In a recent LinkedIn post, Teresa Torres highlights two critical skills she believes will differentiate top-performing product teams in the coming years: AI Evals and Story-Based Customer Interviews. Torres frames these as essential habits for modern product development, particularly as delivery becomes faster and cheaper, increasing the temptation to build every idea.
Torres emphasizes the growing importance of strategic selection in product development. She notes that in an era where building is increasingly efficient, the ability to choose what to build becomes paramount. This strategic focus is at the heart of the skills she plans to explore in upcoming mini-workshops.
The Rise of AI Evals as a Discovery Habit
One of the key skills Torres identifies is the practice of AI Evals. She introduces this as a new discovery habit, suggesting its integration into the regular workflow of product teams. Torres plans to offer a workshop dedicated to this skill, aiming to provide attendees with a foundational understanding and a practical blueprint for implementation.
According to Torres, AI Evals offer dual benefits, applicable both to personal workflows and to customer-facing products and features. She states:
“In this session, you’ll get introduced to what AI evals are, you’ll receive a blueprint for how to get started with this new skill, and we’ll leave ample time for your questions. We’ll explore both how you can use evals in your personal workflows and in your customer-facing products and features.”
This suggests that AI Evals are not just a technical tool but a strategic approach to enhance both internal processes and external product offerings, ensuring more informed decision-making powered by evaluation.
Story-Based Customer Interviews: The Key to Uncovering Opportunities
The second skill Torres champions is Story-Based Customer Interviews. She argues that as the speed of delivery increases, the discipline of choosing what to build becomes more critical than ever. Continuously collecting customer stories, in Torres’s view, is the secret to uncovering genuine opportunities that can effectively guide product roadmaps.
Torres elaborates on the value of this practice:
“As delivery gets cheaper and faster, it becomes more tempting to simply build every idea. Choosing what to build is becoming more critical than ever. In this session, you’ll get introduced to story-based customer interviewing. You’ll learn why continuously collecting customer stories is the secret to uncovering opportunities that can guide what we build next.”
This approach moves beyond traditional feedback, focusing on understanding the narratives and contexts of customer experiences to identify unmet needs and potential innovations. It positions customer stories as a vital source of strategic direction.
Upcoming Workshops and Accessibility
Torres announced that she will be hosting two mini-workshops on these topics later in September 2026. The first, focusing on AI Evals, is scheduled for September 23rd, and the second, on Story-Based Customer Interviews, for September 24th. Both sessions are designed to be interactive, offering practical guidance and opportunities for Q&A.
She also highlighted the accessibility of these workshops for members of ProductTalk.org. As Torres mentioned:
“Both workshops are free for Supporting Members and CDH Members of ProductTalk.org. Invites go out to all subscribers one week before the event. Get access by subscribing today.”
This initiative underscores Torres’s commitment to equipping product professionals with the skills needed to navigate the evolving landscape of product development, emphasizing continuous learning and strategic insight.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Teresa Torres on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on September 10, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →