Codex - NFHN Reader

Thoughts and stories from our team on technology, design, and digital innovation.

Five Questions With Anna Anderson

What Product Management Looks Like When AI Handles the Execution

Jun 30

HIPAA-Compliant Software Development: What You Need to Know

A practical guide to HIPAA-compliant software development covering BAAs, safeguards, requirements, and the real cost of healthcare software compliance.

Jun 3

5 Questions with Ravi Asnani: How AI Is Reshaping Software Engineering Teams

HappyFunCorp's Ravi Asnani on how AI is reshaping software engineering: from coders to builders, smaller teams shipping more, and what to look for in a partner.

May 21

How to Evaluate a Digital Product Studio (A Comparison Framework)

Evaluate digital product studios on the seven dimensions that predict real outcomes. Includes a scoring framework and questions to ask in sales conversations.

May 18

Where to Start When Integrating AI Into Existing Products

A practical guide for engineering teams integrating AI into existing products. Where to start, how to assess readiness, and the three layers of integration.

Apr 30

Technical Debt Reduction: A Practical Playbook

Learn how to identify, prioritize, and systematically reduce technical debt. A step-by-step playbook covering code-level fixes, process changes, and strategic alignment.

Apr 29

What Is a UX Agency? (And How to Know When You Need One)

A UX agency researches how users interact with your product, designs interfaces that remove friction, and validates them before engineering builds. Here's when you need one.

Apr 23

How to Choose a Product Design Firm

Portfolios show the finish line, not the process. Learn how to evaluate product design firms on research rigor, engineering integration, and systems thinking.

Mar 25

Team Augmentation vs. Outsourcing: What Product Leaders Need to Know

Team augmentation embeds engineers into your org. Outsourcing delegates delivery to an external team. Learn how to choose the right one for your product.

Mar 24

How to Modernize a Legacy Application (Step by Step)

A practical guide to legacy app modernization covering assessment, strategy selection, sequencing, roadmap planning, and phased execution for product and engineering leaders.

Mar 23

How to Choose a Software Development Partner (Without Getting Burned)

Most vendor evaluations measure the wrong things. Here's how to evaluate a software development partner on the signals that actually predict success.

Mar 9

In-House vs. Agency: When to Build Your Own Team vs. Hiring a Product Partner

The in-house vs. agency decision isn't a cost comparison. It's a question about the work. This is a framework for making the right call based on what the work actually requires.

Mar 7

Build vs. Buy: The Decision That Shapes Your Product’s Ceiling

When does an off-the-shelf platform stop being good enough? A framework for product leaders evaluating build vs. buy for customer-facing digital products.

Mar 3

Scaling Ecommerce When Traffic Spikes 10x Overnight

Here are the architecture decisions that helped Bookshop.org go from launch to $65M in year one when traffic arrived months ahead of plan.

Feb 24

Scaling With Precision: Is an Embedded Team the Right Call?

Learn how high-level embedded software staff augmentation joins forces with your team to solve complex challenges and accelerate your product roadmap.

Feb 18

What Is a Digital Product Studio (And Why the Best Companies Use One)

A digital product studio combines strategy, design, and engineering to take products from idea to market. Learn how this model works and when it makes sense.

Feb 12

How AI Accelerates Digital Product Design: A Phase-By-Phase Guide

Discover how AI tools speed up every phase of product design, from user research and UX to development and testing.

Jan 29

Why Experienced Digital Product Design and Engineering Partners Matter Even More in the AI Era

While AI makes starting a digital product easy, shipping one that scales is harder than ever. Learn why partners are key to turning AI speed into durability.

Jan 22