This article was written by Michelle Wind, Product Manager at SPREAD, with background in UX Research.

What would you do if somebody told you that you could become a Product Manager by tomorrow? Would you accept?

That’s kind of what happened to me. Same company, same stakeholders, but suddenly an entirely different role. I kind of had this planned. I wanted a role switch and had talked to my manager before because I felt there was potential to move closer to a business perspective. To not only be the voice of the customer alone and instead, to juggle all the different views and align on a common perspective. I found this could be the next challenge to embrace. However, I did not expect it to happen so suddenly. It was overwhelming, confusing but also incredibly exciting and rewarding. One part of me was thinking “I can’t do this”. Luckily, there was this other part that whispered “Maybe I can – especially if I don’t have to do it alone”. 

And that’s what I realized early on. I wasn’t alone. I was surrounded by a team that trusted me, that encouraged me, and always had an open ear when I needed it. Endless peer sessions, brainstormings and 1:1s helped. Whenever doubt crept in, I had colleagues that reminded me that growth happens outside of your comfort zone. That was a valuable lesson to learn. 

My first weeks as a PM? A rollercoaster ride

Some topics I felt comfortable navigating while others intimidated me. At times I felt like I was the only one for whom the discussions went too deep, progressed too fast and had a whole lot of terminology I didn’t understand. That’s when I made a choice: instead of pretending I understood everything, I noted things down I didn’t know and looked those up thoroughly. And I started to ask questions. Simple ones. Asking others to explain XYZ to me as if they would explain it to a child. It felt weird at first but it worked. And by breaking things down, not only did I learn faster, I managed to make it also easier for other stakeholders to align on a common understanding. 

Curiosity became a superpower

And that’s also what made me realize, UX Research and Product Management might look like different roles at first glance but under the hood, they are closer than one might think. Both require empathy, listening and prioritizing what matters most by juggling user and business needs. I quickly found that my background in UX Research did not disappear just because I became a Product Manager, it rather facilitated that transformation and provided me with a skillset I could always get back to. I had anticipated user needs before and mapped my assumptions through interviews, user tests and workshops. I had sat together with different stakeholders before to define a vision to move the needle and iterate endlessly on what could bring even more value to our users. That wasn’t completely new.

When everything finally clicks

• I quickly realized that you can’t know everything from the start – treat asking questions as your power, not your weakness
• A great team can be a safety net - growth is possible where trust, openness and support exists
• It’s ok to doubt yourself from time to time - it shows you care and reflect and most of the time real learnings happen outside your comfort zone
• You can always build upon your skillset - empathy, active listening and prioritization are universal skills, and you should always seek on how to transfer them between roles
• Roles might change, but the mission might not - ultimately, the goal of both UX Research and Product Management is to bring great products to users and ease their everyday struggles
• Curiosity can beat expertise - you will need time to become the expert in something but don’t let that demotivate you from staying curios and learn continuously

Looking back, although my job title might have changed from one day to the other, in reality, that was only the start of an ongoing transformation. There are still moments of doubt and things I don’t know or need time to understand better. Yet, I’ve learned that this is part of the role and part of growing.

Making the switch from UX Research to Product Management has shown me what I’m capable of, that it’s not only about knowing all the answers. It’s about asking the right things, questioning the status quo, and working towards what matters most.