Programme

How to become (or work with) a product manager

Friday 20 April, 9:00 - 12:30, Room: Green 1

You listen to all the stakeholders’ needs, consider the various priorities, and come up with a set of requirements for a product to address these needs. Then you work with the engineers to iterate and build the product, ensuring that it’s the best product possible. Does that sound like what you do? Then maybe you’re a product manager.

The role of a designer or information architect is remarkably similar to product management. So why does it always seem like one is the Dark Side of the other? Why does it feel like we can’t get a seat at the table when it comes to strategy decisions, and how come the two sides seem to always be in conflict?

This half-day workshop with me will help you understand what’s it’s like to be in product management, from the perspective of a designer. Based on my personal experiences of transitioning over the years from programmer to designer to product manager, I hope to bridge the gap between the two camps, and perhaps even help those who want to cross the bridge. The lessons will draw from experience in startups such as Raptr, large companies like Yahoo!, and current companies such as Twitter.

The workshop will be a mix of presentation and exercises which will teach you:

• Some key differences between UX and product management, and maybe discover whether it’s really something you want to do.
• What skills transfer over to product management.
• How to use your skills to your advantage and be a better product manager.
• What a day-to-day role of a product manager is.
• The different types of product management roles.
• A better understanding of a PM’s goals so you can work more effectively with one.