PM x Designer collab: Getting the basics right

In preparation for our Design & Product meetup, we had an interesting discussion on the design topic as we had so many exciting ideas we wanted to share with our audience. Chhavi Shrivastrata, our Design Lead, stood firm with her suggestions (…and we do know why!); her impressive experience proves she’s a Pro in bridging the gap between PM and Designer. We know you won’t want to miss Chhavi’s insights at our upcoming meetup in London. But while you wait, have a sneak peek into her keynote on how a successful relationship can deliver impact. Let’s dive deep!

Let me take you back to the annual Figma conference, Config 2023. A room full of 1000+ designers listening intently to Dylan Field and Brian Chesky talking.

At some point, Brian declares Airbnb has gotten rid of classic product management as a function.

The room erupted in cheers!

If you listen to the full conversation, it is quite clear Brian was talking about integrating product x design x marketing x research more closely. Brian himself clarified that they morphed the role into a more Apple-style product marketing role.

But coming back to the plot, it’s worth stopping and thinking: what made all the designers in the room cheer on? In most companies, design and product are one of the closest collaborators. Why cheer for the dismantling of the function you work the most with?

Are we doing something wrong?

Having worked closely with a PM — as a juniorish designer to now a lead, startups and public companies, on small quick wins to big launches with 13+ PMs in Bumble (yes, I counted) and currently working with 6+ PMs in Preply — I think I have a bit of an idea!

The industry is seeing a rise in demand for growth designers and product-led growth; a lot of design organizations report into the product, collaboration tools/ gen AI are focused on lowering the barrier to design, and more designers are starting up companies — this has and will continue to blur the product designer and product manager roles.

Who knows? The age-old debate of whether designers' code might evolve into ‘Should designers PM or should PMs design?’

Personally, I find this a very exciting shift for merging all our skill sets and focusing on what truly matters — building great products.

But are we ready for it? Do we have the basics of PM x Design ready?

Here are some common complaints I have heard from designers.

(Just a note: I have written in-depth on my personal newsletter and am looking forward to talking about it in our upcoming meetup.)

💬 “My PM does not understand the design process”

The path to becoming a product manager is very diverse. So sometimes, it can so happen that your product manager
- has previously managed more technical projects.
- has worked in a different design culture/ not worked closely with a designer.
- has attended one design bootcamp or has read that one Don Norman book and now thinks they know everything.

And that’s okay! The beauty of building products together is all of our individual experiences and expertise is additive.

What worked for me:

• Create a quick slide deck or a FigJam and map out your design process. Detail out what are the activities and outcomes of different phases (eg discovery — definition -delivery)
• Have a 30–45 mins session to walk your team through it. You can also include your engineering, data, marketing, and legal counterparts.
• Use this artifact every time you present your work.

“I am sharing some low-fidelity sketches. This is part of the design discovery process. At the end of this, we expect to have XYZ”

💬 “My PM constantly challenges my design decisions”

As PMs optimize for feedback using their business lens, designers can often feel like PMs are challenging their design decisions.

Here are some tips:

• Reiterate the shared goals. “We are all trying to build the best product for XYZ”
• Give early visibility. Never try to have a grand reveal for your designs.
• Take 1-on-1 feedback with your PM before presenting to the team. When you and your PM are aligned, it’s easier to sell the same narrative to a wider team.
• Set ground rules to share constructive feedback and strive not to take design feedback personally. I know it’s hard but you got this!

💬 “My PM uses a lot of numbers”

In a battle of the left and right brain, designers might find Excel sheets and sole use of metrics/and numbers to decide quite challenging.

My tip: Well, if your PM uses a lot of numbers, you can use your superpower. As a designer, you can visualize your ideas. It is incredibly powerful to be able to tie in everyone’s ideas and imaginations in a bunch of wireframes.

So, first of all, never underestimate your skill set. Ask yourself, what is that I do really well, and how can I do it better?

Second of all, if your PM uses a lot of numbers, so can you?

The best advice I got from one of my PMs was to follow the money.

How is your feature making money? What do you need to do to make more money? What happens if you don’t make enough money? Study the funnel and all the key metrics that go with it.

Third of all, reframe conversations to make sure you consider them from a user’s perspective. “Sure, I hear these numbers. For a while, let’s imagine an ideal scenario — how can we truly solve our customer’s pain point?”

I hope parts of it resonated with you. One of my top reasons for joining Preply was the PM x design collaboration we have here and the ways we are committed to keep building on top of it.

I hope to see some of you at our upcoming event!