Sunday, October 13, 2024
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In today’s fast-evolving landscape of AI and product development, one thing is clear—innovation demands agility. I had the privilege of sitting down with Supriya, Director of Generative AI Products at Zenon, a company with over 100 employees focused on building DevTools. We dove into the realities of managing a product in the dynamic AI space and explored how AI has reshaped both Supriya’s workflow and the broader team’s approach to product management.
Here are some key takeaways from our conversation.
Supriya emphasized that being a product manager in the generative AI space requires a careful blend of business strategy and technical knowledge. While she initially focused more on the business side, she quickly realized the need to deepen her technical understanding to effectively communicate her product’s value—both internally and externally.
"I don’t want to just speak in terms of business; I want to understand the soul of my product," Supriya shared. This realization led her to immerse herself in technical materials, from newsletters to hands-on experiments, ensuring she stays up-to-date on the latest advancements. This blend of business and technical knowledge allows her to guide her team with a more holistic perspective.
Working with B2B clients in the financial sector, Supriya and her team at Zenon have honed their ability to translate customer-specific problems into scalable product features. While each client might come with unique challenges, Supriya’s team looks for patterns that can be generalized across the industry, thus shaping the roadmap for their product.
She explained how crucial it is to approach customer interactions with a "newbie mindset," taking a step back to really understand their pain points. This mindset forms the foundation for Zenon's customer development process, ensuring that products aren’t just designed for one client but can cater to a broader market.
One of the most insightful moments in our conversation was Supriya’s reflection on how the explosion of generative AI in 2023 reshaped Zenon’s product management approach. She admitted that at first, AI seemed overwhelming, with the demands for constant updates and integration of new technologies. But with time, Supriya and her team learned to embrace AI as a tool to enhance their offerings, particularly through the development of utilities that help accelerate client processes.
"Since GenAI came into the picture, things became much more fast-paced," Supriya said, acknowledging how this shift had transformed both her role and her team’s workflow. AI is no longer just a buzzword at Zenon—it's the core of their product strategy.
Another standout theme was how Zenon is fostering an experimental culture around AI within the company. Supriya’s team took the lead in educating the rest of the organization about generative AI, hosting internal sessions and releasing a regular newsletter. This internal push has sparked interest across the company, with employees outside the AI space experimenting with AI-driven tools like an internal HR chatbot.
This innovative mindset is baked into the company’s culture, with annual competitions promoting research and groundbreaking product ideas. The competition challenges employees to come up with ideas that aren’t just slight improvements but truly innovative solutions. As Supriya put it, "It is the culture of the organization to stay innovative."
Supriya explained how AI tools like GPT and Claude have become integral to her daily work. She often uses these tools during brainstorming sessions with her team, especially when faced with complex challenges. In one instance, they were working on a nested UI flow with multiple layers of interactions. Instead of manually mapping it out, they sketched a rough draft and asked Claude for insights.
"It really did a good job of simplifying the whole process for us," Supriya shared. Claude helped her team break down the complicated flow, streamline their thinking, and make decisions faster. For Supriya, these AI tools aren’t just abstract concepts—they’re woven into the practicalities of product development, helping her team with everything from structuring user flows to refining decision-making processes.
There’s something so exciting about the energy around AI right now. Talking with Supriya really reminded me of how much potential there is in this space. AI isn’t just some distant, futuristic concept—it’s here, and it’s reshaping the way we think, work, and build. Every new tool, every breakthrough feels like opening the door to more possibilities. The way Supriya and her team are using AI to solve real problems, and even inspire internal innovation, shows just how fast things are moving.
Hear the full conversation here:
