Involving Communities in Product Development with Jake McKee

Involving Communities in Product Development with Jake McKee

Author: PM Power Consulting May 30, 2025 Duration: 54:32

My guest today is Jake McKee, a pioneer in the modern customer community movement.

In this conversation, he shares:

  • Hiss Origin Story: His unique career bridging product design, engineering, and community strategy.
  • Community-Driven Product Development: How companies can embed passionate customers in the development cycle.
  • Empathy & Relationship Building: The importance of emotional connection between brands, engineers, and users.
  • Community Across Industries: From B2B to B2C, physical products to software, communities play a crucial role in success.
  • Brand Strength vs. Community Engagement: Why brand prestige isn’t necessary—what matters is purpose and connection.
  • Breaking Silos Within Organizations: How community initiatives foster collaboration across different departments.
  • Harnessing Collective Knowledge: Using communities to gather insights, troubleshoot issues, and enhance product adoption.
  • Leading Indicators vs. Reactive Responses: Using community feedback to detect trends before they become business problems.
  • AI in Community Management: How AI can augment but not replace human relationships in communities.
  • What Makes a Great Community Manager? Perseverance, empathy, and communication are key traits for success.


Jake McKee is one of the founders of the modern customer community movement. He led Apple’s famed Global Support Communities. He pioneered efforts at LEGO to engage its adult users in a community - which spawned breakthrough innovations such as the Mindstorms Community Driven Product Development (which landed on the cover of Wired Magazine). 

For more than 10 years, Jake has been a leading industry community consultant working with clients like Cancer Treatment Centers of America, EA Games, Southwest Airlines, and Outdoorsy. His consulting practice, Jake McKee Consulting focuses on helping organizations of all sizes design, execute, and grow Community Driven Product Development programs that bring the Community Voice into the product development lifecycle.

Jake also manages the CX Sessions project, an invitation-only monthly dinner series that brings senior online community, CX, and product management leaders together for conversation, connection, and camaraderie. And just for laughs, he created a web comic for community managers called Confessions of a Community Manager. 

https://jakemckee.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakemckee/



Behind every line of code, there's a person with a story. Software People Stories, from PM Power Consulting, moves beyond abstract theory and polished case studies to explore the real, human experience of building technology. This isn't about hypotheticals; it's a collection of candid conversations with the practitioners themselves-developers, designers, product managers, and architects-who share firsthand accounts from the trenches. They talk about the paths that led to success and, just as importantly, the unexpected detours and failures that provided the most valuable lessons. Each episode delves into the nuanced journey of discovering what users need, designing elegant systems, navigating complex development, and ultimately delivering solutions that matter. By focusing on these personal narratives, the podcast reveals the core of software creation: a blend of technical skill, creative problem-solving, and team dynamics. Listeners gain practical wisdom and relatable perspectives on the challenges and triumphs inherent in the tech industry. Tune in for an honest look at the craft, where the stories of people are just as crucial as the software they build. You'll find this podcast a refreshing source of insight for anyone involved in or curious about the technology and business landscapes, offering career lessons learned the hard way.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Software People Stories
Podcast Episodes
From code to community with Sundar Rajan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:34
I am in conversation with Sundar Rajan, a serial entrepreneur, currently the founder of OneMyle, a platform that seeks to address the needs of hyperlocal digital marketing in neighborhoods. He was earlier the co-founder…
Conversation with a Cloud Computing Pioneer, David Young [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:12
My guest today is David Young,Founder at Federated Computer. He has been a pioneer in cloud computing even before the term was invented. In fact, he and his team helped invent the term.In this conversation we could recal…
Adaptability, Empathy, and Breaking Comfort Zones with Veena Rao [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:45
Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, my guest is Veena Rao, SVP & Global Head, Corporate Lending at Finastra with over 25 years’ of experience in financial services and banking technology.In this…
Journey in Innovation & Leadership with Ponni Krishnamoorthy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:32
Today, as part of the women’s special series in March, 2025, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Ponni Krishnamoorthy, Director and Global head of Telco cloud in Nokia talks about breaking societal expectations…
Learn, Unlearn and Re-Learn with Bindhu Unny [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:37
Bindhu Unny is a leadership coach, podcast host and Social Entrepreneur, who straddles various mediums giving all her work a unique stamp of inherent creativity. She has 20 years of global experience working for corporat…
Startup Struggles to Global Leadership with Vidya Kabra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:19
Our regular and long time listeners know that we dedicate the month of March every year for our special women guests.Welcome to the first special episode for March, 2025.In this episode, I am in conversation with Vidya K…
Full Stack leadership with Paramu Kurumathur [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:46
Sivaguru is in conversation with the serial author and colleague at PM Power, Paramu Kurumathur.They talk aboutThe trigger for the upcoming book is related to leadership.How this book builds on previous books but focuses…
Live a life that you are excited about with Rachana Shenoy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:16
I am continuing this conversation with Rachana Shenoy, Engineering Leader HPE talks about balancing career growth, avid speaker and continuous learnerIn this part of the conversation, Rachana shares her stress and delive…