Why I pursued product design

When I joined Amplitude as a Customer Success Manager, I had hundreds of customers and very few resources. I met with customers daily to understand their goals, see where they struggled, and figure out a path forward. I'd then take what I learned and develop programs, like webinars, to more proactively support them. I loved that feedback loop! But as I was training customers to work around the rough edges, I started to think "maybe the product could just be easier to use?"

As a Growth Marketer, I got exposure to more types of customers and developed a more nuanced understanding of their journeys. I dove deep into quantitative and qualitative data to create programs that helped users set up and use Amplitude. And the more I dug into the data, the more I appreciated that, even though my lifecycle programs made a difference, the product was ultimately the lever for how users got value.

So I got closer to the product! I started showing up in product development conversations, contributing as a marketer, while paying attention to how decisions were made. In those conversations, I found that my instincts and feedback landed. I belonged in the room.

The more time I spent with the product, the more I noticed my draw toward design. I saw how product designers worked with similar ingredients, but their output was the actual experience. It reminded me of copywriting, where I made choices that quietly shaped the user experience. But visual design was a whole new dimension and I found it fascinating. Soon I was tearing through design books, taking classes on the weekends, and practicing in Figma. The more I learned, the more I couldn't put it down.

After securing a design internship, I was energized by how the work was actually done. While I knew design was for users, I was surprised by how much it was about internal folks, too. I loved the practice of inviting people into my process, seeking out their perspectives, and deciding what feedback to incorporate. I discovered that design was as much about how people did it as who they did it for.

In hindsight, the dots connect easily. But living it, the path was unclear. I’m grateful I pulled on the threads of my curiosity and pursued what energized me, even when I wasn't sure where I would land.