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The Future of Scaling SaaS is Human-Centered
The Future of Scaling SaaS is Human-Centered
We need to change the way we think about scaling. If you’re a SaaS founder, you’ve almost certainly spent time thinking…
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 posted thisWe’ve all had high-stakes career moments: - an exec rushing headlong into a bad strategy (or no strategy at all) and bringing you with them; - a talented-but-destructive direct report that could save the day or derail your whole team; - a make-or-break decision with consequences for you, your team and your organization When the chaos is hitting the fan, when the buck stops with you, who can you even turn to figure it out? Enter Sarah Bierenbaum. Sarah’s been a theater stage manager, a tech start up exec, and a coach for executive leaders, so to say she thrives in chaos is a bit of an understatement. Her skills of pattern recognition and clear thinking coupled with her deep awareness of the real risks and costs of these decisions make her the perfect person to help you figure it all out. And she does it all while bringing a calming, intentional presence that keeps you grounded, not panicking. I’m glad to count Sarah as a friend, a one-time client, and someone I love recommending. She focuses specifically on Customer Success and Customer Experience Executives, but even if that’s not your exact role, if you need help navigating corporate chaos and key decisions, I’m sure she’d be glad to chat with you. You can find her at nimblepenguin.com or here on linkedin. :) If you reach out, tell her I say "hi" --- Still stanning for Saras and Sarahs over here! I'll be sharing all this week about some really amazing Sarahs and Saras I know, alongside my special Sara(h) offer, so you can see why I love the Sara(h) community. The Sarah and Sara promo is still on! Use code Sara or Sarah to get 50% off. Not Sara(h)? Use code NotSara to get your own special discount! https://lnkd.in/g_AV6XHc #business #coaching #leadership #career #ux #tech #entrepreneurs #PixelsForHumans #PeopleOverProfit
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisWhat is epistemic injustice? For many in the autistic community, it is the daily reality of being told, over and over, “We know you better than you know yourself.” Take one autistic life, roughly sketched. Childhood: You say, “It’s too loud, it hurts.” Adults say, “You’re being difficult.” - You show them the problem; they decide you are the problem. School: You say, “I can’t focus in groups; I do better working alone.” School writes, “refuses to cooperate, poor social skills.” - You offer information; it’s turned into evidence against you. Work: You say, “If we have meetings with clear agendas sent in advance, I can do my best work.” The organization hears, “high‑maintenance, not a team player.” - You suggest how to fix the issue; they label your nervous system as the issue. Healthcare: You say, “This pain is new; something is wrong.” You get, “No, that would be unusual.” - Your body raises an alarm; your experience doesn’t make it into the chart. By midlife, you’ve been interrupted, corrected, patronized, or flat‑out disbelieved thousands of times. It eats away at your sense that your own mind and body can be trusted. It happens to those diagnosed early and to those diagnosed late, even if the mechanisms are somewhat different. And if that was not enough, we are then gaslit by some autism researchers: https://lnkd.in/gh8ueUWw #autistic #neurodiversity #psychology #truth #ActuallyAutistic #science #research #knowledge #self #mind #EpistemicInjustice #health #neurodivergnet
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted this"My dream is stop world hunger by the year 2000." —Rachel Corrie, age 10 Crushed to death by the Israel army with a Caterpillar bulldozer on March 16th, 2003 (age 24).
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted this"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing". — Malcolm X PLEASE help expose and vote out every politician that takes money from any of the Israel-first lobbying groups: AIPAC, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Democratic Majority for Israel, Pro-Israel America PAC, or any others. BECAUSE THE WORLD HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF FROM APARTHEID ISRAEL & ITS EPSTEIN ELITE.Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted this"My dream is stop world hunger by the year 2000." —Rachel Corrie, age 10 Crushed to death by the Israel army with a Caterpillar bulldozer on March 16th, 2003 (age 24).
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted this"While Galton definitely made some useful contributions to academia, in our interview, Valerie Veatch explained that it is important to not minimize the fact that his deeply held white supremacist beliefs informed the era’s social sciences. Galton and his fellow eugenicist / protegee Karl Pearson were not directly involved in the development of early computational machines. But Galton’s foundational work with multidimensional modeling — a technique he used while measuring the attractiveness of African and European women — shaped Pearson’s thinking as he developed statistical tools like logistic regression, which is one of the fundamental components of modern machine learning. “What was really surprising to me during my initial dive into all of this was how, when you look at the question of superintelligence as a documentarian or journalist, it doesn’t take long before you smack your forehead into the low doorframe of race science because it’s baked into this technology,” Veatch said, explaining that these concepts are “soaked” in eugenic thinking." https://lnkd.in/ghU4Eg9T
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted this"Palantir CEO Alex Karp thinks his AI technology will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the power of working-class men. “This technology disrupts humanities-trained—largely Democratic—voters, and makes their economic power less. And increases the economic power of vocationally trained, working-class, often male, working-class voters,” Karp said in a CNBC interview Thursday. “And so these disruptions are gonna disrupt every aspect of our society. And to make this work, we have to come to an agreement of what it is we’re going to do with the technology; how are we gonna explain to people who are likely gonna have less good, and less interesting jobs.” This sounds like a direct, long-term pitch to the GOP from a CEO whose tech firm already has numerous government contracts and is deeply embedded in the Pentagon. Karp’s message is loud and clear: My technology will take political capital away from one of your greatest enemies—liberal women with degrees—and give one of your favorite demographics to patronize—working-class men—more political power to transfer to you. He’s aligning his technology with both GOP political strategy and the larger male-centered culture war that the right has been waging for the better part of a decade now. And how exactly would his technology only hurt Democrat women? Karp also made a Patriot Act–era argument, justifying his admittedly “dangerous” technology by claiming that Palantir will allow us to “be American” in the future. “These technologies are dangerous societally,” Karp continued. “The only justification you could possibly have would be that if we don’t do it, our adversaries will do it. And we will be subject to their rule of law.… Why is it that we’re absorbing the risk of disrupting the very fabric of our society, including the most powerful parts of our society, if it’s not because it’s about maintaining our ability to be American in the near term and long term?” " https://lnkd.in/eqDGYD2m
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHorrifying ruling out of the 4th Circuit. An all-Republican 4th Circuit panel has just ruled that states can compel trans adults to "appreciate their sex" by enacting care bans. It even directly says that trans adult care bans are legal in the ruling. Subscribe to support our journalism. https://lnkd.in/errp5Q244th Circuit Rules That States Can Compel Trans Adults To "Appreciate Their Sex" Via Care Bans4th Circuit Rules That States Can Compel Trans Adults To "Appreciate Their Sex" Via Care Bans
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reposted thisLosing an hour on International Women’s Day feels very 77 cents on the dollar
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked thisHappy #TransDayOfVisibility!!! 🏳️⚧️ 🏳️🌈 😊 I am a neurodivergent, queer, and trans philosopher, mathematician, and theoretical physicist at Bard College at Simon's Rock and Bard College, studying the fundamental origin and structure of spacetime at the (pre-)quantum level and its impact on cosmology!! 🏳️⚧️⚛🏳️🌈📚🌌👩🏼🏫🌈✨ #IAmAPhysicist #ITeachMath #TransInSTEM #WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM #LGBTSTEM
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked this🚨Apple and Google knew children were being sextorted and exploited on Instagram and Snap Inc. for years. In July 2019, Chris McKenna testified before Congress about rampant sexual predation on both platforms. I was there. He laid out exactly how Apple and Google's deceptive app age ratings and broken parental controls enabled it. Meta's own research showed 100,000 kids were being sexually harassed on Instagram every single day. Meta didn't care. For the next six years, advocates pleaded with Apple and Google to use their power as gatekeepers to stop the harm. We: ▫️Wrote letters to their CEOs ▫️Ran three national movements ▫️Got federal/state resolutions introduced ▫️Passed legislation ▫️Held meetings and sent repeated emails ▫️Wrote detailed FTC complaints They knew. They chose inaction. New Mexico just held Meta accountable. It’s time to add Apple and Google to these lawsuits. Our Federal Trade Commission complaints meticulously document everything (link in comments). Protecting children from emerging online threats requires accountability at every level of the tech stack.
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked this"They knew." - Melissa McKayHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 liked this🚨Apple and Google knew children were being sextorted and exploited on Instagram and Snap Inc. for years. In July 2019, Chris McKenna testified before Congress about rampant sexual predation on both platforms. I was there. He laid out exactly how Apple and Google's deceptive app age ratings and broken parental controls enabled it. Meta's own research showed 100,000 kids were being sexually harassed on Instagram every single day. Meta didn't care. For the next six years, advocates pleaded with Apple and Google to use their power as gatekeepers to stop the harm. We: ▫️Wrote letters to their CEOs ▫️Ran three national movements ▫️Got federal/state resolutions introduced ▫️Passed legislation ▫️Held meetings and sent repeated emails ▫️Wrote detailed FTC complaints They knew. They chose inaction. New Mexico just held Meta accountable. It’s time to add Apple and Google to these lawsuits. Our Federal Trade Commission complaints meticulously document everything (link in comments). Protecting children from emerging online threats requires accountability at every level of the tech stack.
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisHot chocolate made with water is just flavored water. I said what I said. Milk. Any milk. Cow, oat, almond, soy, cashew... something creamy has to mix with that cocoa magic or you are drinking a lie. Swiss Miss... ok fine. But if you're going to the trouble, why not use some good chocolate and make it worth your while. 😜 Whipped cream optional but strongly recommended. See photo for reference. ☕ It's Friday. Defend your sad, watery hot chocolate choices in the comments.
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisJobs Don't Have Genders® - and Judaline Cassidy is proving it. Judaline Cassidy is a feminist plumber, Tradeswomen activist, public speaker, and a genuine badass who is making history in real time. She founded Tools & Tiaras, a nonprofit on a mission to teach girls and women that Jobs Don't Have Genders®. If you are the parent of a girl in the NYC area: run, don't walk. My kid has loved this program for years. Judaline has built something truly empowering and inclusive, and if you have any questions about your daughter's specific needs, just ask. She's probably already doing whatever your kiddo needs. ❤️ Women's History Month isn't over until it's over. Go support this woman. 📋 Register: https://lnkd.in/eNnEjMz5 💛 Donate: https://lnkd.in/eiWcDgb5
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisI trusted the wrong person at work. It cost me. A number of years ago I was navigating a tricky situation with a more senior leader. I needed to think it through out loud with someone. So I went to a peer I trusted, someone who had listened before and had explicitly said they'd keep things between us. They did not keep things between us. What I shared confidentially? They used it against me. The consequences had a real impact on my career. The betrayal sucked. I forgive easily, and it took me a while to release this one. But I learned an important lesson: there are certain conversations that are genuinely not safe to have at work, even with people you believe have your back. And yet, as a senior leader, I also knew I needed to have those conversations. I needed somewhere to think out loud, challenge my assumptions, stress-test a decision before I made it. For years I struggled without those conversations, which is why I love what I do now. I get to be the support I was missing for so long. A trusted thought partner with no agenda, no judgment. And nothing leaves the room. If you’re facing a decision or conversation you can’t talk about with anyone at work, DM me. I’d love to help. Image: Me being supported by one of my fabulous cats... Kiki tolerates me, but he prefers sleep over deep conversation. 😻
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisThis is real. I have seen versions of this play out more times than people admit. A moment of trust shifts, and the impact sticks longer than it should. What stands out to me here is not just the betrayal. It is the gap it reveals. Leaders are expected to hold complexity and make high-stakes decisions, often without a truly confidential space to think out loud. That gap matters. Having the right thought partner is not a nice-to-have. It changes how people lead. Sarah Bierenbaum does that work with a lot of care and integrity.Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisI trusted the wrong person at work. It cost me. A number of years ago I was navigating a tricky situation with a more senior leader. I needed to think it through out loud with someone. So I went to a peer I trusted, someone who had listened before and had explicitly said they'd keep things between us. They did not keep things between us. What I shared confidentially? They used it against me. The consequences had a real impact on my career. The betrayal sucked. I forgive easily, and it took me a while to release this one. But I learned an important lesson: there are certain conversations that are genuinely not safe to have at work, even with people you believe have your back. And yet, as a senior leader, I also knew I needed to have those conversations. I needed somewhere to think out loud, challenge my assumptions, stress-test a decision before I made it. For years I struggled without those conversations, which is why I love what I do now. I get to be the support I was missing for so long. A trusted thought partner with no agenda, no judgment. And nothing leaves the room. If you’re facing a decision or conversation you can’t talk about with anyone at work, DM me. I’d love to help. Image: Me being supported by one of my fabulous cats... Kiki tolerates me, but he prefers sleep over deep conversation. 😻
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Heather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisHeather O'Neill (she/her)🍉 reacted on thisMost of us (myself included) are uncomfortable with sharing our unsexy flops and messy middles. And we need to get over that. Last week I shared a marketing experiment with a group of entrepreneurs. There were zero impressive results to showcase. Just real numbers, my observations, question marks, and the lessons learned. They found it very helpful and I got some takeaways from their juicy questions, too. Exposing the messy middle is reeeeaally helpful. There is so much learning to be had when you share from that space and when you witness someone else going through it. It’s humbling, sure. But it’s in your best interest, even though your ego will tell you otherwise. It builds so much trust when you’re willing to say “I’m not sure…” out loud. It feels like a move that will cost you business when it actually builds a community of advocates and buyers. This is why everyone is eating up those Day One content series you see everywhere on Instagram. So if you’re hiding the messy middle, or your failed experiments, maybe that’s exactly what you should be sharing in your content. P.S. The experiment I shared last week was called “Natalia’s Newsletter Ad Experiment” and I’ll be sharing it with my subscribers soon. I’d be curious to hear if you’ve tried newsletter ads and how it went. Comment or DM’s welcome.
Experience & Education
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Pixels for Humans
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Publications
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Before You Code
Pixels for Humans
Your idea is going to be BIG. You know it. But before you hire your favorite developer to go build it, take a step back. Creating a brand-new product is a risk; many of them fail within their first year. Is there a proven way to set yourself up for success?
Yes! All it takes is some preparation. By taking the time to do upfront validation, planning and iterating before you build, you can set your product on the path to success. Not sure how to do all that? Lucky for you, you’ve got the…Your idea is going to be BIG. You know it. But before you hire your favorite developer to go build it, take a step back. Creating a brand-new product is a risk; many of them fail within their first year. Is there a proven way to set yourself up for success?
Yes! All it takes is some preparation. By taking the time to do upfront validation, planning and iterating before you build, you can set your product on the path to success. Not sure how to do all that? Lucky for you, you’ve got the blueprint right here in your hands.
Written by two industry veterans – a business consultant & owner and a web designer & developer – this book outlines all the steps you need to create a product that truly thrives. So take your big idea and dive right in – we’re certain you’ll emerge with a better, more successful product at the end.Other authors -
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Planning Successful Products
O'Reilly Media
See publicationYou’re new at your job. You’re a project manager and you’ve just been tasked with overseeing the new website. You’re thrilled! But you’re also freaked out because you’ve never led a project like this in your life. Don’t despair. In this video course, web design vets Jen Kramer and Heather O’Neill will put your mind at ease and mentor you towards gold. They’ll show you, in step-by-step fashion, how to plan and design a website—from defining site goals and choosing a target audience to designing…
You’re new at your job. You’re a project manager and you’ve just been tasked with overseeing the new website. You’re thrilled! But you’re also freaked out because you’ve never led a project like this in your life. Don’t despair. In this video course, web design vets Jen Kramer and Heather O’Neill will put your mind at ease and mentor you towards gold. They’ll show you, in step-by-step fashion, how to plan and design a website—from defining site goals and choosing a target audience to designing a page architecture and establishing a tone of voice. Along the way, you’ll learn about project outlines, must-know business concepts (value proposition, success metrics, etc.), branding, ethnographic research, market research, personas, information architecture, UX design, usability testing, and more. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to deliver a website specification that’s ready to code...and impress your boss.
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50 Best Practices in UX
www.userexperiencedesigns.com
Creating a good user experience (UX) is often the key to a product’s success. After all, how many customers will give a product or service a second chance if their first experience was a bad one? If you’re involved in creating a product, it pays to design each aspect of the user experience so that your customers come away satisfied and delighted. Of course, UX design has many facets; trying to learn everything at once, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
That’s why my team and I wrote this…Creating a good user experience (UX) is often the key to a product’s success. After all, how many customers will give a product or service a second chance if their first experience was a bad one? If you’re involved in creating a product, it pays to design each aspect of the user experience so that your customers come away satisfied and delighted. Of course, UX design has many facets; trying to learn everything at once, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
That’s why my team and I wrote this eBook. Our daily work in the UX design field has led us to some tried-and-true best practices that you can apply to most software design situations, whether you’re a designer, copywriter, developer, or a mix of many roles. We hope that this book will teach you some new tricks, while reinforcing concepts you’re already
implementing today.
Use this book as best fits your needs. Skim through it on your own; incorporate a few practices into your next project; share these tips with your team; add them to your UX toolkit. And if you find this book useful, please pass it along to others as well.Other authors -
Honors & Awards
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Business Development Consultancy of the Year
CorporateLiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards
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2018 Tech 10 Winner, RI
Tech Collective
The Tech10 Awards honor individuals driving innovation, education, and growth and distinguish the brightest entrepreneurs and technology professionals in Rhode Island.
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