Summary
Lou Rosenfeld from Rosenfeld Media opens the second Design and Product conference, emphasizing the collaborative, iterative effort behind its creation alongside curator Christian Crum and numerous advisors and speakers. Lou highlights the rich resources available, including recordings, speaker decks, sketch notes by Manuel Herrera, written notes by Dave Nicholson, and curated resource lists by Lauren Cantor. He explains the conference structure, including cohorts, Slack channels for discussion and support, and social activities like Cozy Juicy Reel to foster deeper connections. Christian Crum, a UX and product leadership consultant and author, introduces the conference's purpose: addressing the often unclear distinctions and collaboration challenges between UX practitioners and product managers. He outlines three key themes for the day—aligning and partnering between roles with clear agreements, managing strategy and roadmap priorities, and effectively influencing stakeholders and bosses unfamiliar with design or product. Both speakers share their excitement and commit to an engaging, coherent program designed to advance the field through shared ideas and conversations.
Key Insights
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The conference was developed over months through iterative collaboration among curators, advisors, speakers, and attendees.
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Multiple support resources like recordings, decks, sketch notes, written notes, and curated resource lists are provided to help attendees focus and learn effectively.
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Attendee cohorts and social activities like Cozy Juicy Reel are designed to enhance networking and build community during a virtual conference.
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Clear role clarity and mutual respect between UX practitioners and product managers are foundational to effective collaboration.
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Both UX professionals and product managers often feel sidelined when it comes to setting priorities and roadmaps.
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The conference includes an emphasis on how to influence and communicate with stakeholders who may not understand design or product functions.
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The term 'Design and Product' is deliberately used to emphasize design's inclusion within the product management framework, rejecting any implication of subordination.
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Christian Crum’s background includes leading COVID-related product management for California, bridging government technology and product strategy.
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The conference engages the community beyond just presentations by fostering ongoing conversation through Slack and other interactive channels.
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Sponsor sessions, such as Sam Pru’s talk on accessible online shopping, provide additional valuable learning opportunities open to all.
Notable Quotes
"What you’re going to experience today is a beautifully aged stew, delicious ideas that have a sum that’s greater than the parts."
"The conversation is happening privately inside businesses, but this conference helps bring it out to the broader community."
"If you don’t have role clarity and mutual respect, it’s kind of impossible to do anything else."
"Both UX practitioners and product managers sometimes feel like they have no say in setting priorities."
"The name Design and Product isn’t meant to imply subordination but to ensure design is part of the product management frame."
"We advance any field by coming up with ideas, sharing them, testing them out, discussing them, poking at them a bit."
"I always ask our attendees to try to do one thing at our conferences: come away with a contact, maybe even a friend."
"Sponsor sessions are so good that people ask for recordings, which is unusual."
"We have cohorts that watch together, meet on Zoom, and are aided by facilitators to create a more connected experience."
"How do you influence people who don’t understand design or product? How do you get the results you need?"
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
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