Coming into this class, I was looking forward to learning more about the world of product management and how it can have intersections with human-centered design. Through this class, I’ve learned how much the product has to revolve around the human in order for it to achieve product-market fit and be a successful product. Something that I enjoyed particularly about this class is the array of frameworks we’ve used to ideate and think about the different aspects of product. From the BMC, to the VPC, to the participatory roadmap, these tools were instrumental in the development of our product throughout this quarter and challenged us to really think about our product as a whole, from business, to tech, to design. Another aspect I enjoyed was understanding not just how to lead a product to launch, but also how to lead a team effectively. Product management is just as much about product development as it is leadership, and it is important to learn people and leadership skills to galvanize a team to that finish line. I appreciated the guest lecturers who spoke to their journey to product management, who revealed that it’s not the straightforward path that many of us students believe it is to be. That gives me some hope as I continue to navigate my career journey.
With regard to my particular project, it was fun being the only group that worked on a B2B and physical product (if I’m not mistaken). It’s honestly kind of repetitive to just make an app for everything, so this added some flare and fun to the project. The path to the end was nowhere near linear; we had to circle back so many times because we tested and validated assumptions that were core to product success. While at times this was frustrating, it was also enlightening to understand the struggle of moving a product down the pipeline, as there are always unexpected obstacles that must be addressed. And addressing these fires is core to the responsibilities of a product manager. If we had more time to work with this project, I would’ve wanted to reach out to businesses to see if this is a product that they would want. Overall, I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished thus far and look forward to take what I’ve learned with me moving forward in my product design career!
