From UX, Development to Product Managers: Let's Talk About the Different Roles in Product Teams
When it comes to developing a successful digital product, having the right team in the right roles is essential to achieving success.While some of these roles may vary depending on the size of the company and the project (the team behind a startup is not the same as the team behind a unicorn), today we are going to talk about some of the key and most in-demand positions in the market.
As the title says, there are other profiles involved in the life cycle of a digital product that are also part of the IT sector. Each one, from their expertise, contributes value and impacts the final result. Let's see what they are!
UX Designer: Focus on the experience
They are responsible for designing the experiences that users have with the product. They make sure that the site is easy to use, intuitive and enjoyable. This involves a whole design process that includes tasks such as creating flows, conducting user research, mastering design programs, analyzing metrics, communicating directly with the Development team, planning a roadmap of work with the tasks to be carried out, reaching agreements with Product Owners and aligning them with the Business objectives, among many others.
"UX Designer", by itself, is a fairly generalist role, which requires training on many fronts and the ability to collaborate with many people. For this reason, there are specializations of this role that focus on certain stages or tasks in the Design process to create visual and interactive prototypes of the interface.
UI Designer: Focus on the interface
They are responsible for designing the visual appearance of the User Interface They spend most of their time in prototyping tools (such as Figma or Adobe XD) and thinking about the look & feel of the product. They create components, design the product's Design System or UI Kit and worry about maintaining visual consistency to generate familiarity and thus minimize the learning curve for users.
UX Writer: Focus on the content
They are responsible for designing the experience through words.They are responsible for guiding people to achieve their goals when navigating the interface, ensuring the clarity and readability of messages. All the content that appears in the interface, such as labels, calls to action, error messages, notifications; everything that can be read, is designed (i.e. strategically planned) for users. In addition to everything we can read, UX Writers or Content Designers participate from the beginning of the design process well before writing: they define the storytelling, the information architecture and the voice and tone that the product will adopt to communicate in each interaction with users.
UX Researcher: Focus on research
They are responsible for conducting research with users to understand their needs, understand their behaviors, know their preferences and their expectations. They carry out different research techniques according to the objective (i.e. what they are looking to discover) such as: interviews, surveys, usability tests, concept tests, focus groups, etc. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, they seek to know the pain points, the delight points and all kinds of insights that allow the team to make design decisions. The role of UX Research allows the product to be truly people-centered.
UX Leader: Focus on the organisation
They are responsible for coordinating the team's projects ensuring that business and user goals are met. Someone who leads a UX team needs to combine technical skills, typical of Design, with soft and interpersonal skills, typical of leadership. They make sure that the Design process is correctly articulated with the Development process, and meets the Product and Business objectives. This means, among many other things, organising time, negotiating deadlines or delivery dates, requesting the resources that the team needs, and helping other UXers to improve their skills to grow as professionals.
Product Designer: Focus on the process
They are responsible for developing a strategic vision focused on the end-to-end of the product and the user experience. They have a more holistic vision because they take into account even more variables than a UX Designer, in addition to prioritizing business needs, costs, brand and the constant search for solutions. That is why it complements the tasks of a UX Designer so well, since by combining both roles, the team ensures that it meets both the needs and expectations of the users and those of the business.
Developer: Focus on the code
They are responsible for writing the code that will make the design work. They are the ones who bring the design to life, make it functional and interactive. Within this role, we can distinguish two main specializations (although there are many, many more):
Front-end developer
Responsible for the user-side logic, i.e. the visible part of the site that sends data to the server. This involves working with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, very much in conjunction with UX/UI to define the scope of the design.
Back-end developer
Responsible for the server-side logic. They develop the solutions for the actions that the user requests and guarantee the security of the site. This involves working with programming languages like Python, Java and Ruby,
QA Tester: Focus on quality
They are responsible for ensuring the quality of the product through documentation, testing, measurement and proposing improvements at all stages of the project. They must have experience in identifying and documenting problems, thoroughly testing the product, and providing feedback to developers and designers. They also ensure that the product meets all requirements, including the necessary functionality, usability, and security.
Product Manager: Focus on strategy
They are responsible for leading the project and defining the strategy and vision it will have.They research the market, plan the project, lead the team, and guarantee the success of the product. They must have experience in understanding user needs, analysing market trends, and working with stakeholders to define the direction of the product. Additionally, they must be able to communicate effectively with the rest of the team, manage resources, and ensure that the product is delivered on time, within budget, and according to specifications.
Product Owner: Focus on execution
They are responsible for prioritizing the product backlog,ensuring that the team is working on the most important features and functionalities and that it meets the needs of the stakeholders. They are also responsible for defining the user stories that the Development team will carry out in each of the stages of the process, in other words, they are the ones who make the final decisions about what is included or not included in the final product.
Data Analyst: Focus on analysing data
They are responsible for collecting and analyzing historical data on user behavior in the product to improve the experience and optimise functionalities. They must have skills in statistics, data analysis, and programming to be able to extract useful insights from the large volume of information that is generated. They focus on analysing historical data to obtain information and patterns that help to understand what has happened in the past.
Data Scientist: Focus on predicting with data
They are responsible for creating and building predictive models and algorithms using machine learning and advanced statistical techniques. They use programming tools and languages like Python and R to analyze data and build models that can be used to predict future user behavior, detect patterns and trends, and make recommendations for future decision-making.
As the saying goes, "If you walk alone, you go faster; if you walk accompanied, you go further."There are successful products that start with just one person behind the scenes, but to increase quality and optimise processes, it is vital to have a cross-disciplinary team that contributes value from all possible angles.
In my experience, working in a team and working in Technology could easily be synonyms. Whether you dedicate yourself to one of these roles or others, it is important not only to polish technical skills and specialise, but also to acquire peripheral knowledge and soft skills that allow you to broaden your vision, understand the context better, communicate assertively, and, in conclusion, go further.
Speaking of going further: Did you see that programming isn't the only way to walk this path?
