Product people get excited about solving problems that make people’s lives better. On that we can all agree. It’s the approach we choose to achieve that goal where differences arise. Sometimes the differences are significant and obvious – Agile vs. Waterfall, for example. Sometimes, they seem much less so. Take user-centered design vs. human-centered design. Aren’t users of our products human? Of course they are, but there’s more to the difference than a mere distinction.

The common understanding is that to be successful in today’s digital environment designers need to solve problems while building products that people want and need to use. While that may be the core of it, it’s only the core. There’s so much more to it. When we talk about interaction design, designing software products, and today’s rapidly emerging next-gen experiences, designers now need to think about what it means to learn, to adapt, and to change.

In this episode, Sean and Joe chat with Tim Wood. Tim wears a couple hats these days, one as Professor of Industrial Design and Interactive Design at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the other as Design and User Experience Innovation Lead at Corning Inc. Playing in both sandboxes gives Tim the opportunity to engage in the private sector while peering beyond the horizon through the lens of higher education.

For years, thought and expression had been democratized. Ultimately, the rod of creation had been surrendered to the people, and we watched chaos ensue (among other good things).

A liberated media is an invaluable commodity, don’t get me wrong. In fact, that type of unorganized drive gave momentum to otherwise underprivileged causes and previously silenced personalities, effectively leading traditional media and 20^th century propaganda machines to a state of near demise.

The product manager role has been around for decades, but its contributions have been generally overlooked and misunderstood.  Opportunities to apply the product manager skill set as a lever of growth had not been fully realized – or were missed entirely. No longer is that the case, according to the 2019 State of Product Leadership report, prepared by Pendo + Product Collective.

In this episode, hosts Sean and Joe speak with Pendo Chief Marketing Officer Jake Sorofman about the recent report and the continuous evolution of the product manager role. “It’s a role on the rise,” Jake says, “but also one in a state of transition. It's only in the last 10 years that digital product management has really come into focus as a very strategic part of the business.”

Engaging with our connected world has never been simpler. We do it from our workspace, favorite coffee shop, and the living room couch whenever the mood strikes us. With that simplicity, though, comes an obligation to engage in a constructive way. We live in an age where tactful communication is as evasive as it is crucial.