What skill best helps address user needs in AI products?

Most answers emphasize direct engagement with users—through empathy, conversation, or focusing on their role—while one highlights hands-on product shipping as key to understanding user needs.

5 answers

Answers

  • Tamar Yehoshua

    Chief Product and AI Officer · Atlassian

    Focus on the Customer

    Tamar Yehoshua says to focus on the customer, since you have to figure out what’s actually working for your customers instead of believing everything you read on X.

    Lenny's Podcast · Watch on YouTube

  • Jonathan Evens

    Product Lead · Google Deepmind

    User Empathy

    Jonathan Evens says user empathy—focusing on deep user problems and starting with the problem—is what he'd continue to practice, calling it essential for AI feature or product PMs.

    Mind the Product · Watch on YouTube

  • Ravi Mehta

    Angel Investor · Traveljoy

    Focus on Human Role

    Ravi Mehta says product builders should ask what role the human plays in the process rather than what AI can do, because AI generates at the mean while human quirks and lived experience create standout work.

    Reforge · Watch on YouTube

  • Faith Forster

    Chief Maker · Discoveree For Product Leaders & Managers

    Talking to Customers

    Faith Forster says talking to customers is what helps, since relationships and conversations with customers cannot be replaced by transcripts or AI summaries, which lose meaning and intent.

    Mind the Product · Watch on YouTube

  • Dianne Na Penn

    Head of Product Management, Research · Anthropic

    Hands‑On Shipping

    Dianne Na Penn points to hands-on shipping, arguing that managers and PMs must actually ship with the technology to see what a good AI product or feature looks like.

    Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career · Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career · Listen at 50:32

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