Concepts through Designing

In product management, transitioning from concept to design involves taking the defined product requirements and transforming them into a tangible design that can be developed into a functional product. This process requires close collaboration with design teams to ensure that the product design aligns with the product requirements and user needs. It also involves iterative testing and refinement based on user feedback and technical constraints.

Example

Continuing with the LinkedIn example, once the PRD for the "Enhanced Job Filtering" feature is finalized, the PM collaborates with their Product Design Lead to translate the requirements into a tangible design. The design lead (and team) wireframe the new filter interface, taking into account the requirements specified in the PRD such as the need for a more intuitive interface and the inclusion of additional filter options based on user preferences and job requirements.

The Product Manager and Product Design Lead then conduct a series of design reviews, refining the wireframes based on feedback from each other and other stakeholders. They also consider technical constraints provided by the engineering team, ensuring the design is feasible to implement.

Once the wireframes are finalized, they are transformed into high-fidelity mockups and prototypes. These are then used for user testing to validate the design and gather feedback. The Product Manager organizes user testing sessions, where potential users are asked to perform tasks using the prototype and provide feedback on their experience.

Based on the user feedback, the design is further refined until it meets the user needs and product requirements effectively. The finalized design is then handed over to the development team for implementation.

Pain Points

The transition from concept to design can be challenging as it requires a balance between user needs, business objectives, and technical feasibility. It's also important to manage stakeholder expectations and ensure alignment between the Product Manager, design team, and development team.

Practical Exercise

Think of a feature or product you want to develop. Sketch a wireframe for it based on the product requirements. Share it with a colleague or friend and ask for their feedback. How well does your design align with the product requirements? How could it be improved?

Related Research Topics

• Product Designer [ Google | Perplexity ]

• User interface (UI) design [ Google | Perplexity ]

• User experience (UX) design [ Google | Perplexity ]

• Design thinking [ Google | Perplexity ]

• User testing [ Google | Perplexity ]

• Wireframing [ Google | Perplexity ]

• Prototyping [ Google | Perplexity ]