Working With Product And Engineering

As a designer, you will likely work closely with engineers and product managers (PMs) to build and ship your designs. It can be helpful to think of engineers as your implementation partners and PMs as your business partners. Your relationship with each should be collaborative, but there will be times when you need to get help from one or the other.

For example, when engineers are implementing your design, they may have questions about how something should work. They may also need additional information, such as flows or assets. In these cases, it’s important to be responsive, helpful, and open to change, so that the engineer can move forward with confidence.

Similarly, PMs may need your help to understand the rationale behind a design or how it fits into the overall product strategy. They may also want to discuss trade-offs or options for implementation. In these conversations, it’s important to be clear and concise so that the PM can make informed decisions.

In the best of worlds, the three of you should see yourself as one team, working together to make decisions based on your shared understanding of the world.

If you’re not sure how to navigate these relationships, ask a mentor for guidance. The most important thing is to build trust and respect with both engineers and PMs so that you can work together effectively.