Industry veterans Gina Trapani and Chris LoSacco chat with their friends and team about technology, business, and leadership. Decades of experience inform their insightful discussions about what digital transformation really means. Created by Postlight, the digital strategy, product, design, and engineering firm they lead in New York City.
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Exciting changes have arrived at Postlight, officially now Launch by NTT DATA! This week Chris and Gina are joined by Mark Orttung, President of Launch, as he shares how Launch brought together the best digital companies around and his own journey to leading the company. They discuss Postlight’s unique fit in the new firm and look towards an exciti…
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Pop quiz: What feature only makes it onto the feature list when it’s too late? In this archived episode, Chris and Gina chat about why speed should always be top of mind when developing a digital platform. They discuss how things can slow over time and share tips on how to build for speed. From database indexes to better search, they share how to m…
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What’s a good metaphor for running a business not about sports or war? Gina asked this question on Twitter some months back and got an overwhelming response. In this archived episode, Gina and Chris share the best answers that came out of this question. They explore gentler business metaphors like tending to a garden, playing in a band, or swinging…
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Self-imposed deadlines are critical. They make sure that expectations are clear and met. But how do you set realistic deadlines? How do you deal with dependencies and unknown unknowns? What happens if something unforeseen pops up? In this episode from the archives, Chris and Gina share tips on how to set deadlines that keep a project moving and wor…
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Taking a vacation can feel like a luxury, but it shouldn’t be. In this episode from the archives, Chris and Gina make the case for taking time away. Not only is vacation important to unwind and de-stress, but it can also help recenter on the “why.” It turns out that letting your brain disconnect from daily minutia can benefit both you and your work…
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Editor’s Note: Exciting changes are coming to the Postlight Podcast! We’re taking a few weeks off from recording and sharing some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We’ll have some big announcements for you soon, so stay tuned!“Move fast and break things” is a common phrase in tech, but is that the right way to go about product development…
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Editor’s Note: Exciting changes are coming to the Postlight Podcast! We’re taking a few weeks off from recording and sharing some of our favorite episodes from the Postlight Podcast archives. We’ll have some big announcements for you soon, so stay tuned!In this episode, get another look into how Postlight works as Chris and Gina discuss how specifi…
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For every tool or system we interact with, someone behind the scenes is powering it. This week, Chris Losacco is joined by Postlight’s Head of Product Design, Natalie Kurz, to discuss why you should focus not only on customer experience but how internal teams use the software. They share tips on how to know when to redesign your internal interfaces…
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Interacting with your coworkers in person can be hugely beneficial, and while nothing can fully replace it, forcing people back into the office isn't good for the business or company culture. This week Chris and Gina discuss why return-to-office mandates are misguided and share ways to create meaningful engagement for teams both in and out of the o…
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There’s nothing better than crossing something off your to-do list. This week Chris and Gina reflect on which tools are best for organizing your life and your to-do list. Their conclusion — analog is best. Gina breaks down why her bullet journal is the best option for her and why digital lists will never be as effective as writing things down on pa…
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There’s a feeling in the digital industry that working with the government is tedious due to endless bureaucracy, red tape, and too many stakeholders. As someone who worked in the public sector for years, Postlight’s Associate Director of Digital Strategy, Tait Foster, understands it better than most. This week Chris and Tait discuss the difference…
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Annoying pop-ups, frustrating drop-down menus that make you scroll for minutes to find your birth year, untailored targeted ads — the list of annoying UX design goes on and on. This week Chris LoSacco is joined by Postlight’s Director and Head of Product Management, Nathan Henry, to complain about bad UX. They share gripes and guidance on prioritiz…
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The phrase “change is hard” may seem like a cliche, but it’s also true. This week Chris and Gina discuss how to manage change as Postlight navigates some changes of its own. As a leader, how much do you share with your team? Can you make it easier for them? How do you navigate people’s differing relationships with change? Chris and Gina share what …
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Differentiating product managers and project managers can be tricky. They share the same acronym (PM), and there can be overlap between the two roles. This week, Postlight’s Associate Director of Product Management, Ruiyan Xu, shares a handy analogy to help clarify the two roles. She chats with Chris about how PMs can be likened to different types …
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Chris and Gina have learned the hard way that the IT team is all about minimizing risk. The product team, on the other hand, is all about taking risks. So how do you bridge the gap? This week Chris and Gina discuss how you can bring your IT team into digital transformation projects. They share tips on building relationships with your IT team, colla…
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Navigating Disney World is a lot. There are endless parks, restaurants, hotels, and lineups. The My Disney Experience App was designed to help, but navigating the app is also pretty tricky. On the heels of a trip to Disney World, Chris shares how Disney could improve the app and the visitor experience.…
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Over her years as Head of Product Design at Postlight, Natalie Kurz has noticed that the waterfall method isn’t always ideal for software projects. It doesn’t allow for innovation and creative problem solving. So she came up with a better way: figure out the what first instead of the how. With that method comes a lot of creative problem solving and…
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Leaders are always going to have competing demands for their attention. Getting up earlier and working later isn’t always the answer to getting the work done. This week Chris and Gina reflect on how they prioritize and set boundaries to manage their workload without getting burnt out. They share tips on how to calmly set and stick to boundaries and…
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On most projects, things will inevitably go wrong at some point or another. So who’s to blame, or rather what’s to blame? This week Chris and Gina talk about accountability and how we learn and grow from our mistakes. They discuss how to discern where things went wrong without assigning blame. From addressing problems early on, to accepting apologi…
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This week, Netflix's Bernie Madoff docuseries sure has Chris and Gina thinking about trust. They discuss trust as the key to any partnership, even (and especially) in business, and its role as the backbone of client services. Through the lens of MADOFF: The Monster of Wall Street, they break down how to build trust, what might break it, and how the…
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Chris and Gina on the recent LastPass security breach and how to protect your informationPor Postlight
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Recently Postlight’s Head of Engineering, Aaron Ortbals, had an eye-opening experience with ChatGPT, an AI tool that can write code for you. This week Chris and Aaron chat about new AI tools being developed. They discuss the benefits, concerns, and future of these tools and how we can use them to move more quickly without replacing people in the pr…
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We’ve all heard the excuse that the backend just can’t support the new needs of the frontend. But isn’t the backend there to power user needs, not limit them? This week Chris and Gina discuss how to develop the frontend and backend in concert with each other to create modern platforms. No longer should we be shackled by the limitations of the backe…
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Chris and Michael on how you can turn sales into a positive and collaborative experiencePor Postlight
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Big companies are a bit like tankers — sturdy, built to weather any storm, and can carry a lot of people. Startups are more like speedboats — fast and good at exploring new places. This week Chris and Gina talk about how you can bring speedboat startup energy to a tanker-sized company. From bringing in new voices to creating the space for change to…
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Sometimes one small detail can make or break a product’s usability. Postlight’s Head of Product Design, Natalie Kurz, found this out the hard way when buying a fridge. In a rush to solve a smelly emergency, she ended up with a fridge that didn’t open properly. This week, Natalie joins Chris and Gina to chat about how this experience is just like bu…
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The Postlight team deconstructs Harvard Business Publishing’s new Leader Lab tool with Laura Helliwell.Por Postlight
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Audubon’s new tool, the Bird Migration Explorer, is a groundbreaking interactive map tracking bird migrations for 450 different species worldwide. “Groundbreaking” isn’t hyperbole. There’s never been anything like it, and the amount of data compiled onto one site is an enormous collaborative accomplishment. This week Postlight’s Nathan Henry and Sh…
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The tech industry loves its jargon and acronyms, but do they help or just sow confusion? Gina and Chris discuss how acronyms can obfuscate understanding and deeper meaning for the speaker and audience alike. They share how simplifying your presentations and giving broad strokes rather than nitty-gritty details can show greater knowledge than any ac…
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What if there was a way to both impress investors and keep your team focused? Postlight’s Chappell Ellison is here to tell you that there is! The answer: a simple product vision. This week Chappell joins Chris and Gina to talk about how writing a compelling product vision can help you meet financial goals and stay focused on the purpose of your pro…
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Reading on the internet can be tiring. There are pop-ups and ads — everything is trying to get your attention. Enter Postlight Reader, a browser extension that removes distractions from any article. This week Chris LoSacco and Michael Shane sit down with one of Postlight’s most senior engineers, John Holdun, to talk about how they developed Postlig…
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Show Me The Money: On Money Apps by PostlightPor Postlight
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The day has come — your boss has finally asked for a big digital transformation. What now? In this third installment of Postlight’s Doing More With Less panel series, Postlight’s Associate Director of Digital Strategy, Chappell Ellison, chats with three experts in digital transformation. Leyla Ballantyne, Julia Beizar, and Stephen Tateishi share th…
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Get another look into how Postlight works as Chris and Gina discuss how specific training and onboarding guidelines can restrict progress and creative approaches to project delivery. Can encouraging critical thinking lead to better products and happier clients? How much freedom is too much? And do the benefits match the costs?…
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How do you account for small change items within larger product roadmaps? Should you keep small changes separate from the bigger items or lump them together? This week Chris and Gina answer a listener’s question about how to do the clean-up work while rolling out big shiny features. They share how to get creative with your work so you can focus on …
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“Move fast and break things” is a common term in tech, but is that the right way to go about product development? This week, Chris and Gina share their thoughts on when it’s okay to move fast during the product life cycle and when you should take it slow. If you’re at the beginning of the life cycle, moving fast and taking risks can be crucial for …
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Working with aggressive timelines, multiple stakeholders, and endless constraints can seem daunting. In this live panel recording, Postlight’s Head of Product Design Natalie Kurz chats with Matthew Marco, Jodi Leo, and Todd Hulin about navigating tricky project constraints. From tips on how to identify constraints early on in the design process to …
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Being the Hero: On Managing Client Relationships by PostlightPor Postlight
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There’s a lot of bad software out there, but this week let’s celebrate the good software. This week Chris and Gina share some of their favorite productivity tools that make their work lives easier and work flow better. From streamlining emails to taking quicker notes to filing company expenses, get an insight into what products Postlight uses behin…
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You Are What You Measure: On Attracting New Users by PostlightPor Postlight
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Disagree and Commit: On When You Hate the Work by PostlightPor Postlight
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Taking a Break From Business Thrash: On the Importance of Vacation by PostlightPor Postlight
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If you’ve ever been the victim of a content management system (CMS), raise your hand. This week Chappell Ellison, Postlight’s Associate Director of Digital Strategy, joins Gina and Chris to unpack their complicated relationships with CMSs. They talk about knowing when it’s the right time to dump your current system, how you can move on from the tra…
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Margin of Error: Factoring in the Unpredictable by PostlightPor Postlight
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Bigger and Better: On Joining the NTT Data Family by PostlightPor Postlight
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Ready Set Go: On Product Roadmapping by PostlightPor Postlight
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Removing Uncertainty: How to Turn Anxiety Into Great Performances by PostlightPor Postlight
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On Running Great Executive Meetings by PostlightPor Postlight
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Our Credible Journey: On Joining NTT Data by PostlightPor Postlight
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Kate Radway on product thinking and streaming platformsPor Postlight
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