From UX to Growth: My Transition into Product Management

Why I Made the Shift

For over seven years, I worked as an e-commerce and product designer, crafting intuitive and conversion-driven digital experiences. I loved the challenge of designing interfaces that were not only visually compelling but also aligned with business goals. However, I started realizing that design was just one piece of the puzzle—I plan to have a bigger impact on how products grow, scale, and succeed in the market.

The move to Product Management felt like a natural progression. While design focuses on crafting the user experience, Product Management is about understanding the entire lifecycle—from user needs and business strategy to market positioning and growth. I wanted to bridge the gap between design, strategy, and business impact, and PM provided the perfect opportunity to do just that.

How My Design & E-commerce Background Gives Me an Edge

Coming from a UX and e-commerce background, I bring a user-first mindset to Product Management. Here’s how my past experience enhances my PM skills:

Deep Empathy for Users – Years of user research and usability testing mean I understand customer pain points and how to solve them effectively.
Data-Driven Design Thinking – Designing for e-commerce taught me to use A/B testing, heatmaps, and analytics to optimize user flows and conversions—essential skills for PMs.
Business & Monetization Awareness – Working on e-commerce platforms meant I had to consider pricing, checkout optimizations, and retention strategies, which are critical for product growth.
Cross-Functional Collaboration – As a designer, I worked closely with developers, marketers, and business leaders. Now, as a PM, I leverage that experience to align teams around shared goals.

Eleken: Product Design vs Product Management and Why They Need to Combine Forces

What I’m Learning & Applying So Far

In my first five months as a Product Manager, I’ve been focusing on three key areas:

1. Experimentation & Growth Strategies

Understanding how to drive user acquisition, engagement, and retention is crucial. I’ve been learning about:

A/B testing and experimentation frameworks to optimize user experiences.
How pricing and payment models influence user adoption.
Using data-driven decision-making to refine product features and roadmap planning.

2. Bridging Strategy & Execution

Moving from execution (design) to strategic thinking (PM) has been a shift. I’m now involved in:

Defining product-market fit and go-to-market strategies.
Prioritizing features based on impact and feasibility.
Understanding how different stakeholders (engineering, marketing, content teams) contribute to product success.

3. Learning to Be Comfortable with Ambiguity

Unlike design, where I could focus on delivering tangible screens and prototypes, PM is more about problem-solving and decision-making with incomplete data. I’m learning to:

Make decisions with limited information while iterating fast.
Balance user needs vs. business objectives effectively.
Drive alignment across teams when priorities shift.

Challenges & Goals from My First 5 Months

Challenges:

Letting go of execution – As a designer, I was hands-on; as a PM, I guide rather than create.
Balancing multiple priorities – PM requires focusing on long-term vision while handling short-term execution.
Stakeholder alignment – Ensuring that different teams (engineering, marketing, leadership) are aligned on goals and timelines.

Goals:

Launching my first growth experiment – Implementing A/B testing strategies to optimize onboarding.
Improving user engagement – Working with teams to refine content discovery and payment models.
Developing a data-driven mindset – Using analytics and qualitative feedback to make informed product decisions.

Final Thoughts

Transitioning from design to Product Management has been both exciting and challenging. While I’m still learning, my background in UX, e-commerce, and strategy has given me a strong foundation to thrive in this role. I’m excited to continue growing, experimenting, and building products that not only look great but drive real business impact.