate, and lead. It’s easy to quit when the feedback isn’t glowing, when the results aren’t immediate, or when the path seems too steep. But what if resilience is the real test? The ability to embrace the dips, the failures, and the fear, knowing they’re necessary steps in the journey toward something meaningful. I didn’t succeed because I was fearless. I succeeded because I leaned into fear, into discomfort, into the unknown—and kept going...even on the days when progress wasn't linear or apparent at all. Resilience isn’t an accident. It’s a practice. A decision we make every day to show up, do the work, share it with the world and trust the process. Keep bouncing forward!

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