As a product manager, your primary responsibility is to understand user needs, define product requirements, and guide the development process to deliver a successful product. Now, you might be thinking, “Hey, do I really need design skills in my toolkit?” Well, while they’re not mandatory, they can be a game-changer when it comes to communication and collaboration.
I am a PM without a design background. However, in my work experience, I have undertaken basic design tasks in certain scenarios without the support of dedicated designers. These tasks include:
Turn Ideas into Physical Objects
At times, clients or executives express their desires in vague terms, leaving room for interpretation when it comes to new features or services. In such situations, creating simple sketches or diagrams to visualize my understanding has proven immensely beneficial. This approach allows us to establish a shared understanding and alignment on the concept, going beyond mere words. It enhances effective communication of ideas, concepts, and requirements to stakeholders. Moreover, it provides clients and executives with a clearer image of the requested solution before entering the planning and execution phase. Believe it or not, some clients may not have a concrete idea until they see a visual reference.
Prototyping and Mockups
In certain projects where I lacked an in-house designer, collaborating with external designers could often lead to lengthy back-and-forth discussions. To streamline the process, I took the initiative to create mockups, fostering effective collaboration. This enabled me to gather early feedback and make informed decisions before committing significant resources to design and development. By doing so, I saved considerable time between clients and development teams, avoiding unnecessary delays.
Presentations
Presentations hold immense power in engaging audiences, especially when showcasing product features, comparing data, highlighting success metrics, or illustrating use cases. By employing effective data visualization techniques, incorporating illustrations, and carefully selecting color palettes, presentations can be significantly enhanced. These practices enable my audience to grasp complex information more easily and connect with my message in a shorter time.
Getting started with design doesn’t require fancy tools. You can unleash your creativity using the default canvas applications on your laptop, such as Microsoft Paint or Apple Freeform. These simple yet versatile tools allow you to draw, sketch, and insert shapes effortlessly.
To enhance your design skills, learning from templates and communities is a fantastic approach. Templates provide a starting point for your projects, giving you inspiration and structure. Meanwhile, engaging with design communities allows you to learn from experienced designers, seek feedback, and discover valuable resources.
As a product manager, having access to user-friendly design-related websites can be immensely helpful. Here are some fantastic platforms for your reference:
Graphics and Layouts
Canva
Canva is a popular platform known for its ability to create impressive presentations and social media graphics. It offers a wide array of pre-designed templates to kickstart your creative journey. Excitingly, Canva introduced new features in March 2023, including Magic Design and Magic Write, powered by OpenAI. These cutting-edge tools automatically generate designs and written content, pushing the boundaries of your creativity.
Figma
Figma is widely used as a user experience/user interface (UX/UI) design tool, especially for designing websites, apps, and software interfaces. Its thriving community has contributed to a vast plugin library, which includes a variety of third-party design tools. Moreover, with Figma’s collaborative features, it’s a fantastic choice for design projects that involve teamwork.
Illustrations
unDraw
unDraw is a remarkable resource crafted by designers who believe in the power of open-source collaboration. Their illustrations can be used freely in any project, whether commercial or personal, without the need for attribution or any associated costs. With unDraw, you can easily incorporate beautiful illustrations into your designs.
Storyset
Storyset offers a collection of free, customizable illustrations. It provides a range of five distinct styles and a multitude of scenarios for you to choose from and personalize. Whether you’re working on a presentation, website, or marketing materials, Storyset’s illustrations can add a touch of creativity and visual appeal.
Data Visualization
Viz of the Day
Viz of the Day showcases some of the best data visualizations published on Tableau Public. It’s a great resource for exploring high-quality information design created by the Tableau community. You can gain inspiration and insights into effective data visualization techniques.
Chartr
Chartr is a visual newsletter that offers data-driven insights on various news topics, not limited to just tech and business. It provides examples of how to visualize data and information through concise and engaging storytelling.
Color Palettes Generator
Realtime Colors
Realtime Colors is an innovative website that enables you to test and experiment with colors in real-time. You can adjust the color values using its Toolbar or generate random palettes to find the perfect combination for your design.
Coolors
Coolors is a comprehensive color palette generator that offers a range of features to assist you in creating captivating color schemes. You can generate palettes randomly or explore popular palettes created by the community. Coolors also provides a color contrast checker, ensuring your chosen colors meet accessibility standards and are visually appealing.
Wrapping Up
Remember, product managers don’t need to be design experts. While developing a basic understanding of design is important for fostering effective collaboration, it doesn’t mean you should spend excessive time on decorating your plans and increasing your workload. Instead, focus on utilizing the tools and resources you’re familiar with to make design an invaluable skill set. This skill set will empower you to effectively communicate, visualize ideas, and create remarkable products through collaboration with both your clients and design professionals.
If you enjoyed this article, check out my other article Essential Design Systems for Product Managers. It offers practical tips to help product managers collaborate effectively with designers for creating digital products that are consistent and scalable. Happy reading!
