# S7E1 A Joyful Approach to Product Development | Lisa Ho & Andrew Muyanja (Menlo Innovations)

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-01-02
- Length: 49m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov

## Summary

Lisa Ho and Andrew Muyanja of Menlo Innovations explain their 'Menlo way' of software development, emphasizing high-tech anthropology, paired work, and story cards to ensure products meet user needs and stay on budget. They discuss how pairing reduces risk and builds quality, while story cards allow for granular planning and rapid feedback loops. The guests highlight that their culture of joy, transparency, and 'kindergarten skills' fosters collaboration and minimizes fear, leading to robust, user-centric outcomes.

## Chapters

- [0:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=30) Introduction: Lisa Ho and Andrew Muyanja of Menlo Innovations
- [5:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=328) High-Tech Anthropology and User-Centric Design
- [12:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=721) Project Management, Show-and-Tell, and the Planning Game
- [17:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=1074) Paired Work: Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance
- [27:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=1640) Fostering Joy, Transparency, and Psychological Safety
- [33:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=1996) Story Cards, Story Mapping, and Incremental Delivery
- [42:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov#t=2578) Kindergarten Skills and Collaborative Culture

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Menlo Innovations (company)
- Joy Inc (other)
- Chief Joy Officer (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Atlassian: Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-02-08-atlassian-mike-cannon-brookes-and-scott-farquhar) (How I Built This)
- [Stripe: Patrick and John Collison (2018)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-09-stripe-patrick-and-john-collison-2018) (How I Built This)
- [Interview with Eric Ries - Transorted Testing Tachydidaxy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2013-08-21-interview-with-eric-ries-transorted-testing-tachydidaxy) (The Amp Hour)
- [S3 E1: Mastering Tech Adoption and The Hardware Development Workflow with Jon Hirshtick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2025-09-30-s3-e1-mastering-tech-adoption-and-the-hardware-development-workflow-with-jon-hir) (The Builder Circle)
- [Live From HIBT Summit: Payal Kadakia, Tristan Walker, and Perry Chen on Innovation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-07-22-live-from-hibt-summit-payal-kadakia-tristan-walker-and-perry-chen-on-innovation) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-02-s7e1-a-joyful-approach-to-product-development-lisa-ho-andrew-muyanja-menlo-innov. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.