John Norberry

I've spent decades in education, exploring the ways we learn and why. I am fascinated by how humans work and this has led me to product. I've found that an understanding of how humans learn is the foundation of product thinking and improvements and, interestingly, understanding of human cognition and neuroscience goes hand in hand with understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI. Until now, I hadn't realised how my knowledge could be applied beyond the classroom.

Working in product management was like switching on a light in a darkened room. Suddenly I saw everything I knew was there with more clarity than before. I'd developed my own versions of product strategies (what I thought was common sense) in past careers and wondered why everyone didn't see things the way I did. Finally! Here were some people who got it! (Side note: I'm pretty sure there's a Product Management = Life Management book waiting to be written but I'll see how I go with this blog post first).

I am most energised in the gaps between technical teams and end-users. When an engineer mentions a technical challenge, I dig into the reasoning and functionality to help find ideas where there may otherwise be none. I have applied this insatiable drive to learn to both human cognition and product management, finding that the formula for both is the same: discovery, iteration, feedback, and continuous improvement.