How to Partner with Developers When You Don’t Code - SXSW 2019 submission
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The document discusses a session at SXSW 2019 focused on effectively partnering with developers for non-technical individuals. Speakers Chris Massey and Jenny Wanger highlight the importance of engagement, communication, and collaboration to enhance product design and team dynamics. Attendees will learn to navigate common challenges, foster mutual respect, and find a balance between technical knowledge and effective teamwork.
How to Partner with Developers When You Don’t Code - SXSW 2019 submission
- 1. How to Partner with Developers When You Don’t Code SXSW Panel Picker 2019 Chris Massey & Jenny Wanger
- 2. What is this session about? Working successfully with engineers when you don't code yourself is all about engaging them in the creative process. Better-engaged teams leads to better- designed, better-validated products, and a team who will go above and beyond to succeed. Come learn how to partner with your technology team to build awesome products.
- 3. Say Hello to Chris & Jenny Chris Massey | @camassey Product Lead Mind the Product ● Used to understand .NET memory management ● Product Manager & Community builder ● From Johannesburg, SA Jenny Wanger | @jennydove Head of Consumer Products SpotHero ● Only ever coded HTML ● Product Manager for years ● Loves design thinking ● From Chicago, IL
- 4. We wanted to explain a bit more... ...so we conducted a brief interview.
- 5. What made you first realize that you had to improve how you were engaging with your technical team?
- 6. “I could no longer say “just put a button here.” I had to figure out how to translate our user needs into concepts they could build. It was when I had to build my first product without a visual UI–my manager put me on an API product. After he told me the assignment I had to research what an API was! My team was looking to me to help them navigate how this product worked, and I could no longer say “just put a button here.” I had to figure out how to translate our user needs into concepts they could build.
- 7. “Our team kept having to ask follow-up questions that felt– to me– like they had obvious answers. I realised early on that my default communication style wasn’t quite right when it came to explaining user stories and product specs to our developers. I had a lot of context in my head that I assumed was common knowledge, which I was struggling to capture and share. Our team kept having to ask follow-up questions that felt - to me - like they had obvious answers.
- 8. What is one thing you’ve done to improve your technical skills since entering the tech world?
- 9. “ Never be afraid to ask your engineers questions about their craft. Acknowledge the limits of your understanding, and ask them to help you understand the implications of what you’re describing, or what they’re trying to explain to you. You’ll be wiser, and they’ll feel acknowledged and included. Never be afraid to ask your engineers questions about their craft.
- 10. “ I still haven’t learned to code. I’ll never know as much as the developers on my team. I have started doing what we call “pre- groomings”, where I sit down with one engineer ahead of time and work with them to figure out how to break our work up into logical, small chunks. Through these conversations I’ve started to learn about our architecture and how different pieces of code interact. Through these conversations I’ve started to learn about our architecture and how different pieces of code interact.
- 11. Do non-technical team members need to learn technical skills?
- 12. “You should learn at least enough technical skills to be able to have meaningful, mutually-respectful conversations with your engineers. Some. You should learn at least enough technical skills to be able to have meaningful, mutually-respectful conversations with your engineers. Where that line actually is might vary! They need to feel you understand them, not that you’re going to try and do their job. You need to have a handle on that they’re telling you and it’s implications.
- 13. “You need to be able to talk about technology with your team, but that doesn’t mean you have the skills yourself. No. You need to be able to talk about technology with your team, but that doesn’t mean you need the skills yourself. Much more important is for non-technical members to trust their engineers, be able to articulate their goals, and collaborate with programmers to find a workable solution.
- 14. What is the most surprising benefit you’ve found to engaging your engineering team more proactively?
- 15. “The day I knew I had created a real partnership with my engineers was the day they told me that they weren’t going to build out a feature I had requested. The day I knew I had created a real partnership with my engineers was the day they told me that they weren’t going to build out a feature I had requested. They explained that Manisha, the persona we were building for, wouldn’t use the product that way. They articulated exactly why they believed it was the wrong solution to her problem, and we worked together to find a better solution that actually got to the root cause instead.
- 16. “We all pull together when we need to push hard to understand or fix something. My team rallys together when it’s crunch- time. We all feel invested and passionate about the products that we have designed and built together, and so we all pull together when we need to push hard to understand or fix something. We still have “intense” conversations, but they’re always grounded in mutual respect and a desire to learn from each other’s insights.
- 17. What will you learn in this session?
- 18. An understanding of the common challenges and pitfalls encountered by non- technical folks trying to partner with developers
- 19. How to make developers feel included in the creative process so they invest in your idea and product
- 20. The ability to judge whether you need to meet your developers halfway, learning a bit of technical jargon yourself
- 21. Want to learn more? Please vote! SXSW Panel Picker 2019