This past year, we’ve had the privilege of digging into some truly inspiring conversations on the Launch With Confidence podcast. If you’ve followed along, you already know that we’ve tackled everything from innovation to inclusivity, scaling beta programs, and so much more.
As I sat down to reflect on all these incredible episodes, I couldn’t help but want to share what I thought were some key takeaways. Consider this my personal highlight reel — a mix of actionable advice, moments that made me go “aha!”, and a few quotes I can’t stop thinking about.
Innovation Starts with Empathy
Innovation feels like such a buzzword, but this season reminded me that the most groundbreaking ideas often start by simply understanding people’s needs. Danielle Prince from Wyze shared a perspective that really stuck with me:
"You know, our beta testing actually began in our social media communities… something that we do keep close to our hearts from those early days is, one of our founding principles, which is be friends with our users."
Danielle talked about how building trust and empathy can make all the difference, not just for products but for improving internal processes, like customer support. Collecting feedback is only the first step; the real impact comes from analyzing and applying it to create meaningful improvements.
Another standout moment came from Dylan LeMay at Nanit, who emphasized the importance of diverse testing environments. He said:
“You can’t replicate a real user in a real environment… there are millions of setups… That’s why we test.”
This is such a great, succinct way to highlight why beta testing is so important. Whether it’s testing in different climates or accounting for unique user behaviors, it’s clear that no detail is too small; even minor variations in setup can lead to big impacts on the product experience.
Building Better Beta Programs
This year’s episodes also featured some amazing insights on structuring and running beta programs. Keith McDonald from Square drew an interesting parallel between building a team of beta support personnel and creating a well-rounded pool of beta testers. He emphasized the importance of diverse perspectives, saying:
“Think of a beta program, right? You don’t want just super users. Like that’s not going to give you everything you’re looking for… You can have a super user that is going to test out every aspect of a product or give you all the technical feedback that you’re looking for, but you still need to take that in and do something with it.”
(Launch With Confidence S2E10)
Keith really drove home the point that building a beta team is about more than just finding technical experts—it’s about creating a balance. Sure, you need those deep technical skills to tackle complex issues, but you also need people who can connect with testers, ask thoughtful questions, and make them feel heard. Beta testing shouldn’t just be a bug hunt; it’s crucial to understand the full journey. Keith stressed how important it is to dig deeper and “extract information” from testers to uncover the why behind their feedback—those deeper insights that can truly shape a product.
Another pro tip came from Sonos’ Chip Duval, who explained how they evaluate testers:
“Those are the four buckets that we had: product usage, bug reports, community engagement, and survey responses. We took all of that data and…we were able to draw a line in the sand. If you scored 75 or 80… you’re automatically rolled into the next program.”
(Launch With Confidence S2E11)
That kind of structured approach ensures you’re constantly improving your tester pool while maximizing the value of their feedback.
Inclusivity is Non-Negotiable
Inclusivity came up in some fascinating ways this season. Alexa Murray from WHOOP dropped a stat that absolutely floored me: “It wasn’t until fairly recently that we required women to be included in clinical trials…” Yes, you read that right. This blew my mind. She also pointed out that inclusivity in design isn’t just about gender; it’s about ensuring your research reflects diverse attitudes, backgrounds, and experiences.
She shared how WHOOP creates personas based on feedback from both existing members and people outside their typical user base. Alexa explained:
“We’re very conscious… to think about who is on that interview list and whether that’s representative.”
(Launch With Confidence S2E1)
It’s such an important reminder that diversity doesn’t just happen — you have to intentionally build it into your processes from the ground up.
Collaboration to Elevate Customer Experience
This season, one theme that kept popping up was the power of collaboration across departments to create a seamless customer experience. Keith (Square) put it perfectly when he talked about the importance of breaking down silos:
“We were able to break the barrier between customer support and products… they really wanted to dig in and understand how people were using this product, what issues still were outstanding, and what we could improve upon.”
(Launch With Confidence S2E10)
It’s about getting everyone—from product managers to customer support to engineers—on the same page. When these teams work together, they create a feedback loop that’s bigger than just fixing bugs. It’s about building a unified strategy to truly understand and improve how customers experience your product.
The takeaway? Collaboration isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the secret ingredient to taking your product and customer experience to the next level. Whether it’s sharing insights, syncing timelines, or brainstorming solutions, working as one cohesive unit always leads to better outcomes.
Passion Drives Innovation
I can’t talk about this season without mentioning the sheer passion from so many of the guests. John Trainor at Wahoo Fitness brought this to life when he described seeing people react to their new treadmill.
“You’d see their face light up… It’s like the best reward for someone who works on a product.”
(Launch With Confidence S2E2)
Maurice Leacock echoed a similar sentiment and highlighted how caring deeply about customers can drive real innovation. He said:
"When you’ve actually created something that changes the way people operate and changes their habits, they’re going to be the first one to tell you why it could be better and how it can be better. If I care about my customers…I care about what those customers are saying or what those users are saying.”
These moments remind us that passion doesn’t end at launch—it’s what drives us to listen, learn, and keep improving. Passion keeps the momentum alive, ensuring we’re always pushing for something better
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on these episodes, I’m struck by how much overlap there is between empathy, structure, and innovation. These lessons apply to far more than just product managers or beta testers—they’re valuable for anyone aiming to create something meaningful and impactful.
So, here’s my challenge to you: What’s one thing you can take from these stories and apply to your own work? Whether it’s being more intentional about inclusivity, refining your feedback loops, or simply staying curious, there’s always room to grow.
