For API products, how do you push back against engineers who believe they know what to build because they "are" the target user?

This is a classic trap.Engineers are valuable, but they’re not always representative.Approach:Validate with broader user data (not just internal opinions)Distinguish betw...

If we were discussing this live, I’d first ask what exactly are you pushing back on, and why? The context matters. Like any feedback, input should be evaluated based on i...

This is a common misstep for everyone, PMs included. I’ve certainly been led astray by assuming I know what users want. It’s important to have empathy for users, but not ...

I think that the whole team should strive to build a product that end users love. I love when there's passion on the team and ideas about what to build. When you are buil...

"Push back" is a strong term. With developer tools, you can't just discount what your engineering team says out of the gate, since they already have a lot of built-in emp...

This comes up a lot on teams that build for developers. It’s great when engineers are close to the problem, but personal experience is not a substitute for user research ...

That's a nuanced challenge unique to API and developer products, where your builders are often your primary consumers. My approach, refined at companies like Microsoft wh...

I encountered this and similar scenarios with numerous teams, with successes and lessons learned. As others echo, successful public APIs (I’ll define success as achieving...

As a product manager, it's essential to consider the perspectives and expertise of all team members, including engineers. However, it's also important to remember that as...