Summary
No doubt you’ve heard of empathy mapping– the simple, yet powerful tool often employed by product teams to attain a deeper understanding of what their customers think and feel in order to deliver a better user experience. In this interactive, two-part activity, we’ll put product managers in the place of the customer, mapping the motivators, external and internal influences, and actions that make them tick. By the end of this exercise, you’ll have gained insights into who your PM is, and how you can best connect with them! Note: Part 2 of this activity will take place during the second half of the day.
Key Insights
-
•
Empathy is essential for effective collaboration in product management.
-
•
Understanding product managers involves recognizing their external and internal challenges.
-
•
Observations from product managers can lead to more informed decision-making in product development.
-
•
Mapping out product manager experiences helps clarify their roles and pressures.
-
•
Collaborative tools enhance real-time input and engagement during discussions.
Notable Quotes
"Empathizing with product managers is a great first step towards understanding."
"The role of a product manager is to ensure that value is delivered to customers and stakeholders."
"It’s important to step into the shoes of the product manager and think about what they see and hear."
"Managing competing priorities is a tricky challenge for product managers."
"Reframing product managers as individuals carrying a lot of pressure can change team dynamics."
"It's important to categorize tasks into exploratory, validating, and minor fixes during planning sessions."
"The conversation in product management often involves balancing user needs with business goals."
"Empathy mapping allows us to visualize the feelings and thoughts of product managers."
"Real users should validate any solution we think we already know."
More Videos
"It's important to think about what you tolerate that other people don't."
Ellen ChisaThe Values of Design
November 29, 2023
"Let's continue learning together and use experimentation as our common language."
Erin WeigelReal-world lessons to improve your conversion rates
June 26, 2024
"Flexibility needs to go both ways."
Melinda BelcherInsider preview of Enterprise Experience 2020
May 28, 2020
"It took two and a half years to get there."
Marina MartinLives on the Line: The Stakes of UX at the Scale of Government
June 14, 2018
"Let’s embrace the difficulties of research management rather than shame ourselves for them."
Brigette Metzler Dana ChrisfieldResearch Repositories: A global project by the ResearchOps Community
August 27, 2020
"The more context we provide to designers, the better the design outcomes."
Product and Design at Bloomberg: A 15-year Evolution
December 6, 2022
"By thinking innovatively, we can unlock new possibilities in design."
Sam ProulxAccessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
June 8, 2022
"You can control what happens to you but you can control how you respond to it."
Lisa GirondaOpener: Chief of Staff–An unexpected journey
January 8, 2024
"None of us is walking around with just one half of a brain."
Melinda BelcherBridging the Gap: Making the Most of the Differences Between Agency and Enterprise
January 8, 2024
