Breaking down the false dichotomy between PMs and designers

Noah Levin’s ‘Design vs PM’ graphic is one of the more nuanced take on PM and UX relationship I have come across and dispels any notional BS about this tug-of-war between product priorities and design vision.

However, the PM ↔ Designer relationship has become lopsided in many organisations. For instance, designers are often not clear about what they want to be involved in and end up waiting for opportunities to be handed to them instead of doing their discovery and creating those opportunities.

Similarly, the PMs do not participate actively in design critique to influence the experience and challenge assumptions in a way that sharpens the final output, beyond the tactical features and functional roadmap. 

The truth is our roles overlap far more than they are distinct and we can be in each other’s lanes without arguing over ‘feasibility or delight’. 

That’s where the best work is likely to happen.