The difference in perspective, skill set and experiences of Product Managers and UX Designers help us to build better products. The overlap in our roles should bring us together but often tend to divide us. How do we develop empathy and understanding to build stronger, healthier relationships? How do we lean into constructive dialogue and come out with shared understanding and alignment?

1. The Line Between Us is Not
a Divider
Audrey Cheng
Chief Product Officer @SnapComms - An Everbridge Company
Twitter @audjcheng

2. Business photo created by rawpixel.com - www.freepik.com
Customer
Roadmap
Priorities Responsibilities
Timelines Recognition
Interviewing
Scope
Approach
Friction

4. We don’t bring our
perspective to the table

5. We don’t feel we’re doing
our best work

6. We don’t build the best
product we can together

7. “Confusion and misunderstanding is
the result of the absence of a common
language ”
-Paul Rand

8. What makes a strong product and design partnership?
1. Empathy and value each other
2. Share context early and often
3. Regular communication
4. Trusted relationships

9. Building Empathy & Equality
● Learn about values, drivers
and challenge
● Embrace and celebrate
expertise
● Don’t be afraid of different
perspectives
● Co-working practices

11. Sharing Context is Key
● Business objectives
● Constraints
● Customer context
● Goals & Measures

12. Planning

13. Interviewing together

14. Share Insights

15. Align on goals and outcomes

16. Lean Canvas - Ash Maurya

17. Make Communication a Priority
● Regular cadence
● Share, learning &
co-design
● No surprises

18. Regular touch points

19. Co-design

20. Review early prototypes

21. Culture of Trust
● Build Empathy
● Persevere - trust takes time to build
● Share success and share failure
● Retros & Iteration
● Post mortems - Assume positive intent

22. “Vulnerability is the birthplace
of innovation, creativity, and
change.”
-Brene Brown

23. Learn Together

24. Align on Practices

25. It’s not about Who
makes the decision.
It’s about How.

26. The overlap is where the
MAGIC happens

27. Results?
● Shorter decision cycles
● Stronger empowered
partnerships
● Focus
● Elevated creativity
● Diversity
● Higher retention
● Stay tuned….

28. Key Takeaways
1. Build Empathy and understanding
2. Shared context is key in gaining alignment
3. Regular Communication supports buy-in to decision making
4. Culture of Trust opens the door to creating better products for
our customers.

29. Twitter @audjcheng
Source:Courtney Hedger https://unsplash.com/photos/t48eHCSCnds

30. Resources
1. Lean Canvas: https://leanstack.com/
2. Drive - Daniel Pink https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/
3. Smart Trust - Stephen Covey
4. Jared Spool -
https://articles.uie.com/the-need-to-think-and-talk-like-an-exec
utive/