DPL Reading List – December 23, 2015
Here are some of the articles we’ve been reading around this office this week.
The Two Billion Dollar Blink – Calculating The ROI Of UX (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “Not every interaction is as easy to measure as the A/B testing that led Amazon to this insight, but every User Experience has value. What’s been difficult is quantifying different types of UX issues, to enable organizations to strategically identify and remedy those interactions that are costing them the most money.”
This Is What Elon Musk, Tony Hsieh And Other Successful Business Leaders Ask Job Candidates (Thanks to Todd Guenther for recommending this article) – “Savvy CEOs and executives know that interview questions like, ‘What’s your biggest strength?’ and, ‘What’s your biggest weakness?’ aren’t as telling as they seem. That’s why they steer clear of these cliché queries and instead ask more meaningful ones. Many top execs have their one favorite go-to question that reveals everything they need to know about a job candidate.”
Do You Need A STEM Degree To Be A Successful VC? The Answer Is No. – “According to Sequoia Chairman Mike Moritz, a STEM degree is a prerequisite for success as a tech investor, but only if you’re a woman. His explanation to Emily Chang that Sequoia’s lack of women partners is the fault of 12 year old girls who fail to study the sciences in school just doesn’t ring true. The question his assertion raises is: In order to be successful in the venture capital business, is a STEM degree required? The data strongly suggests it is not.”
Analyzing The Subtle Bias In Tech Companies’ Recruiting Emails (Thanks to Brian Zimmer for recommending this article) – “Until recently, the exclusive language was blatant, says Emerson. ‘A year ago, two years ago certainly, we saw tons of job descriptions in the tech industry using male pronouns,’ she says. ‘That’s crazy.’ But just plain cheesy language is also offputting. Companies may say they are looking for a rock star or ninja to join their team, and white men are more likely to identify with or aspire to such descriptions, says Snyder. Underrepresented people, instead, feel they still have to prove themselves in the job — to break negative stereotypes, says Emerson.”
Employee Equity Is Broken, Here’s Our Fix (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) – “Equity compensation for startup employees is broken. Ownership of a company is supposed to be one of the biggest upsides of joining an early stage startup, but it’s riddled with traps. Employers don’t share as much information as they should and employees don’t know the right questions to ask to make sure they get treated fairly. I have only seen prospective hires ask questions about equity compensation when they have been screwed over by a previous startup. It took being screwed over to even know where to look!”
Don’t Build A Mobile App (A Message From The App Graveyard) – “Either you’re part of a category for which presence on mobile seems natural, such as a news app, a messaging app, or a game, and you’ll have to fight fierce competition and reap big rewards if you manage to beat Whatsapp and Snapchat … or you’re part of the B2B world and you’ll have the hardest time finding your target from the app stores if you only have a mobile app.”
The Right Way To End An Email To A Client (Thanks to Jarrod Wubbels for recommending this article) –“And the truth is these things cause you to miss the problems with your business. In fact, there’s one huge problem that almost every freelancer I’ve met suffers from: they use a phrase that hurts their credibility and repels clients. ‘Let me know how I can help.’”
