Summary
Product managers and UXers do adjacent but different jobs. We'll talk about scope, celebrating successes, and understanding each other better. Stick around to join the conversation and ask Rich your questions during our post-session Q+A, moderated by Christian Crumlish.
Key Insights
-
•
UX lacks a seat at the executive table, impacting its recognition and funding.
-
•
Merchandising UX successes is critical for gaining executive support.
-
•
Product managers often juggle multiple stakeholder requests, making prioritization essential.
-
•
Many stakeholders are unaware of the overwhelming number of requests product teams manage.
-
•
Effective communication and collaborating on success metrics can elevate UX’s role in executive discussions.
-
•
Product managers and UX teams should work closely to articulate the value of UX improvements in business terms.
-
•
Empathy and understanding each other's challenges can foster better collaboration between product management and UX.
-
•
Design blind spots can lead to suboptimal decisions, underscoring the importance of collaboration with designers.
-
•
Using metrics and tangible outcomes is key to capturing leadership's attention in meetings.
-
•
Assuming good intent among team members can improve workplace relations.
Notable Quotes
"If you really want to make things happen, you need to be in the room where it happens."
"Most executives don’t care about process. They want the pithy 30 to 45-second update that includes some dollars."
"The combination of stakeholder requests can be 20x or even 35x the throughput we can handle."
"Nobody cares what methodology we used; they want results."
"Each time a new request comes in, everything else is wiped from memory for the stakeholders."
"Engineers and designers should be involved in customer calls to hear problems firsthand."
"Let’s assume good intent; there’s often a reason behind decisions that may seem frustrating."
"Every time we have to give up something for a new priority, we end up delaying what’s important."
"We need to quantify the value of design in financial terms to gain executive support."
"The consumerization of business software is pushing UX design to the forefront in a way it wasn’t before."
More Videos
"This session will teach you how to organize things to get productive with AI."
Noz UrbinaRapid AI-powered UX (RAUX): A framework for empowering human designers
May 1, 2025
"Not just making things up here on stage; there's actually an underlying structure."
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
June 4, 2019
"Can you sit down with the people that you work with?"
Holly ColeUnderstanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work
November 8, 2018
"When we utilize merge we can fully solve this problem."
Jack BeharHow to Build Prototypes that Behave like an End-Product
December 6, 2022
"Today’s theme is practical design ops, as I will talk about in just a moment."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
"We had to look outside and ask if we were ready for AI, as the world was moving on without us."
Erika FlowersAI-Readiness: Preparing NASA for a Data-Driven, Agile Future
June 10, 2025
"Teachers need actionable insights, not just raw data."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"How can a group of people come together and spontaneously create something that is legendary?"
Jim KalbachJazz Improvisation as a Model for Team Collaboration
November 6, 2017
"Embrace diversity to unleash creative power in organizations."
Surya VankaUnleashing Swarm Creativity to Solve Enterprise Challenges
June 10, 2021
