Product idea research
Customer interviews, surveys, competitor analysis, idea generation. Inspiration + ideation
in human- centered design terminology. While this is simpler for client projects, as the
main source of truth is the client, things get more complex when dealing with
consumer-facing products before reaching product/market fit.
Do people really have this problem? How do they solve it right now? Will they pay for an
alternative solution? Will that price cover the customer acquisition cost? And many more
interesting questions.
Prototyping
For new features, I start with pen and paper, the least distracting way of thinking. After
that — Figma.
When a prototype is done, it should be checked with customers. Based on their feedback, it
either goes to development, requires modifications, or I try solving the task in an
alternative way. “... a prototype is worth a thousand meetings” — IDEO.
User interface design
As part of the overall UX, I design UI so users can interact with a system. Prototypes
should have a high-fidelity look according to research, so users treat them like real
solutions. That's why I create UI close to the intended final version from the beginning,
rather than Balsamiq-like sketches.
That said, I’m not a graphic designer — I focus on interactive elements like inputs,
buttons, selectors, sliders, etc., rather than visual assets like illustrations, logos, or
infographics. But if needed, tools like ChatGPT make that possible now.
Product management
I helped launch five projects from the zero stage to the public market. This allowed me to
deeply understand the whole process of software product delivery.
We can't launch a successful product by only making it user-friendly. The product should be
desirable, deliverable, and viable in the market. There's no point in building a product we
can't promote or implement. Of course, there are PMs and CTOs, but product designers should
understand these aspects as well.
Tech stack understanding
I am not a programmer or database specialist, but I have some understanding of the tech
stack that may help us deliver faster.
Should we do a simple HTML page with a couple of JS widgets? Or go with Webflow? Maybe
WordPress with a theme? Or Laravel? Maybe Django or Rails? Bubble? Outsystems? What about
frontend? Do we really need Vue/React from the start? Maybe begin with Django + htmx? What
component library will we use? For app search: native DB, Elastic, or Algolia? Do we need a
native app or a web app? A web app as a PWA? Font icons, SVGs, or sprites? And so on.
Product requirements
I have solid experience contributing to task descriptions — from writing over 2,000 GitHub
issues to reviewing long project specs.
I believe product designers should be involved in both written and verbal task discussions.
It helps clarify interaction details and often surfaces missing functionality early on (like
“Wait, how do we edit this?” or “How does the user go back?”). Developers appreciate when
these gaps are addressed upfront.
