John Cutler · 5 min read · Product Discovery
TBM 439: Day At The Gig...
Read the original on cutlefish.substack.com →
In a new role, the author tries to make sense of a product by sketching a subway-map-like system of routes, stops, and transfer points to capture people, artifacts, data sources, and processes. They wrestle with what is still valid, differentiate live insights from relics, and navigate the tension between manual sensemaking and AI-assisted tools, using meetings and artifacts to build a shared mental model.
Key Takeaways
- Use a subway-map metaphor to model end-to-end product journeys, roles, and information flows.
- Distinguish current, live understanding from outdated artifacts to avoid eroded shared knowledge.
- A wide collection of artifacts (maps, docs, transcripts, videos) is essential for sensemaking, but requires careful integration and validation.
- AI and tools like Notion can help, but often can't replace human grounding and context-sharing.
- Resist over-automation and rely on tactile, collaborative processes to build a coherent understanding.
Excerpt
I recently started a new job, which means I’m spending a lot of my time trying to figure out how everything works: the product, the workflows, the history, the people, the artifacts, and all the context that everyone else has accumulated over time. So instead of trying to turn that experience into a neat argument, I thought I’d just write down what one of those days actually feels like. 8:30. Kid-school tornado is over. Second cup of coffee. I’m building an elaborate “subway map” with stops, lines, and transfer points to wrap my head around a product. Certain stops can…