{"id":11373,"date":"2024-01-26T16:52:48","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/?p=11373"},"modified":"2024-01-26T16:53:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:53:52","slug":"ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron Lichty on How to Build Truly Customer-Centric Products [Product Alignment Series]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does it take to build customer-centric products? In my extensive conversation with software expert Ron Lichty, we explored the leadership, mindsets, and practices that enable teams to deeply understand user needs and deliver solutions focused on real-world outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout our discussion spanning product strategy, organizational culture, and agile delivery, Ron repeatedly spotlighted the immense power of putting people at the heart of the process. Whether examining the \u201cwhy\u201d behind development work, cross-functional team models, or nurturing empathy on squads, Ron makes the compelling case that customer centricity fundamentally fuels innovation and business success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ron shares hard-won insights from over 30 years leading software teams. His vivid stories from pioneering Apple\u2019s iconic user experiences to coaching modern squads illustrate tangible ways to build products and cultures focused on creating true value for human needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Part 1 &#8211; Why Developer Engagement is in a Crisis<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Why do software teams often lack clarity into how their work impacts outcomes? In the first part of our convernsation, Ron spotlights a common frustration &#8211; the disconnect between developers&#8217; day-to-day and true customer impact. In our conversation, Ron explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why understanding the &#8220;why&#8221; behind their work motivates and focuses teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How leaders fail to connect the dots to business outcomes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why agile practices must support constant collaboration around shared goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to avoid blindly building features without ensuring real user value<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why imagining a better future for customers should steer development priorities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch Ron describe how to inspire teams by repeatedly tying their work to real-world change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Developer Engagement is in a Crisis (And How to Fix It)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eecJBZNkBE8?start=28&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Part 2 &#8211; Unleash Your Team&#8217;s Potential Using the Product Trio<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>What does it take to set up product teams for velocity and innovation? A shared vision and ownership. I spoke with Ron about an alternative team model called the \u201cProduct Trio\u201d &#8211; cross-functional groups that deeply collaborate towards common goals. In our conversation, Ron spotlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why specialists like developers and designers need to jointly imagine solutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building a shared definition of quality and \u201cdone\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuously revisiting working agreements as teams evolve<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bringing in additional stakeholders when helpful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to Ron make the case that integrating different perspectives lays the foundation for nimble product development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Unleash your team&#039;s potential using the Product Trio\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U7aTmDWKSW0?start=24&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><br>Part 3 &#8211; Customer Obsessed Teams: The Hidden Key To Agility<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s the key to product teams that focus on customer outcomes? Empathy and shared responsibility. In the third part of our conversation, Ron and I talk about the immense power of putting users at the center of agile development. In our talk, Ron explained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why customer empathy should be a core competency for software teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How Apple&#8217;s Mac UI team set the tone by owning quality and user experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The need to re-instill that &#8220;we build this for humans&#8221; mindset<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simple ways leaders can connect work to real-world impact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Getting teams aligned on what agile means for your product specifically<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch Ron make the compelling case that nurturing empathy transforms delivery &#8211; and business results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Customer Obsessed Teams: The Hidden Key To Agility\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3YcaCFB2nw0?start=27&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does it take to build customer-centric products? In my extensive conversation with software expert Ron Lichty, we explored the leadership, mindsets, and practices that enable teams to deeply understand user needs and deliver solutions focused on real-world outcomes. Throughout our discussion spanning product strategy, organizational culture, and agile delivery, Ron repeatedly spotlighted the immense [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,31],"tags":[],"message_area_of_focus":[35],"buy_cycle":[37],"target_audience":[39],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Build Truly Customer-Centric Products<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the leadership and practices that enable teams to deeply understand user needs and deliver solutions focused on real-world outcomes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Build Truly Customer-Centric Products\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore the leadership and practices that enable teams to deeply understand user needs and deliver solutions focused on real-world outcomes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMERGE | UX Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-27T00:52:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-27T00:53:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Article-Cover-Product-Alignment-YouTube-Cover-2.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2161\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"826\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathon Hensley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EmergeInteract\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EmergeInteract\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathon Hensley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/\",\"name\":\"How to Build Truly Customer-Centric Products\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-27T00:52:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-27T00:53:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f7b2a2674b7ff8beb49410a06d7b3fa1\"},\"description\":\"Explore the leadership and practices that enable teams to deeply understand user needs and deliver solutions focused on real-world outcomes\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/insights\/detail\/ron-lichty-build-customer-centric-products\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ron Lichty on How to Build Truly Customer-Centric Products [Product Alignment Series]\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.emergeagency.com\/\",\"name\":\"EMERGE | UX Agency\",\"description\":\"EMERGE is a UX design agency in Portland, OR. 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