---
title: Building Product Intuition
description: Notes on developing the instinct for what makes products resonate
pubDate: 2024-11-20
updatedDate: 2024-12-28
stage: sketching
tags:
  - product
  - craft
  - learning
canonical: https://www.davidhoang.com/notes/product-intuition
markdown: https://www.davidhoang.com/notes/product-intuition.md
---

Product intuition isn't magic—it's pattern recognition built through deliberate practice. The best product thinkers I know share a few habits.

## They use everything

Not just products in their domain. They notice how grocery stores arrange aisles, how airports handle wayfinding, how games onboard new players. Every designed experience is a case study.

## They ask "why" obsessively

Not just "what does this do" but "why did they choose this?" Every decision in a product is a bet. Understanding the bet helps you understand the thinking.

## They ship and learn

Intuition without feedback is just guessing. You need the tight loop of:

1. Form a hypothesis
2. Build something
3. See what happens
4. Update your mental models

## Open questions I'm still exploring

- How do you balance intuition with data?
- When should you trust your gut vs. test?
- How do you transfer intuition to a team?

More to come as I think through these...