Women in Product Festival - Day 6 | Panel Discussion - Women in Product Design

The Women in Product Festival hosted a panel discussion titled "Women in Product Design," featuring industry professionals sharing their insights and experiences. The panelists included Sowmya, a director of product management and design, at Zemoso, who provides innovative services to clients, and Vidhya Abhijit Co-founder and Director at Codewave Inc. Surbhi Gupta, a seasoned Director of Product Management with experience at notable companies like Facebook, Tesla, and Oracle, moderated the session.

The panelists began by discussing their career journeys and what motivated them to pursue product design. Sowmya, who started as a Java developer, expressed her fascination with the bigger picture and the desire to understand the purpose and impact of her work. This curiosity led her to explore different roles and eventually transition into product management and design. Vidhya, an electrical engineer turned entrepreneur, shared her passion for human-centric problem-solving and how design thinking has helped her in innovatively solving business challenges.

The conversation then shifted toward the skills and challenges in product design. The panelists emphasized the importance of understanding user needs, aligning stakeholders, and achieving business goals. Sowmya highlighted the challenge of staying focused on user requirements while aligning the entire team toward key performance indicators (KPIs). Vidhya discussed the need for structured frameworks like design thinking and jobs-to-be-done to approach product design in a systematic and collaborative way.

The panelists also addressed the balance between stakeholder meetings and individual design work. They advised protecting heads-down time for designers while optimizing stakeholder involvement. Surbhi suggested that designers bring distilled knowledge to the table and involve stakeholders strategically, ensuring a balance between collaboration and focused design work.

The discussion further delved into the concept of a dream product team. Sowmya emphasized the importance of a growth mindset, learnability, and a passion for problem-solving. She emphasized the value of curiosity, creativity, clarity, courage, and collaboration in building successful product teams. Vidhya added the significance of having a purposeful and meaningful product that aligns with the team's vision and values.

Toward the end, the panelists touched on the future of product design and the integration of emerging technologies. They expressed that while human-to-human interaction and understanding remain crucial in user experience (UX) design, technologies like NLP (Natural Language Processing) offer exciting opportunities.

In conclusion, the panel discussion provided valuable insights into the world of product design. It highlighted the importance of understanding user needs, fostering collaboration, and staying abreast of emerging technologies. The panelists' diverse backgrounds and experiences added depth to the conversation, offering a well-rounded perspective on the field of product design. Aspiring designers and professionals in the industry gained practical advice and inspiration from the panelists' shared wisdom.

Key Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
07:33 Product and design prioritization are key to success
13:33 Co-creation is key for successful design thinking and innovation
19:12 Tips for effective design collaboration
24:56 Designers need to balance depth and breadth of skills to be effective
30:38 Designers may need to learn NLP for conversational UI
36:16 Design thinking and user research are crucial for successful product development.
42:00 Tips for transitioning to product management
47:59 Bring actionable insights into your product design

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