I was building product sense long before I knew what a product manager was. It started with a Hewlett Packard computer in my first-grade bedroom and the unforgettable sound of a 14.4k modem connecting to the internet. From that moment, I was hooked.

As a kid I wanted to master every piece of software I could get my hands on. I built websites with FrontPage, created logos and edited images in Photoshop, and spent countless hours tinkering with whatever applications I could find. I didn’t know it yet, but that curiosity was laying the foundation for a career.

When mobile apps took off in the late 2000s, my tinkering took on a new form. I downloaded every app I could find, not just to use them but to understand them. I filled notebooks with sketches of user interfaces and folders with screenshots, trying to deconstruct how they worked and why certain design decisions were made.

My formal education in architecture mattered in a way I didn’t expect. I went through UCLA’s Architectural Studies program, graduating in 2010, and one of the biggest things I remember is the difference between designing the building and designing the experience of the person inhabiting it. That distinction translated surprisingly well to digital products. Reading “The Design of Everyday Things” helped me see the same principles underneath all good design.

My product sense grew fastest once I entered the professional world. Working alongside brilliant designers and product visionaries at companies like URX, Pinterest, Aesthetic and Clubhouse exposed me to new ways of thinking about products, and each experience changed my approach.

Today I lead product teams at Canva, and I’m still that curious kid at heart, exploring new technologies, analyzing products, trying to understand what users need. The difference is that the products I work on now reach millions of people.

Product sense is the ability to understand what users need, spot opportunities, and create solutions that feel intuitive. It’s a mix of analytical thinking, creativity, and an understanding of technology and human behavior.

Embrace technology

Many product managers start building product sense early, often without realizing it. Some ways to lay the foundation:

  1. Explore widely: Use a variety of apps, websites, and software tools, and pay attention to how they work and why features are designed the way they are.

  2. Create and experiment: Use technology to make things: websites, edited images, presentations. Hands-on work develops an intuitive feel for interfaces.

  3. Stay curious: Keep up with new technologies and product launches. Product design keeps evolving, and it helps to watch it happen.

The tinkerer’s mindset

Developing a tinkerer’s mindset sharpens your product sense:

  1. Break down apps and websites: Look at how different products approach common elements like search bars, menus, or notifications.

  2. Document your observations: Keep screenshots, sketches, or notes about interesting design elements and user flows you come across.

  3. Question design decisions: Ask yourself why certain features are built the way they are. What problems are they solving? How well do they work?

Look beyond software

Product sense isn’t limited to software:

  1. Study other disciplines: Fields like architecture, psychology, or even biology can offer fresh perspectives on design and user behavior.

  2. Analyze physical products: The principles of good design apply to physical objects too. I read design books from a wide variety of disciplines and learned to think critically about user experience problems.

  3. Travel and observe: Different cultures solve problems in different ways, and noticing those differences can inspire new approaches.

Learn from the best

Great teams and experienced people accelerate the process:

  1. Seek out mentors: Look for experienced product managers or designers who can guide you and share how they work.

  2. Collaborate across disciplines: Work closely with designers, engineers, and other stakeholders. Understanding their perspectives sharpens your own product thinking.

  3. Study successful products: Analyze market-leading products in detail. What makes them successful? How do they solve user problems?

Single and multiplayer modes

Some of the practice is solo, and some of it only works with other people.

Single-player mode:

  • Regularly analyze new products and features
  • Practice sketching ideas and user flows
  • Build mental models of how interfaces work
  • Develop and refine your taste in product design

Multiplayer mode:

  • Talk through products with colleagues
  • Participate in design critiques and brainstorming sessions
  • Ask for feedback on your ideas and analyses

Stay informed:

  • Listen to product-focused podcasts
  • Read books on design, business, and technology
  • Follow industry blogs and thought leaders

Practical exercises

  1. Feature breakdown: Choose a popular app and list all its features, then try to rank them by how much they matter to users.

  2. Redesign challenge: Take a familiar product and reimagine one of its key features. How would you improve it?

  3. User journey mapping: Pick a common task, like ordering food online, and map out the ideal user journey. Compare your map with existing solutions.

  4. Trend analysis: Identify emerging trends in technology or user behavior. How might they change product design in your industry?

Product sense is a craft you never stop refining. New technologies arrive, user needs shift, and the work of understanding both starts over.

Everyone starts somewhere. Begin actively thinking about the products you use, question their design decisions, and keep working to understand what users need. Wherever you are in your career, there’s room to grow. I’m decades in and still exploring.