Product Builders – Interviews About App Development, Product Design, UX/UI and Digital Products

For years, product teams have followed a familiar playbook: build, learn, iterate, and improve. But what happens when technology evolves so dramatically that the assumptions behind a successful product no longer hold?In this episode of Product Builders, we're joined by Taron Ghazaryan, Head of Product Design at Samsara, to explore what it takes to reimagine a mature digital product for the AI era.We discuss how to recognize when iteration isn't enough, how to validate a fundamentally new product experience without leaving existing customers behind, and why AI is changing not just the products we build, but the roles and capabilities of the teams building them.From rethinking software around outcomes instead of tasks to designers taking AI-assisted work directly into production, Taron shares practical insights into navigating product transformation while staying grounded in what customers actually need.In this episode:When to rebuild a product instead of continuing to iterateWhy successful products may need to challenge their original assumptionsHow to introduce new experiences without disrupting existing customersUsing customer research and rapid prototyping to validate a new directionHow AI is changing product design, engineering, and team collaboration———📚 Resources MentionedConnect with Taron GhazaryanLearn more about Samsara Learn more about Samsara Design———This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.comPlease leave a 5-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ⁠ProductBuildersPodcast.com⁠———🌐 FOLLOW US⁠Newsletter⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠X⁠

AI has never been easier to access. But having powerful tools at our fingertips doesn't necessarily mean we know what to do with them.In this episode of Product Builders, Mark sits down with Andrew Lippert, founder of Operating Thesis and former CTO at Edmentum and McGraw Hill, to explore what it actually means to use AI well. From why constraints can drive better innovation to what businesses can learn from the classroom, they unpack the importance of human judgment, purposeful adoption, and knowing when AI is the right tool for the job.They also look ahead to a future where the best AI experiences might be the ones we barely notice.Key TopicsAccess doesn't equal innovation. Why giving people powerful AI tools without direction or context can create more chaos than value.Start with the problem, not the technology. How businesses can move beyond automating existing workflows and reconsider what's possible.Experimentation versus mastery. Why getting comfortable with AI is important, but knowing when and how to use it takes practice and judgment.Rethinking AI in education. Why teaching students to work with AI may be more valuable than trying to keep it out of the classroom.Learning beyond the right answer. How AI could support more meaningful assessments through collaboration, problem-solving, and real-world experiences.What businesses can learn from schools. The importance of shared frameworks, clear responsibilities, and developing the skills to use AI purposefully.When AI becomes invisible. Why the future of AI might be less about new interfaces and more about making technology simpler and more intuitive.———📚 Resources MentionedConnect with Andrew Lippert: LinkedIn———This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.comPlease leave a 5-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ⁠ProductBuildersPodcast.com⁠———🌐 FOLLOW US⁠Newsletter⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠X⁠

In this episode, Rishu Gandhi, a senior data engineer specializing in machine learning and AI cybersecurity, discusses the urgent need for responsible AI practices amid evolving technologies and lagging regulations. We explore how organizations can embed ethics into AI development, the current regulatory landscape, and practical principles for building trustworthy, transparent AI systems.Key Topics:The responsibility of builders in responsible AI and how ethical decisions shape AI productsThe current state and fragmentation of AI regulation globally, with insights into the EU AI Act and US effortsPractical principles for responsible AI development including input validation, confidence thresholds, ongoing monitoring, and transparencyThe role of trust, explainability, and effective communication in user adoption of AIFuture outlook emphasizing regulation’s role in shaping AI’s evolution⚠️Note: As AI regulation continues to develop, organizations across all sectors should proactively embed ethical principles into their AI workflows to build trustworthy, responsible systems—ensuring innovation aligns with societal values and safeguards.———📚 Resources MentionedConnect with Rishu Gandhi: LinkedIn———This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.comPlease leave a 5-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ⁠ProductBuildersPodcast.com⁠———🌐 FOLLOW US⁠Newsletter⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠X⁠

In this episode featuring Mason Lancaster, Senior Data Engineer at CHG Healthcare, discover the critical insights behind a successful data infrastructure overhaul. Learn how strategic planning, stakeholder alignment, and tech modernization can revolutionize a company's data capabilities, even amidst long-term disruptions.Key Topics:The unseen foundation: Why data infrastructure is crucial for great digital productsChallenges of legacy systems: Why outdated tech slows business growthThe importance of modern tools: Snowflake, 5Tran, and dbt for data transformationData migration strategies: From planning to execution, including managing tool backtrackingStakeholder communication: Balancing short-term bottlenecks with long-term gainsThe impact of infrastructure upgrades: Metrics on productivity, stakeholder satisfaction, and data qualityBuilding trust during big projects: How effective product teams can keep everyone alignedEarly warning signs of outdated systems: Identifying when a migration is neededCommon underestimations in the migration process: Testing, exploring tools, and planningPractical steps for initial modernization: Ensuring leadership buy-in and incremental exploration💬 Mason says“If there are things that would benefit the business that you’re not able to do today, there’s probably a deeper issue with the system.”———📚 Resources MentionedMason Lancaster (LinkedIn)CHG Healthcare (LinkedIn)CHG Healthcare (Website)———This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.comPlease leave a 5-star review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com———🌐 FOLLOW USNewsletterLinkedInX

In this episode, Alain Mowad, Vice President of Product and Customer Marketing at Aspect Software, joins us to break down what go-to-market actually means after the build is done. Alain shares how strong launches come from aligning product, pricing and messaging early, not scrambling at the finish line. He also explains why pricing is one of the hardest parts of bringing a product to market and why teams need to ground every decision in customer outcomes, not feature checklists.We discuss:- What go-to-market really includes, beyond promotion, and an outline of the four Ps.- Why leading with outcomes beats leading with features, even in crowded markets.- How competitive insights shape messaging, positioning and pricing decisions.- Why pricing is difficult to get right and why it takes months to pressure test.- The difference between seat-based, consumption-based and outcomes-based pricing.- How product marketing keeps sales, finance, product and customer teams aligned.- Why go-to-market is an ongoing motion, not a one-time launch moment.- How smaller teams can build a simple go-to-market framework through clear communication and iteration.💬 Alain says: “You have to stop talking at customers and (start) talking with them. And the way you do that is by learning from them and understanding what their needs and requirements are. What we do when we're selling and positioning products is we lead with outcomes. How does our product address the customer's key pain points in a way that none of our competitors can do?”Resources Mentioned:Alain Mowadhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alainmowad/Aspect Software | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/aspect-software/Aspect Software | Websitehttps://www.aspect.com/This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com Please leave a 5-star reviewIf you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.comFOLLOW US: ►Newsletter: https://www.majestykapps.com/newsletter ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majestykapps/ ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/majestyk-apps/ ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajestykApp ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/majestykapps#GoToMarketStrategy #PricingStrategy #ProductMarketing

In this episode, Rafsan Bhuiyan, CEO of OrionQ, joins us to break down how teams can use AI with confidence, clarity, and real business purpose. Rafsan has led enterprise AI initiatives at scale, trained thousands of leaders on AI fundamentals, and now builds agentic revenue operations systems that bring humans and AI together in practical, measurable ways.We discuss:Why AI should be treated as a utility rather than a magic solution.How businesses fall into the trap of AI hype and overbuilding.Why identifying repetitive tasks is the starting point for meaningful automation.Early warning signs that a team is wasting resources on the wrong AI initiatives.The importance of human-in-the-loop systems for intuition, judgment and context.What good prompt engineering looks like and how it differs from casual prompting.Why teams must map workflows before building any AI-powered solution.Practical steps for reducing risk, accelerating ROI and choosing the right use cases.💬 Rafsan says: “AI is a human augmentation. If we can learn how to use it appropriately, like a utility, where to use it and when, even prompt engineering is a good example, too, we'll make it more productive.”Resources Mentioned:Rafsan Bhuiyanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/aiwithrafsan/OrionQ | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/orionq/OrionQ | Websitehttps://orionq.ai/Global AI Advisorshttps://www.globalaiadvisors.ai/This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com Please leave a 5-star reviewIf you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.comFOLLOW US: ►Newsletter: https://www.majestykapps.com/newsletter ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majestykapps/ ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/majestyk-apps/ ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajestykApp ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/majestykapps#AI #AIAutomation #EnterpriseAI

In this episode, ⁠Paul Unterberg⁠, Chief Product Officer at ⁠Uphold⁠, joins us to explore what it takes to make money move seamlessly across the globe. Paul shares how FinTech connects traditional banking systems with emerging technologies like blockchain and crypto, making complex financial processes feel effortless for users. He also dives into how design thinking bridges the gap between innovation, trust and user experience in a rapidly evolving financial landscape.We discuss:How FinTech connects legacy banking systems to new technologies.Why our understanding of money continues to evolve with mobile and digital tools.The role of blockchain in building transparency and security.How product design makes complex financial systems feel seamless.Why innovation often happens behind the scenes in FinTech.How AI acts as a force multiplier for product development.The importance of taking intelligent risks when building financial products.💬 Paul says: “The future of finance is getting simpler, and the infrastructure to build is getting easier to integrate. Now that you have AI models and tools, you can think about money as maybe a solved problem and start to think about the next thing to build on top of that.”Resources Mentioned:Paul Unterberghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-unterberg-16a65b4/⁠Uphold | LinkedIn⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/upholdinc/Uphold | Website⁠https://uphold.com/This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at ⁠MajestykApps.com⁠  Please leave a 5-star reviewIf you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ⁠ProductBuildersPodcast.com⁠———FOLLOW US:    ►Newsletter: ⁠https://www.majestykapps.com/newsletter⁠   ►Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/majestykapps/⁠   ►LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/majestyk-apps/⁠   ►Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/MajestykApp⁠   ►Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/majestykapps⁠#FinTechInnovation #ProductDesign #BlockchainTechnology

In this episode, we sit down with Peter Gergely, Director, Content and Fan Experience at the New York Yankees, to explore how legacy sports brands are evolving their in-stadium experiences for today’s tech-savvy fans. With more than two decades in sports media, Peter shares how his role has shifted from video production to driving innovation and fan engagement at Yankee Stadium.We discuss:Why mobile phones are central to the modern ballpark experience.How the pandemic forced a reassessment of in-game entertainment.The challenge of keeping both traditional and digital-first fans engaged.What made mobile bingo an effective entry point for interactive tech.How Peter evaluates new vendors and emerging tools.Why personalization is the next big shift in stadium innovation.💬Peter says: “We’re getting older. But there’s always going to be young fans coming in. They’re going to be the new model of what we need to showcase and what we want to enhance for them, for the generation, while maintaining traditional aspects for the older fan.”———Resources Mentioned:Peter Gergelyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/pgergely/New York Yankees | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/new-york-yankees/New York Yankees | Websitehttps://www.mlb.com/yankeesMLB Ballpark Apphttps://www.mlb.com/apps/ballpark———This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com Please leave a 5-star reviewIf you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com———FOLLOW US: ►Newsletter: https://www.majestykapps.com/newsletter ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majestykapps/ ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/majestyk-apps/ ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajestykApp ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/majestykapps———#LiveEntertainmentTech #DigitalFanEngagement #RealTimeFeedback

In this episode, Samantha McCarthy, AVP, Product Management at Sotheby’s, joins us to discuss what it takes to build proprietary tools inside a 300-year-old company. She shares how her team balances the weight of tradition with the speed of modern product development, and what it means to build for ultra-high-net-worth clients in real time.We discuss:How Sotheby’s matured its internal product org to support digital transactions.Why clear communication and analogies help bridge tech and non-tech teams.Challenges of building tools for a small, ultra-high-net-worth user base.How legacy data informs the shift to platform-level thinking.Why the team chose to build proprietary tools instead of buying off-the-shelf.What it takes to deliver real-time, high-stakes auction experiences online.💬 Samantha says: “There’s a performance and a drama and an immediacy to a lot of the auction experience that goes into how we think about things that I think really impacts not just how we build products, but how we work with the rest of the business. And how they understand what we're doing is really crucial.”Resources Mentioned:Samantha McCarthyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthajmcc/Sotheby’s | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/sothebys/Sotheby’s | Websitehttps://www.sothebys.com/en/This episode is brought to you by Majestyk AppsWe imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com.FOLLOW US: ►Newsletter: https://www.majestykapps.com/newsletter ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majestykapps/ ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/majestyk-apps/ ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajestykApp ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/majestykapps

In this episode, we’re joined by Andrew Tunall, President and CPO of Embrace. Andrew breaks down the real-world impact of telemetry and observability, explaining how teams can use these tools to create faster, more resilient product experiences. With a background at New Relic, AWS and now Embrace, Andrew shares how observability is evolving into a product-wide concern — not just an engineering one.We discuss:- Why telemetry is essential for measuring real user performance.- How observability differs from traditional analytics tools.- What forward-looking teams do differently when shipping mobile apps.- How cross-functional teams benefit from shared data insights.- Why user disengagement is often a performance issue in disguise.- How AI helps Embrace rapidly test ideas and improve collaboration.Andrew says, “As you think about full-stack engineering, not just front-end engineering, I'm a big believer that having common data sets and thinking about a problem with all of the information at your disposal, produces the best overall system design decisions. That is to say, if you think about a UX pattern that you could contemplate, if you do not care at all about any of the implementation details, you could come up with some wild stuff that is virtually impossible for the engineers to actually deliver in a way that performs consistent with user expectations.” Resources Mentioned:Andrew Tunall |LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtunall/Embrace | Websitehttps://embrace.io/Embrace | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/embrace.io/GitHub (for all our open source, OTel SDKs)https://github.com/embrace-ioEmbrace’s Slack Community (anyone can join to learn about user-focused observability and how to work with OpenTelemetry for web and mobile)https://community.embrace.io/This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps.We imagine, design and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com. Please leave a 5-star review.If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com.#DigitalProduct #Hiring #Apps