Sven Lenaerts joins us to share his expertise on product design and user experience. This conversation includes some thoughts on MVPs, when to hire a designer, and what a product person really does.

Here's what to listen for:

• 00:46 What do you do as a product designer and UI/UX designer?
• 04:18 What should I figure out before I talk to a designer or developer about building a product?
• 07:01 What things can I do inexpensively that are lower-risk to see if building an app is the right solution for the problem I am trying to solve?
• 12:35 What are the biggest mistakes people make when trying to define their Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
• 15:29 Should you do much experimentation before the product goes out into the wild?
• 17:53 What do you do when clients are including features in their MVP that they shouldn’t be?
• 21:22 How do you formulate conversations to make sure the vision of the product is realized? What do those conversations look like?
• 27:13 Does your vision document have a narrative start/finish to it?
• 31:17 What “expensive mistakes” can be made when building products?
• 34:58 Are there any qualities that would distinguish a good product person from a bad one?
• 38:38 What can I do if I want to stretch my skills and be a little risky without feeling like I’m putting a client at risk?
• 44:32 What do you do when you find yourself becoming cynical about product ideas and features?
• 50:06 What can I do to help a UI/UX design person do their best work?