The benefits of learning product management for product designers

If you’re working as a product designer in a startup that’s developing a digital product, chances are high that you’re part of a cross-functional team that also includes a product manager and engineers. This is a customary practice where each team member has clearly defined responsibilities.

However, being a great designer requires more than just focusing on design alone. It’s not particularly difficult to become a good designer with enough time spent on design tools and user research but to excel as a designer, you need more than just creating aesthetically pleasing and functional products.

This is where product management comes into play. Learning the basics of that field can equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to collaborate more effectively with cross-functional teams, make better-informed design decisions, and take a more active role in the product development process. So let’s dive into a few reasons why learning PM stuff is genuinely worthwhile.

Data Analysis and better market research

It has to be number one on that list because it seriously can be a game-changer for your design work, just as it has helped me. In my case, user research for a long time was based on user interviews and lots of qualitative data.

Meanwhile, product managers need to be able to analyze diverse types of data to make informed decisions and drive their products forward. This same skill set should be mastered by designers as well. Being data savvy is no longer a skill of just a few, it’s becoming a necessary skill for everyone in the startup environment.

When you have a deeper comprehension of how your team and leadership use and analyze user data, you possess the ability to create designs that are specifically tailored to your users’ needs. This not only gives you an advantage in creating exceptional products, but it also gives you more autonomy as a designer since you no longer have to depend solely on feedback from other team members or stakeholders to develop your designs. It is a lot easier and quicker to check what works and what doesn’t.

Strategic thinking

To elevate your design skills from good to great, you need to get a wider context of the whole business and start thinking ahead.

Product Managers are responsible for setting (or at least executing) the product vision and strategy, which includes analyzing the market, identifying opportunities, and defining the product roadmap.

You, as a designer, can leverage the same skillset to develop a better understanding of how their designs fit into the broader product strategy and contribute to the product roadmap by identifying potential design solutions and evaluating their feasibility based on market research and user feedback.

This strategic thinking can help designers design products that not only meet user needs but also deliver business value, making your work more impactful and valuable to the company.

Increased ownership and communication skills

Let’s stay with that wider context of the whole product journey for a bit longer. Nobody likes diva-designers who cannot see anything outside of Figma. If you start looking beyond your design tools and taking a more active approach to sharing the responsibility with your PM colleague, you can co-own the product you’re creating.

And believe me, the PM will appreciate it if you for once stop adding new features to the prototype while they attempt to limit the scope.

PMs usually also have a wider communication range than designers and they’re working closely with leadership, marketers, and salespeople. But (especially if you work in smaller startups) there is no rule saying that you cannot do that as well.

Presenting your work wider within the company and actively reaching out to other departments will help you fight your introvert-daemons and work on your social skills. Or at least I hope so, as I’m constantly working on that myself.

Career advancement opportunities

Mastering design tools and learning the industry’s best practices will only get you this far on your career ladder. The higher you go, the more significant becomes how you operate in a wider strategic context and how good your soft skills are.

Learning at least some basics of product management doesn’t mean that you have to start doing both jobs at the same time or switch your position to a product manager or product owner. But it gives you the necessary tools and knowledge to become more self-sufficient and contribute more to your team. It can provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to take on more responsibilities within the organization and position yourself as a leader. By understanding product strategy and the product development process, designers can take a more active role in shaping the direction of the product, which can lead to more opportunities.

Obviously, you shouldn’t focus on that stuff if you’re only just starting your UX career. But if you already are an experienced designer thinking about the next steps for your career, Product Management has a lot to offer. Trust me, this is the way.