We’re excited to introduce Aisha Oluwabukunmi Shitta, a Product Manager from InternPulse Cohort 3! Aisha Oluwabukunmi Shitta has been learning how to create amazing products, and she’s here to share her experience.
In this interview, Aisha will tell us:
- What inspired her to build things people can use?
- She will share her tips for getting feedback from real people and making products they’ll love.
- Reveal the key skills needed to turn an idea into a real product!
- And she will choose a product she thinks is awesome and explain why it’s successful.
Get ready to be inspired by her journey and learn some cool insights about making products people love!
1. What drives you to pursue a career in product management?
Before venturing into product management, I was teaching English as an English Education graduate.
However, my passion for creating impactful products, the desire to influence products that could reach broader audience and drive innovation,the curiosity and drive for impact motivated me to pursue a career in product management.
2. Can you describe a product you admire and explain what makes it successful?
One product that I admire is OPAY. OPay has revolutionized financial services in Nigeria by providing a comprehensive, user friendly platform for a range of financial services including mobile payments, money transfers, bill payments e.t.c.
The app is designed with the users in mind, providing a seamless intuitive experience. The interface is straightforward, making it accessible even to users who are not tech savvy.
OPay’s commitment to excellent customer service and quick response to customer complaints and requests has helped build trust and loyalty amongst its users. Also, the fast transaction process cannot be overemphasized.
OPay’s responsiveness to user feedback is what contributed to its success today. If every product can be that responsive to its users that product will definitely be a success.
I admire products that are user centric and OPay’s user centric approach inspires me to provide user focused solutions to products as a product manager.
3. How do you approach gathering user feedback and incorporating it into the product development process?
As an experienced customer support representative, conducting user research and incorporating feedback into product decisions has been a crucial part of my job.
I gather feedback from variety of sources to ensure a comprehensive understanding of user needs and pain points. This includes user interviews, surveys, customer support interactions, usability testing e.t.c . Each source provides unique insights to help shape a product.
When collecting feedback, I ensure that the process is organized and thorough. For instance when during interviews I prepare structured questions but still give room for open-ended response to get additional insights.
Incorporating feedback effectively requires close collaboration with design, engineering and marketing teams. Holding regular meetings to discuss feedbacks, understand its implications and brainstorm potential solutions. This collaborative approach ensures that all perspectives are considered and aligned to develop a well-rounded solution.
After prioritizing feedback and agreeing on the best course of action, I incorporate these changes into the product roadmap, break down the feedback into actionable tasks and integrate them into development cycles using agile methodologies. This aids quick iteration and continuous improvement of the product.
After implementing changes, I track their effectiveness by monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) and gather additional feedback from users. This helps to understand the impact of the changes made and identify any future improvements needed.
4. What are some of the skills needed to effectively manage a product from concept to launch?
Effectively managing a product from concept to launch requires a blend of technical, analytical and interpersonal skills. The skills a product manager needs are;
Market Research and Analysis: Understanding market trends is crucial and analyzing competitors strategies helps in positioning the new product effectively and identifying unique selling points.
Product Management Methodology: Familiarity with the product management methodologies such as scrum or agile helps in planning, executing and monitoring progress throughout the product development lifecycle.
User Centric Design Skills: Prioritizing the user experience and ensuring that the product meets user needs and expectations is key. Also, skills in ui/ux design principles are important for creating intuitive and engaging products.
Strong Communication and Collaboration Skills: Work closely with the engineering, design, marketing and customer support team to ensure alignment and effectively communicate with the product vision, requirements and updates to the team and stakeholders
Technical Knowledge: You don’t need to know how to code. As a product manager, a solid understanding of of the technical aspects of a product development is essential. This helps to evaluate feasibility and working with engineers to to address potential challenges.
Problem Solving and Analytical Skills: Addressing issues that arise during the development and providing creative and data driven solutions to inform decisions
In summary, managing a product from ideation to launch requires a blend of skills and these skills enables a product manager to guide a product through its development lifecycle successfully ensuring it meets market needs and deliver value to its users.
Thank you for joining us for this insightful interview with Aisha Oluwabukunmi Shitta!
We learned a lot about her passion for product management, the importance of user feedback, and the key skills needed to launch a successful product. We hope you found Aisha’s insights as inspiring as we did!