1.Can we meet you? 

My name is Emmanuel Okoh, I am a product manager, and I currently work as a product manager facilitator at NBI Institute.

2.What's the most impactful lesson you learned during your time at our Product Design school?

The hands-on experience was important to me. It made me take responsibility and made me study deeper.

3.How did our school prepare you for the real-world challenges of product design?

The last project we did gave me a real-life scenario feeling. Working with other designers was unique, and it made me see more light in listening to others while devising a solution, further emphasising how important collaboration is in the success of a project.

4. Why did you go for Product Design?

As a product manager (PM) and in my pursuit to become a well-rounded PM. I wanted to have deeper knowledge, and a better understanding of User interface and User experience design, which will allow me to contribute effectively to design meetings and communicate better with product designers in any team I work with.

5. What advice would you give to aspiring product designers entering the industry?

Don't stop practising!!! Be original and let the world see your designs.

6.Can you walk us through your design process when working on a project?
The question put me at a crossroads, be it to answer as a product designer or as a product manager. My bias will be to lean toward Product management but also interwoven with design tips.
My approach as a PM with a good UX background is summarised in the following few steps.
1. Research - My focus here will be to understand the problem, market, and user needs. This I would achieve by engaging with stakeholders, conducting user interviews and surveys, and carrying out competitor analysis and market research.
At the end of this process, I would have drawn insights allowing me to understand the user needs, the target users (user personas), and also a detailed problem statement. In a balanced team, this would be done by or in conjunction with the UX designer or the Product designer.

2. Establish the product vision

My focus at this stage is to communicate and define the product, goals, and metrics (what success will look like and how to measure success). This is also the time to determine the product features, construct the product roadmap, and prioritise product features and product requirements

Collaboration with the design and engineering team is key at this stage. As the PM I would also make sure the PRD (Product Requirement Document) is available and also wireframes (in conjunction with the Product Designer)

3. Produce a testable Prototype

The focus is to work closely with the Product Designer to come up with a prototype focusing on the essential features (MVP). This will allow us to test our assumptions and also get reviews from real-time users after testing.

Feedback will be analysed, and iterations on designs will be made when/if needed.

At the end of this stage, we should have a satisfiable Prototype ready for development.

4. Development phase (You could have guessed)

My task here is to make life easy for the developers. Decide the software development approach; my personal bias is agile, narrowing down to Scrum.

Prioritise tasks in sprint, manage backlogs, daily stand-ups, resolve blockers, and ensure the development team is working in alignment with the product vision.

The end goal is to have the product or feature developed and ready for release (assuming all testing has been done and iterations made).

5. Launch and ‘Watch’

With the assumption of having a ready-to go to market product available.

I will then twin up with the marketing team here to come up with the best plans and how (and also when) to introduce the product or feature to the users. Once this is done, the product is launched.

‘Watch’ period kicks in where the defined metrics (KPIs) are monitored closely, user feedback are also important.

These will enable me and the team to measure how the product is faring, what feature is doing best, and what to improve on.

The whole process is repeated again and again……

7.How can our readers connect with you?
I am eager to collaborate with visionary teams and organisations that share my enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of possibility.  Readers can connect with me on LinkedIn Here                                 
    Email: dremmaokoh@gmail.com