Oversimplified: Volume 108

Metrics gone wild, growth experimentation, and drunken software rants

Jun 09, 2021

Hey there 👋

There might be more stuff in here than in any previous issue! I guess that’s what happens when you let a month of reading sit in your archives without reviewing it. Anyways, let’s get to the best links I found on the internet this week.

✍️ The Growth Experiment Process

Conor Dewey | Growth | 2021-06-08

Growth can mean a lot of different things, but often it's associated with experiments. I think I’m starting to get a feel for the experimentation process. It seems intuitive enough, but I’m finding that there are layers to it.

📚 The Importance of Play

Richard Feynman | Mental Models | 1985-01

This excerpt from Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman is a great one. It’s short enough as-is but here’s a preview: “So I got this new attitude. Now that I am burned out and I'll never accomplish anything… I'm going to play with physics, whenever I want to, without worrying about any importance whatsoever.”

📚 Analytics and Metrics Galore

Benn Stancil | Data Science | 2021-04-30

I had a whole slew of posts saved on recent ideas in the analytics and metrics space. Somehow, they all kind of interact as well. I’ve linked one post in particular above, but if you’re into this sorta thing, check out all of the following in order:

📚 The Part-Time Creator Manifesto

Shawn Wang | Side Projects | 2021-03-15

As someone who enjoys working on side projects next to a full-time role, this article resonated with me. I tend to feel happier, more productive, and more effective at work when I’m carving out time for this newsletter and writing in particular. Consider this my personal sign-off on Shawn’s manifesto!

📚 Rule Engines and Machine Learning

Neal Lathia | Data Science | 2020-10-09

I bookmarked this post a while back and revisited it this week, as we were exploring some projects in the space at Hugo. There’s so much gold here around doing machine learning without unnecessary complexity.

🔗 Drunken Software Rant

Flipstables | Engineering

I can’t remember how I came across this rant on Reddit but it’s wildly entertaining and I definitely found myself nodding along vigorously during parts of it.

🔗 The Psychology of Clubhouse

Growth Design | Product Design | 2021-05

I really wanted to like and use Clubhouse, but I ended up churning as a user pretty quickly. With all the hype it got, I thought a bit about why and this case study captures some of those reasons well.

Food for Thought

“I count the days because I love them too much. I count the days already knowing that one day I will remember how tactless it was of me to have counted the days when I could have so easily have enjoyed them. I count the days to pretend that losing it all doesn't phase me." — Doerr

Until next time

As always, if you're enjoying Oversimplified, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend or two. If anything stood out, whether good or bad, I would love to hear about it. Reply to this email or tweet at me and let’s chat.

Until next time,

Conor