In today’s episode of the As Told by Nomads Podcast, join me and my guest, Radhika Dutt, as we talk about the five elements of a radical product. Radhika is an entrepreneur and product leader who has participated in four acquisitions, two of which were companies that she founded. Radhika is also the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. Feel free to check it out!

For a Better Society

In whatever we build, we must think of how it impacts society, as told by Radhika. Looking back to when she was living in South Africa and saw the shift from apartheid to democracy, Radhika was interested in Nelson Mandela’s nuanced message to the whole population. It was not about getting revenge but about figuring out what went wrong. Today in the digital age, Radhika thinks that the rise of social media is polarizing because it has eroded nuance in society. She wrote in her book that society must be at the forefront of whatever product we build since everything affects people – the basic unit of society. But, in a much simpler sense, we have to think about the change we want to create. Radhika says that when we build products, we often make digital pollution. To avoid creating that collateral damage, we must take a vision-driven approach. Whether it is about South Africa’s transition to democracy or building a product, there must be a clear picture of the world we envision at the end of what we have built.

Equitable World

In creating an equitable world, Radhika has four questions that need to be answered. First, who is coming to you and what is their problem? Second, what is the solution to their problem? Third, how will we enable or power that solution? And lastly, how do we deliver the solution? But Radhika says that the first question is really the most crucial of them all. To create an equitable world, we have to think equitably, not in a limited perspective. If we do, then we are only solving the problem of a small group of people and not considering how it affects the larger group. That is the piece we are often missing out on. We have to put into consideration how our product affects different kinds of people.

About Radhika Dutt:

Radhika Dutt is the author of the upcoming book, Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. She is an entrepreneur and product leader who has participated in four acquisitions, two of which were companies that she founded. She advises organizations from high-tech startups to government agencies on building radical products that create a fundamental change.

Outline of the episode:

• [02:56] What shaped Radhika’s career?
• [04:34] Things seen from the big picture that changed people’s mindsets and worldviews
• [08:08] The strategy that a product can be applied to everyone in an equitable format
• [30:29] How to deal with resistance and people who do not share the same worldview
• [37:24] About Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter

Resources:

Website: https://www.radicalproduct.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Product-Thinking-Mindset-Innovating/dp/1523093315/

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