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Product Management & User Experience: Are they the right c areer p aths for y ou?. Rob Houser Sr Director, Product Management @ Sage. About Me. Technical Writing Training Usability/Design UX Consulting Managing UX Teams Product Management Managing PM Team. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Product Management & User Experience:Are they the right career paths for you?
Rob HouserSr Director, Product Management
@ Sage
About Me Technical Writing Training Usability/Design UX Consulting Managing UX Teams Product Management Managing PM Team Career focused on understanding
users of software and designing ways to help them achieve their goals
So they will buy our products and services and my company will generate revenue for its shareholders
Later in LifeRealization:
What do we have in common? Problem Solving Innovation Curiosity Knowledge Learning Enjoyment of Technology
+ PATTERN IDENTIFICATION
What is UX?USER EXPERIENCEIntentional design of the end-to-end series of interactions for products, systems, and servicesDeveloping products and services through a user-centered design processNot just about making products easy to use, but also about making the entire experience enjoyableFocused on users (not usually on customers) – how people work
What UX jobs are available?Traditional UX JobsUsability AnalystInteraction DesignersInformation ArchitectVisual Designer
Adjacent OpportunitiesPrototype DeveloperUI Developer
Usability AnalystsWhat do they do?
Conduct user research (in the lab and in the field) Create personas and scenarios to keep the focus on the users Analyze user research and identify key UX moments of truth Works with PM and R&D on product innovation/improvement
What skills do they need? Interview and observe users for insights Surveys, usability tests, contextual inquiries, card sorts, affinity
diagrams, and other methods for understanding user needs Strong analytical skills to identify key findings from studies Psychology, statistics, human factors/human-computer interaction
What personality types are attracted to this job? Detail-oriented, analytical, thorough, empathetic, organized,
objective, able to apply established principles to new situations
Interaction DesignersWhat do they do?
Identify layout of software UI Choose appropriate interactions and behaviors based on usability
requirements Ensure consistency of design patterns Creates wireframes (and mockups) to provide design requirements
What skills do they need? Problem solving, conceptualize complex systems and make them
simpler, UI knowledge (know what is possible), flow charting, wireframes
What personality types are attracted to this job? Big picture people who see patterns easily, strong conceptual thinkers,
comfortable with frequent change, able to identify multiple solutions to a problem quickly, collaboration, creative thinkers, logical, thick-skinned
Information ArchitectWhat do they do?
Organizes and labels information (websites, communities, applications) Creates navigation and signage Sometimes the same person as the Interaction Designer
What skills do they need? Flow analysis/diagramming, visual design, conceptualize complex
systems and make them simpler, knowledge of wayfinding
What personality types are attracted to this job? Big picture people who see patterns easily, strong conceptual thinkers,
comfortable with frequent change, able to identify multiple solutions to a problem quickly, collaboration
Visual DesignersWhat do they do?
Develop mockups and graphic assets for the UI, create the skins for the UI, sometimes oversee/manage UI requirements/consistency
What skills do they need? Graphic design, artistic ability, sometimes basic prototyping (not usually
coded in the target language), animation, video creation/editing
What personality types are attracted to this job? Artists, highly creative, extremely detail-oriented, perfectionists, introverts
Adjacent OpportunitiesPrototype DevelopersUI Developers
Is UX right for you? Do you enjoy the early phases of software development,
especially the analysis and design phases? Do any of these specific UX jobs sound interesting to you? Do you tend to interact with products and services and
immediately see ways to make them better?
What is PM?PRODUCT MANAGEMENTFocused on customers (more than users) – why people buyResponsible for understanding the market and developing (build, buy, or partner) products and servicesStrong emphasis on the business side of software developmentOften the bridge between R&D and the rest of the business (Sales/Marketing/Partner Channel/Support)
What PM jobs are available?Traditional PM JobsProduct ManagerBusiness AnalystMarket Researcher
Adjacent OpportunitiesBA/SME for complex/technical systemsAnalytics expert/interpreter
Product ManagersWhat do they do?
Talks to customers frequently to understand their wants and needs Sets product roadmaps and strategy working with business leaders Develops and presents business cases to drive new business Represents the business at public events, especially trade shows Product evangelist, conducting demos to customers and prospects Often responsible for leading product innovation
What skills do they need? Market research, business planning/financial analysis, persuasive
presentations, leadership, project management, strong interviewing skills, problem solver, MBA a big plus
What personality types are attracted to this job? Creative, analytical thinkers, futuristic/strategic thinkers (can see
possibilities), innovators, strong collaboration, interested in helping people
Business AnalystsWhat do they do?
Identifies requirements for products, systems, and services Creates stories for agile teams Works with R&D on day-to-day development; may also be the primary
interface with IS/IT or external data/systems management May serve as product owner
What skills do they need? Technical knowledge of the system(s) being extended or connected to, ability
to write requirements documentation from a user perspective (stories), project management, highly organized, collaboration, problem solving
What personality types are attracted to this job? Extremely detail and schedule oriented, enjoys completion/closure,
practical/pragmatic, responsible, dependable, well-organized, hard working,many are introverted
Market ResearchersWhat do they do?
Creates, conducts, and analyzes survey results Run or organize focus groups or other customer interview methods Analyzes market research from third parties Reviews events and stories in the news media Conducts competitive analyses Shares important data and insights with the internal organization
What skills do they need? Market research, analysis, written communication (reports), presentations,
knowledge of business finances and market valuations
What personality types are attracted to this job? Extremely detail-oriented, practical, analytical, introverted, well-organized
Adjacent OpportunitiesBAs/SMEs for complex/technical systemsAnalytics expert/interpreters
Is PM right for you? Are you interested in the business side of software as much
as the technical side? Are you able to get others to do what you need them to do? Do you want to manage the business one day (outside of
managing a single group/department)?
Relative Pay Visual Designer
Interaction Designer Information Architect Market Researcher Analytics expert/interpreter
Usability Analyst Prototype Developer Business Analyst
Baseline: Software Developer
UI Developer BA/SME for complex/technical systems
Product Manager
Warning: This list is meant to be illustrativeand is not based on any research. Salarieshave wide ranges and are based on morefactors than job title alone.
Q&A
Traditional UX JobsUsability AnalystInteraction DesignerInformation ArchitectVisual Designer
Adjacent OpportunitiesPrototype DeveloperUI Developer
Traditional PM JobsProduct ManagerBusiness AnalystMarket Researcher
Adjacent Opportunities BA/SME for complex/technical systemsAnalytics expert/interpreter