Learn, Make, Learn
Learn, Make, Learn is two product geeks sharing qualitative & quantitative perspectives to help you make, better. Hosted by Ernest Kim and Joachim Groeger.
Episodes
A question from a previous guest sparks this episode: Do we go “pro” in every product category or do we eschew the spec arms race & embrace “good enough”? We interrogate our own behaviors & share implications for people in the business of making products.
INTRO & FOLLOW-UPS – 02:51
Starbucks Follow-Up with Zoran Svetlicic
Generative AI x Product with Anmol Anubhai
What McDonald’s is REALLY Like in I...
We get the inside scoop on The Brand Studios master’s program at CU Boulder from its co-directors, Parisa Tashakori & Jeff Gillette. Unique in its accelerated 12-month span & remit across both experience design and creative advertising, the program welcomes those with a passion to “put your weird to work.” Is it right for you?
INTRO & FOLLOW-UPS – 00:55
Why is Design So Boring? with Nate Grubbs
LAP Coff...
We're joined by Zoran Svetlicic for this fast follow-up to our previous episode on Starbucks’ struggles. A strategist & builder with deep expertise in brand and food & beverage, Zoran pulls no punches in his diagnosis of Starbucks’ ills. And, along the way, schools us on positioning, brand architecture & natural wine.
INTRO & FOLLOW-UPS – 00:39
Starbucks’ Struggles and Lessons for Product People
What can product people learn from Starbucks’ recent struggles, and how are these lessons linked to a venerable British book retailer, an upstart French running brand, and a barmy Japanese watchmaker?
INTRO & FOLLOW-UPS – 02:47
Starbucks closing stores
SPVs, Credit, and AI Datacenters
This is How the AI Bubble Will Pop
Neue Klasse – 60 Years of the BMW 1500
World Premiere of the new BMW iX3
BMW ...
Ernest & Joachim go deep on Raymond Loewy’s MAYA Principle: what it is & why it matters, with real world examples of MAYA in action, and what can happen when product teams fail to take the principle to heart.
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:00
Toolbox: How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Help You Make, Better
Fortis Marinemaster
A BRIEF INTRO TO RAYMOND LOEWY – 06:04
MoMA on Raymond Loewy
60 Minutes: Raymond Loewy, ...
E & J return from a spring hiatus to discuss a range of topics, from WWDC 2025 to the Era of the Business Idiot, and more.
WATCHES & WONDERS – 04:09
Don DeLillo: Cosmopolis
IWC Presents A Plethora Of New Ingenieur Watches
How The Pursuit Of Status Shapes Our Aesthetics
The Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer
NOMOS Lounge, New York City
TAG Heuer Formula 1 - They got it wrong!
SLATE AUTO – 22...
We return from hibernation to talk AI nonsense, critique the review industrial complex, promote a return to RSS, and share a raft of recommendations!
JOACHIM ON AI NONSENSE – 01:52
Previous Discussion of Humane AI (starts at 18:34)
Humane Set to Brick $700 ‘AI Pins’
I outsourced my memory to an AI pin and all I got was fanfiction
Ben Thompson: DeepSeek FAQ
Previous Discussion on LLMs & Constraints (...
Ernest’s experience with a boundary-breaking headphone sparks a discussion on caveat emptor, or buyer beware, and just how much risk we, as product creators, should expect buyers to bear.
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:15
MKBHD, Panels & Pricing
WTF Happened in 2024?!
I Love You, Man: The Male Friendship Recession
Why Are Boys and Men in Trouble?
CAVEAT EMPTOR? – 06:36
Caveat emptor
An ode to open-bac...
A conversation triggered by MKBHD’s Panels app gets really interesting when we dig into pricing & lessons for people in the business of making products.
FOLLOW-UPS – 02:23
Are Pop Lyrics Getting More Repetitive?
How gamification took over the world
Can't Play, Won't Play
An Interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth
Meta Connect Keynote 2024
Meta’s big tease
MKBHD, PANELS & P...
We dive into our titular question with Nate Grubbs, who, unlike us, is a professional designer with strong views borne of decades of experience across UX, visual & product design.
MEET NATE – 01:18
THE AGE OF AVERAGE – 04:19
Alex Murrell: The age of average
The tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the same
How Khruangbin’s Sound Became the New Mood Music (paywall)
SOUL, FL...
We go off-the-cuff again, sharing product learnings from Miele vacuums, Snow Peak’s modular IGT system & Ableton’s singular vision for music creation.
OFF-THE-CUFF – 00:59
JOACHIM RECOMMENDS: MIELE C3 VACUUM – 01:38
Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLine
Behind Dyson’s cyclone
Dyson Stick Vacuums Lose CR Recommendation
We’ve Recommended Miele Canister Vacuums for Almost a Decade
My Middle-Aged ...
In another short(er) format episode, we examine Apple’s recent “Glowtime” event. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or @LearnMakeLearnShow on Threads.
OPENING – 00:00
Suttle Lake
Suttle Lodge
HELP US NAME THIS NEW FORMAT! – 03:12
APPLE’S ‘GLOWTIME’ EVENT – 05:08
Apple Event
The Verge: iPhone 16 event in 16 minutes
John Gruber describes h...
We introduce a new, shorter, more off-the-cuff format focused on recommendations that we hope you’ll enjoy. Also, our apologies for the audio getting a bit crunchy in spots—we’re working hard to improve our audio quality. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.
ONE MILLION CHECKBOXES – 03:20
Are You a Checker or an Unchecker? (paywall)
T...
Generative AI: step change or snake oil du jour? We enter this mire with Anmol Anubhai as our guide & insight into the future of GenAI x product creation as our destination. Join us for a refreshingly grounded conversation on a topic that’s typically full of hype.
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:42
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Manual Mode Changes Performance EVs Forever
WTF is a Product Manager?
Dare Obasanjo on Product Managemen...
The pressure to repeat history, as in the previous year’s sales for a given product, can be pernicious. We share ideas for unshackling yourself from this weight so that you can avoid, as Marshall McLuhan put it, marching backwards into the future.
FOLLOW-UPS – 00:43
Humane is looking for a buyer
Coffeezilla on the Rabbit R1
NOMOS at Watches & Wonders
NOMOS: The icon in 31 color compositions
Noel Gal...
The concept of fan service, which originated in anime and is now common across media, has pervaded the world of product creation as well. We discuss what it is & why it’s vital to serve your customers without pandering to them.
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:11
Progressive Complexity (aka Progressive Disclosure)
THE PERILS OF FAN SERVICE – 03:50
Star Wars: Fired Solo Directors Didn't Want Movie To Just Be Fan Se...
When it comes to products and product innovation, in our new era of higher-for-longer interest rates, enough *is* enough.
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:23
iOS spacebar meme
Windup Watch Fair San Francisco
Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and war
ERA OF EASY MONEY IS OVER – 12:02
The Era of Easy Money Is Over. That’s a Good Thing.
The Price of Time
CASE STUDIES: BAD & GOOD — 18:34
The Wo...
Daniel Kahneman, credited as a grandfather of behavioral economics, passed away in March, and we devote this episode to an unfiltered discussion of his legacy through a product lens.
KAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BULL CASE – 01:55
NY Times obituary of Daniel Kahneman
KAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BEAR CASE – 03:40
The “Nudge” of the Obama Era Was Always Neoliberal Nonsense
Nudge economics: has push come to shove for...
A decade ago, design thinking was all the rage across the corporate world. But, today, it's widely derided as a failed experiment. Is there still a place for design thinking or is it an idea whose time has passed?
FOLLOW-UPS – 01:56
Time to Learn
Hublot at Watches & Wonders 2024
Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind
JLC at Watches & Wonders 2024
Should Products be Political?
Bobbie
Bobbie fo...
Apologies for our delay this week! In this episode, with the Watches & Wonders show around the corner, we talk watches & the broader lessons we can draw from a product category rooted entirely in emotion.
WRIST CHECK – 02:16
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chrono Top Gun
Ming 37.07
Halios
Raven
In-House vs. Off-the-Shelf Movements
Idris Elba Wears a $500 Watch
JOACHIM’S 👍 – 11:39
IWC
IWC...
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