Ryan Wigley

Innovating how we test products

Product testing exists to make sure that things we build, work as intended. If something about your customer’s experience is broken, you might lose them forever. Companies obviously want people to use their products reliably and avoid this — product testing makes for a logical solution.

Yet despite its importance, product testing has plenty of issues. Software teams are routinely subject to short timelines (QA teams regularly hear ”Can you test this last minute?”). Regression testing, which makes sure new code does not impact existing functionality, is often the first thing cut when resources are tight. This combination of resource constraints plus technical debt have made adoption of best practices (like continuous testing) and new AI / ML techniques, damn near impossible for most companies to implement.

When over half of software companies suck at something they all acknowledge is critical, something is amiss. Either people are lying about how much they value product testing or the model is broken.

YouTube's long-form legacy

My daughter is just starting to get into screens.

On a flight yesterday I put a kids video on my iPhone for her to watch - a few minutes of distraction. The screen filled with 3D dancing fruits and veggies — and she loved it.

After we landed, we put it on for a few more minutes. Those veggies started dancing and we heard the soundtrack for the first time. Where I expected obnoxious kids music, I was surprised to hear catchy dance music with guitar. The music was, dare I say… good?

YouTube creators have once again found a way to get my attention. It’s a 15 year run of getting me to stream regularly for hours. From mixes in college to branded channels in my 20s. And now in my 30s, with tasteful videos for my kids, mixed to music my wife and I can enjoy.

'Hey Bear Sensory' has found itself a niche product: bright videos, fun animations, and music that adults will tolerate. It’s brilliant.

Kids products (like this) that are built to flow with parents lives, rather than clash are going to be big winners with my generation - I’m sure of it.

Value of AI

How cool to be living in a time when there are AI tools for anything. They have the potential to augment every facet of our lives. I would go so far as to say, every business, job, or hobby can benefit from what’s out there today.

At their best, AI tools enhance productivity and efficiency. At their worst, with little instruction they serve as a helping hand for the mundane.

If you’re in the camp who’ve tried ChatGPT and thought, “this kind of sucks”, you’re not alone (OpenAI’s founder agrees with you). Most models are still in their infancy, but still have the potential to be used exceptionally.

AI is the great disrupter of our age. Every unit of time saved frees up more moments for creativity, connection, and relaxation. Embrace the possibilities and give AI another try.

Less time spent doing what computer’s can, means more time doing what they can’t.

Product management at Startups vs. Enterprises

The job of a product manager is a hard one. When you are hired onto a new team, there is an expectation that you will make a positive impact in a short amount of time. Regardless of the state of a business, its size, software stack, or customer relationships - PMs are expected to come into that environment and make exceptional things happen.

Making great things happen in the face of ambiguous challenges is the job. It’s a reason why being a PM is high stress and high reward. It’s also the main reason why choosing where to work is so critical: great things don’t happen magically.

Success as a PM takes a lot of learning, collaboration, and trial & error. The company you choose to work at better have values in line with yours, otherwise you are in for a world of hurt.

How music royalties could work on-chain

I’ve been really inspired by the work Justin Blau (3LAU) has been doing with Royal.io. Their vision is to change music industry mold, by creating a holistic relationship between fan and artist using blockchain technology. Coming off the recent success of Nas’ new project (NFTs for his new single, “Rare”), I started to wonder about how the music royalties would work.

Reflections on disrupting the music industry

The year is 1906. You are a sea captain, steering a ship through crashing waves and catching as much fish as possible for tomorrow’s Christmas markets. The usual beeps emanating from your shipboard radio stop, and you hear a different yet familiar sound. Excited, you run down and yell across the deck to your crew, “You gotta hear this, it’s a Christmas miracle. They’re playing ‘O Holy Night’ on the radio!”

A lot has changed about audio consumption since that Christmas eve in Boston. That was the first time music had been delivered publicly, and with it an industry was birthed. Radio gave way to vinyl, which gave way to the tape cassette, CD, and now MP3. By the early 2000s, the success of digital music pioneers Napster and iTunes proved music streaming had great potential, but monetization and copyright licensing still lagged far behind. By 2011, streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and others were becoming some of the most recognized brands in the world — music streaming was a force to be reckoned with.

In August 2012, I joined a tech company ripe with possibility. I saw music at a crossroads between the conventions of a century’s old industry and the potential of new technology. I felt joining Dubset Media would give me an opportunity to play a part. I hoped we would get acquired, but I never imagined my work would change the music industry. That success didn’t come without its fair share of growing pains and setbacks. It’s my hope that by sharing my story, it will help you make better decisions about your team, your company strategy, and your career. This is my journey, from start to sold.