How Agile Teams Adapt to Customer Needs

Hi Product People,

Success in product development often comes down to how well we adapt. When teams can test, learn, and refine at speed, they’re more equipped to build products that resonate—an iterative approach that embraces experimentation and prioritizes customer feedback keeps products relevant and responsive in today’s shifting markets.

In this week’s Product Thinking episode, I sat down with Vishal Kapoor, Senior Vice President of Product at Affirm, to explore what it takes to scale products in the fast-evolving fintech space.

With a career spanning over 15 years, Vishal has led product teams at companies like Microsoft and Dropbox, and his insights on building adaptable, customer-centered products are invaluable.

Vishal shares how Affirm maintains a culture of fast-paced iteration while navigating the complex regulatory landscape of finance. We discussed everything from balancing compliance and innovation to fostering strong cross-functional partnerships that ensure a seamless customer experience.

He also highlighted Affirm’s approach to go-no-go decision-making, a process that brings key teams together to evaluate a product’s readiness for launch and ensure it aligns with Affirm’s high standards.

Whether you’re interested in fintech or looking for practical advice on building agile product strategies, this episode is packed with insights on creating resilient, customer-focused products.

Have you worked on a product where adaptability was key to success? I’d love to hear your experiences—feel free to reply here or comment your thoughts on LinkedIn!

See you next week,

Melissa Perri

Founder Product Institute, Board Member, and Teacher

12:18 - Iterative, Fast-Paced Product Culture at Affirm

In discussing the go-no-go decision-making process, Vishal reveals Affirm’s product culture, which thrives on fast-paced iteration. The company introduced the digital card as a beta product, learned from its success, and evolved the offering into a physical card. This iterative approach ensures constant feedback loops with customers and allows the product to evolve quickly based on real-world data. Vishal stresses the importance of identifying the right problems and empowering teams to run at the solution space with speed and precision.


23:54 - The Go-No-Go Process: Ensuring Readiness for Big Launches

Here, Vishal describes the meticulous process Affirm follows before launching major products. Returning to the topic of the "go-no-go" meetings, Vishal explains this process in greater detail – these are meetings held before the launch of a major product. In them, all aspects of the product, from quality to customer support readiness, are evaluated against pre-established exit criteria. This process ensures that all necessary conditions are met before launch, even if it requires delays to maintain high customer experience standards.


38:11 - Compliance as a Collaborative Partner, Not a Barrier

When discussing the challenges of compliance in fintech, Vishal describes how Affirm integrates legal and compliance teams into the product development process. Rather than seeing these functions as roadblocks, Affirm treats them as collaborative partners. This proactive approach ensures that compliance considerations are factored into product decisions from the start, preventing delays and fostering innovation within regulatory boundaries.


Episode Resources:

  • Vishal Kapoor
  • Affirm Website

Other Resources:

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