AP3
All topics

Judgment / writing the decision before the interface

Product Thinking

Choose the right problem, the right bet, and the right amount of product.

Why this matters

Craft compounds when it is attached to judgment. Product thinking is the practice of deciding what deserves to exist, what to leave out, and how a product earns a place in someone's life.

Concepts to learn

  • Product theses
  • User evidence
  • Activation and return
  • Scope and refusal
  • Business and operating model

Apply It in Casset

Casset is the working environment for this skill—not the curriculum itself.

  • Write the bet behind one Profile World or Casset App before changing the surface.
  • Use product data and observation to decide what should be removed, clarified, or made canonical.
  • Record one refusal: what Casset should not become while solving the current problem.

Suggested project

Decision journal

A series of short records connecting product evidence to a concrete choice.

Evidence of completion

These are completion conditions, not claimed achievements. Each stays planned until it links to a real artifact or verification.

  • reflectionA one-page product thesisplanned
  • observationA user observation that changes the thesisplanned
  • analyticsA decision supported or challenged by product evidenceplanned

Open questions

  • What evidence is enough to change a strong point of view?
  • How can a refusal remain useful as the product evolves?

Related notes

Books, talks, and useful things

  • book
    The Mom TestRob Fitzpatrick
  • book
    Working BackwardsColin Bryar & Bill Carr

Reflection journal

The useful room between a request and a solution is where the product usually appears.