Bar-Raising Product Management: Strategies for effective Product/UX team collaboration with Laura Ford and Jason Choi

Effective collaboration between Product and User Experience (UX) teams is essential for delivering exceptional customer experiences and driving business success. In this article, part of our series on product management best practices, product leader Laura Ford and UX leader Jason Choi share insights on how Product and UX teams can partner effectively to deliver great customer experiences.

Forging partnerships

Laura Ford is a Senior Principal Technical Product Manager (PMT) at Amazon Ads with more than 20 years of experience working closely with UX teams. With a deep understanding of UX as a function, she has invested time in finding effective ways to collaborate with UX partners. Jason Choi is a Principal UX Designer at Amazon Ads with more than 17 years of experience collaborating with Product and Engineering teams. He brings valuable insights from his work across multiple ad products, helping to drive innovation and customer-centric solutions. Below Laura and Jason share their strategies for building bar-raising Product/UX partnerships and delivering even better products for your customers.

1. The product triad: Understand this powerful alignment
   At the heart of successful product development lies the "Product Triad"—the synergistic relationship between the Product, UX, and Engineering teams. When these three disciplines work in harmony and share ownership, the results can be transformative. As a Product Manager, it's essential to have a deep understanding of each function and a genuine respect for the unique contributions they bring to the table.
2. Leverage UX expertise for valuable insights
   UX professionals possess a wealth of knowledge about customer behavior, pain points, and preferences. By involving UX early in the product development process, you can tap into their knowledge and expertise to define the problem you're solving and validate your proposed solutions. Collaborate with UX as a strategic partner to help you craft a customer-centric vision, conduct user research, and iterate on designs to ensure that the final product truly meets user needs.
3. Partner early and often
   Successful Product/UX team collaboration starts at the discovery/ideation phase and continues throughout the product life cycle. Invest in an ongoing partnership during requirements definition and prototyping, all the way through to testing and post-launch iterations. This continuous involvement allows you to address issues proactively, make informed decisions, and deliver a cohesive, user-friendly experience.
4. Leverage design systems
   Design systems can be powerful tools for driving consistency and efficiency in your product development efforts. Product Managers who are working in an organization that has a design system should familiarize themselves with standards, components, and guidelines that the design system defines. Design systems accelerate implementation and improve quality by aligning teams on a shared set of components and patterns. Robust design systems also free up the UX team to focus on other strategic initiatives.
5. Embrace experimentation and iteration
   Product development is an iterative process, and the best outcomes often emerge from a willingness to experiment and learn. Collaborate with your UX team to identify opportunities for user testing, rapid prototyping, and data-driven decision-making. Agile experimentation techniques allow you to validate assumptions, gather feedback, and continuously refine your product to meet evolving customer needs.
6. Overcome challenges—together
   While the benefits of effective Product/UX collaboration are clear, there can be challenges to overcome. Align on expectations about the role of UX, ensure that UX is engaged at the right times, and proactively manage UX resource constraints. Leverage strategies like design sprints, office hours, and centralized UX research repositories to maximize the impact of your UX team.
7. Cultivate a culture of respect and openness.
   Ultimately, successful Product/UX team collaboration hinges on a culture of mutual respect, open communication, and a shared commitment to customer success. Encourage your team to embrace diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and work together to find the best solutions. By fostering this collaborative mindset, you'll unlock the true potential of your product development efforts and deliver experiences that delight your customers.

Even experienced PMTs should constantly explore ways to improve their collaboration with UX to drive innovation and business growth. By developing these relationships, you can unlock new opportunities, enhance customer experiences, and position your team for long-term success.