Modular Degree (DIY degree) | Personal PolyInnovation System

Modular Degree (DIY degree) | Personal PolyInnovation System

Building a great life can be hard, especially when you have to start from scratch. But what if you could stand on the foundations of the greats who came before you? This is the idea behind the Modular Degree, or Modegree, offered by the PolyInnovator Academy. With this approach, you have the freedom to curate your own education, choosing what you want to learn and adapting it as your interests change over time.

The Modegree is all about modularity, allowing you to select the courses and modules that align with your goals and interests. If something significant comes up in your life, you can simply replace one module with another that is more relevant. This flexibility gives you the power to organize your education in a way that suits you best.

One of the frustrations that led to the creation of the Modegree was the lack of a traditional pathway to the ideal career. Many people have unique goals and aspirations that don't fit into the mold of traditional education. With the Modegree, you have the freedom to create your own semesters, choosing courses that align with your individual needs and wants.

The key to the Modegree is its focus on concepts like spaced repetition, interleaving, and maximizing interest in learning. By incorporating these principles, you can make the most of your educational experience and ensure that you're retaining the information you're learning.

But the beauty of the Modegree is that it's not limited to just one person. Others can also build their own modular degrees, allowing for the sharing of educational pathways and fostering a sense of collaboration and community. By tracking your progress and sharing your experiences, you can prove that you've truly learned and grown from your education.

✨ Wellness Wisdom vol.33: 15 Mindful Product Principles from Allen Zhang, Father of WeChat

In a world filled with commercial products, Allen Zhang, the father of WeChat, took a different approach. He viewed WeChat not as a commercial product, but as a work of art. Zhang believed that product management is an art form, one that combines intuitive design, human psychology, and technological feasibility. By focusing on these aspects, economic viability naturally follows.

Zhang's approach to product management was influenced by Sigmund Freud, who believed that sex is a driving force for human nature. Zhang himself insists that product managers should be "literary and artistic youth," not just driven by logic. This perspective highlights the importance of creativity and empathy in the product creation process.

WeChat follows a "Grand Design" approach to innovation, with all features having to go through Zhang for approval. This top-down management style has allowed WeChat to maintain a singular and coherent identity. However, it also requires a certain degree of "dictatorship" to prevent conflicting opinions from diluting the product's personality.

Zhang models WeChat's design process after Dieter Rams, emphasizing principles like innovation, usefulness, beauty, ease of use, and environmental friendliness. By adhering to these principles, WeChat strives to create tools that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

One of WeChat's primary goals is to help users increase their efficiency and put down their phones. This emphasis on real-life connections led to campaigns encouraging users to meet their friends in person. WeChat also introduced features like sending drifting bottles to meet new friends, fostering human connection and delight.

The user is at the heart of WeChat's philosophy. Zhang believes that treating users with genuine empathy is essential for long-term product usage. Despite the potential for advertising revenue, WeChat limits the number of ads in its social feed to prioritize user experience.

WeChat empowers creators to make money off their authentic and quality content. By enabling tipping directly to creators, WeChat allows value creators to cultivate their own value.

Quality and breadth of content are the core responsibilities of a platform. WeChat believes in providing users with a wide range of high-quality content, allowing individuals to choose what they want to consume. This approach reflects both Allen Zhang's product philosophy and the regulatory reality of China's internet.

Social products should alleviate stress and foster authenticity. WeChat recognizes the core human need for socialization and strives to solve it through features like Moments, where users can share photos of their lives.

Zhang believes that products should not rely on growth hacking. Instead, a good product should be able to grow naturally. This approach ensures that the product is healthy and provides real value to users.

Product managers at WeChat are required to conduct user research regularly. This includes interviews, reading user blogs, and collecting feedback to gain insights and make informed decisions. However, selective decision-making based on good principles is crucial to avoid complexity and maintain coherence.

Challenges for WeChat come from its users, not competitors. Zhang sees WeChat itself as the competitor, constantly striving to keep up with users' evolving tastes and needs.

The best KPI (Key Performance Indicator) for WeChat is hope. If WeChat can give users even a glimmer of hope, then they know they're on the right track.

In conclusion, both the Modular Degree and Allen Zhang's product principles highlight the importance of personalization and empathy in education and product management, respectively. By incorporating these concepts, we can create a more tailored and meaningful experience for learners and users alike.

Actionable Advice:

1. Embrace modularity in your education or career path. Don't limit yourself to traditional pathways if they don't align with your goals and interests. Build your own curriculum or choose courses/modules that allow you to grow in the direction you desire.

2. Prioritize user experience and empathy in product development. Consider the needs and wants of your target audience and create products that serve them genuinely. Avoid excessive monetization or advertising that may compromise the user's experience.

3. Focus on quality and authenticity in your own work. Whether you're creating content or designing products, prioritize delivering value and fostering genuine connections. Don't succumb to growth hacking tactics; instead, aim for organic growth driven by the quality and usefulness of what you offer.

By applying these actionable advice, you can create a more personalized and meaningful education or career path, develop products that truly serve users, and foster authenticity and quality in your own work.