Explore the unique partnership between Product Managers and Designers at Nubank, the largest neobank in the world. This blog post provides an in-depth look at how these two critical roles collaborate to shape Nubank’s innovative products.

We’ll uncover the strategies and processes that enable their teamwork to translate into exceptional, user-focused financial services. Learn about the pivotal roles they play and how their joint efforts keep Nubank at the cutting edge of simplifying finance for everyone.

The roles and their contributions

Product Managers (PMs) at Nubank are the linchpins of product execution, overseeing everything from feature prioritization to engineering development and performance tracking.

Their role is multifaceted, acting as a bridge between team members to ensure alignment and clarity on the roadmap ahead. The ultimate goal is to keep customers satisfied and ensure the business’s viability.

PMs are instrumental in addressing customer pain points by setting and monitoring performance metrics, always in harmony with the Designers.

Designers, meanwhile, focus on identifying customer needs and crafting solutions. They are tasked with the critical job of ensuring Nubank continues to deliver experiences that simplify the financial life of its customers.

This involves close collaboration with various experts like Researchers and Content Designers, aiming to deliver a cohesive experience that connects insights from these areas of expertise.

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Collaboration in practice

From discovery to execution, and afterwards to post-development analysis, PMs and Designers have to work very closely. Read on!

Discovery phase

In the discovery phase, Designers and PMs join forces to map out user experience enhancements. This stage heavily involves Researchers, who engage with customers to grasp their needs, while Product Designers develop solutions. 

PMs are actively involved in this phase, helping in hypothesis formulation and shaping the product vision. The aftermath of a discovery is a strategic prioritization of findings. 

It is crucial that Designers and PMs are on the same page on what user needs the product is going to tackle and to do so they need to be strategic on what generates the most value.

Execution phase

The transition from discovery to execution is marked by prioritization, a crucial step where both roles leverage Nubank’s Nu3D product development framework.

This phase ensures technical viability alignment with engineering and effective communication with stakeholders.

According to Pedro Coelho, PJ Lending Product Manager, the execution phase is a “cyclical process”. In his words, “with our objectives clear, we create a roadmap with all our initiatives for the semester ahead, even leaving room for research and discoveries on more complex topics. All in a collaborative way, involving the whole team”. 

In this way, it’s possible to have all team members aligned about our goals and expectations for each project, and how they help us achieve our objectives.

Post-development analysis

After product development, it’s crucial to assess the impact, both quantitatively and qualitatively, on how it has simplified customers’ financial lives.

Looking ahead, Designers and PMs continuously identify and prioritize iterations to keep Nubank at the forefront of financial solutions.

Product Manager Pedro Coelho spoke about his recent experience of running a project to solve one of the biggest pain points customers had with our product. 

“Right from the start, we did a lot of desk research, involving various exchanges about past experiences we’ve had and our views on the success and failure of each one. He went on to say that, as a result, “we came up with an extremely rich discovery plan that should guide various improvements to our product, which was only possible through this exchange”.

The Product Designer Douglas Azevedo, who is part of the same team as Pedro, complements this reasoning by saying that “whenever we launch new solutions we try to do quantitative and qualitative research to understand real cases in which the product has helped customers and possible iteration points. An example of this is the research we’ve been doing since the launch of the PJ product”. 

For him, it’s important to bear in mind that “while the Designer maps out the customer’s needs, the PM orchestrates the execution, relating the findings to the business OKRs.”

Conclusion

The harmonious collaboration between Product Managers and Designers at Nubank exemplifies a model for successful product development in the fintech industry. Their integrated approach, encompassing discovery, execution, and post-development analysis, demonstrates a commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.

This synergy not only drives innovative solutions but also ensures Nubank remains at the forefront of financial technology. And, of course, the fusion of these roles is not just about creating products; it’s about crafting experiences that resonate with users and lead the way in the financial services revolution.

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