Evidence-Guided - by Itamar Gilad (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Research shows that most of what we build creates little or no value for our users and the business. To break away from this harsh reality, you need to adopt a different system, one that combines human judgment with evidence.

In this book, Itamar Gilad presents an actionable model to bring evidence-guided development into your organization. Combining tried-and-tested methods with tools created by the author, Evidence-Guided offers a systematic approach-the GIST model (Goals, Ideas, Steps, and Tasks)-to help you create high-impact products. You'll learn how to choose the right outcomes, prioritize ideas, build and learn at a fast pace, and collaborate more effectively with teammates, managers, and stakeholders. The book provides principles, models, tools, and processes, all demonstrated through real-world examples and infused with nuance gained through years of practice.

The methods presented in Evidence-Guided can be used by individual contributors, team leads, and managers. They apply to companies of all sizes and life stages. If you're looking to build high-impact products, this book is for you.

Review Quotes

In this must-read book Gilad offers a simple, yet powerful, blueprint for product development inspired by the scientific method. It will help you move away from opinions and politics and embrace evidence-based development. A critically important book for anyone designing and building products.

- Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Software product development is going through an evidence-based transformation that the world of medicinal drugs went through in the 1960s in the US. In this book, Itamar Gilad gives us the motivation and realistic processes that elevate product development from opinion-based to evidence-based, with real-world examples and experiences. I am adding Evidence-Guided to the recommended readings for my class on Accelerating Innovation with A/B Testing

- Ronny Kohavi, Best-selling author of Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments: A Practical Guide to A/B Testing, former executive at Microsoft, Airbnb, and Amazon

Evidence-Guided is an actionable blueprint for building great products written by a seasoned product manager with hands-on experience at Google and other leading companies . It's a must-read for all the teams that dream of working like the best product companies but struggle to make it work in real life.

- Felipe Castro, Founder, OutcomeEdge

"Insightful and practical, in this book Itamar Gilad shares important ways to shift your org culture from opinions to evidence."

- Lenny Rachitsky, Author of Lenny's Newsletter

Evidence-Guided is a masterpiece, it shows how to gain confidence and hit your product goals to have impact in a systematic and empowering way. It brings together so many areas of best practice in a way that just makes sense.

- Phil Hornby, Founder, for product people

Transformative and practical, Itamar's product development approach captured in this book has been a game-changer for my 100-person organization at Google. The consistent focus on measurable outcomes (goals), flexible solutions (ideas) and reliance on real user data (steps) enabled us to launch five successful products in under five months each was a remarkable achievement at Google.

-Sivan Hermon, ex-Director Of Engineering at Google