5 Questions with Cassie Stewart, Product Marketer @ Twitter
5 Questions is a series where we ask CMCI Studio alumni to share insights about the future of design and how to grow as a creative. To learn more about the Studio masters program check the details at the end of this story or visit our website. Enrollment is now open for fall 2019.
This week we’re featuring Cassie Stewart, Product Marketer at Twitter.
Cassie completed the Studio program in 2013. After graduating she took a position as a product marketer at SendGrid in Boulder, CO. She spent three years supporting products for developers, marketers and data scientists. Eventually, Cassie left SendGrid to take a product marketing position at Twitter where she focuses on Twitter’s Data and API Platform.
Of all her work, her favorite has been working on the development of Twitter’s premium APIs.
“I’ve been involved with the new Twitter premium APIssince the beginning, from concept to research to alpha, beta, launch and now in the growth phase. These APIs allow developers to grow their businesses and projects built on Twitter APIs as they gain traction.”
5 Questions with Cassie
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career so far?
[Cassie] Obsess over your customers. Start with them, talk to them often, and keep them top of mind when making decisions.
No matter how well I think I know my customers, I’m continuously learning from feedback they share. Developers are a particularly unique customer to build for and communicate with.
I’ve found that taking the time to understand them — to learn how they use your products and what they care about — goes a long way in how you ultimately bring a product to market. All customers (and especially developers) appreciate when you listen, understand them, and deliver products and messaging that resonate.
When you look at the current landscape of design and technology what are you most excited about and most concerned about?
[Cassie] 2018 has been all about empowering the individual. We saw it with the introduction of Europe’s GDPR, and with global discussion around privacy and openness. I think this has also translated to a call for greater transparency and control — and more authentic conversations between brands and their customers.
This will present some good challenges for product development teams as they try to balance this with business needs. However, I’m personally very excited to engage in a world where brands and products become more and more human.
When you think about the designers of the future, what do you see as the most critical skills they will need in order to be successful?
[Cassie] It all comes back to empathy. You can have rad design skills and be incredibly innovative with code and yet miss the mark entirely. It’s one thing to build something you think is cool. That’s art, and that’s wonderful and deserves its own place in this world. But when you are building for others, build for others. Put them first and talk to them along the way.
How did your experience in the Studio graduate program impact your ability to be successful in your career?
[Cassie] Entering Studio, I knew that I wanted to work more closely with the product development lifecycle in my career. However, I also wanted to stay on the business side of tech (Marketing or Business Development instead of Product or Engineering).
Studio allowed me to immerse myself in both design and technology to the point that I could confidently work closely with designers and engineers. I graduated from the program with a good understanding of preferred design methodologies, a strong grasp on technology, and most importantly — an immense focus and appreciation for creating user-focused experiences.
When working within the product development lifecycle at a tech company, it’s been my experience that those who are most successful are also those able to build bridges with multiple teams. Studio gave me the foundation I needed to build strong relationships with designers, product managers, engineers, sales, and more.
What are some of the most important tools and processes you use in your job right now?
[Cassie] For both of the product orgs that I’ve been part of, emphasizing customer feedback loops within the product development process has been hugely impactful.
We build idea/concept interviews into the early stage of product evaluation, continue to speak with customers as we test pricing/packaging and design, and create more formal feedback loops when products are public. At Twitter, our team has also incorporated Jobs-To-Be-Done methodologies throughout this process which has led to even more informed decision-making. I’m a big fan of this approach.
You can follow Cassie on twitter here.
Follow the rest of our “5 questions” series here.
About CMCI Studio
CMCI Studio is a design graduate program at CU Boulder. Driven by a culture of collective creativity and fueled by design thinking, our mission is to transform our students into design professionals capable of leading us into the future and solving problems in a rapidly changing world. Our graduates have gone on to design and lead teams at Google, Apple, Spotify, Uber, Pinterest, Dropbox, Airbnb, Wieden+Kennedy, R/GAand many more.
We are currently accepting applications for our 2019–2020 school year. The application deadline is February 15th. Get more details and apply at our website.
