The most important thing is to know how to ask good questions, says a product designer about connecting business, technology, and people

Lukáš, how would you describe your position?

Officially, I’m responsible for product design — although that can mean slightly different things in different companies. For us, it’s not just about arranging buttons on a screen, but about a much broader view of the entire product.

In our case, it’s mainly about managing product development. We collect requirements from various directions — from clients, partners, developers, marketing, and sales. We look at what the competition is doing, observe existing customers, and at the same time think about those already using our product, to make sure we don’t restrict them in any way.

I don’t just “come up with things at the desk.” Rather, I put together all the inputs, which the team then reviews and adjusts. For us, product design isn’t about one person’s vision, but about collaboration. I see it as an intersection of technology, marketing, business, and sales.

What exactly does your work involve?

A product designer or manager can have a different range of responsibilities depending on the company. It’s different with physical products — for example, chocolate — where you deal with packaging, branding, and sales strategy. In the software business, a product designer takes care of UX/UI, business strategy, and the development of new functionalities.

Moreover, even within software companies, the work changes depending on whether you’re developing an entirely new product or improving an existing one. In my case, I combine several areas: I handle strategy, UX design, technology, marketing, and sales. I work with programmers, analysts, testers, the sales department, and marketing — all to keep pushing the product forward.

What do your kids think you do all day?

That I play on the computer all day. Really. They’ve told both me and my wife that if we can “just sit at the computer,” then why do they have to study and go to school. In their world, working on a computer = playing games.

What do people misunderstand most about your position? What’s the biggest myth about a product manager?

Most people have no idea what I actually do. When someone asks me — say, at the doctor’s — I just say I work in IT. And they go, “Ah, some IT guy.” If you say you’re a project manager, analyst, or developer, people can picture that. But a product manager? For many, it’s a mysterious role — “some manager who deals with something, but we’re not sure what.”

And how is your role different from that of a project manager?

A project manager makes sure something is delivered on time, within budget, and at the required quality. But they don’t think about, for example, how to sell it. That’s not their concern.

A product manager — or designer, in my case — connects worlds: business, technology, development, sales, marketing... and tries to combine them into something valuable. Ideally without giving anyone a headache (laughs).

What does your typical workday as a product designer look like?

Well, my workdays can be quite wild at times. And honestly, probably a bit different from a “standard” product designer or manager. We’re not a big team, so each of us wears several hats. We do a lot — from analysis and client work to business proposals.

A big part of my work is analysis — we try to help clients with digitalization and often advise them on which path to take. Of course, the final decision is always theirs, but we help them navigate the options. We also prepare proposals for partners and clients, trying to quickly understand their needs and suggest the best product combination. And then there’s the product development part of the job.

It sounds like you’re in touch with many departments. Who do you communicate with most often?

Most often definitely with the technical team: developers, architects, analysts, testers. Since the product originally started as a custom solution, and I used to be an analyst, this area is closest to me. I’m probably furthest from marketing, but I still collaborate with them. In addition to the technical part, cooperation with sales is also important — we prepare presentations, proposals, and get ready for conferences.

So you started at the company as an analyst?

I started as an analyst and gradually moved into product management through work on implementation projects. The product I work on began as a custom solution, but over time we turned it into a universal one. When the solution became a stable product, it was necessary to coordinate the vision, strategy, and development — and that naturally led to the creation of my product manager role.

Sounds like there’s really a lot to do. What do you enjoy most about it?

There’s a lot, yes. But that’s exactly what I enjoy — the variety. For example, we were recently invited to a handwriting experts’ conference in Lyon, France. The fact that people there know us, work with us, and see us as experts feels great.

It’s similar with customers. When we do presentations or send offers, we often end up in the role of technology-law consultants. It’s not just about the “signing” itself, but the whole process — how to replace three papers with one digital document that needs three signatures.

After years of doing this, you can give advice — maybe not replace a lawyer, but explain how things should work. Of course, I always say, “check it with your lawyer,” but we can guide them and provide context. Another thing I truly enjoy is our team. We’ve been working together for more than 10 years. We’ve experienced the arrival of eIDAS, GDPR, seen their impact, and how everything evolved. We’re a well-coordinated team with a shared history — and that’s a big advantage.

If you had to start working on a completely different product, what skills or approaches would you consider essential to take with you?

In my opinion, the most important thing is curiosity. Being genuinely interested in what problem the client has, what’s troubling them. Because often a client comes and says, “I want filtering by place of birth.” And some people just say, “Sure, we’ll do that.” But I think it’s more important to understand why they want it. What problem are they trying to solve? Sometimes the client just acts hastily or doesn’t look at things from another angle. So for me, it’s about knowing how to ask good questions. Getting to the core — what the customer or the market truly needs.

What other skills, for example?

You have to be able to move across different areas. Definitely keep up with technology — especially when you work with hardware like we do. Signing means you need to know which tablets are coming out, what new hardware is available. And at the same time, you must stay up to date with legislation. So — a bit of tech, a bit of law. And when it comes to project solutions, I’m involved from the very beginning. It starts with the business acquisition, I’m there for the presentation, help write the proposal, and sometimes communicate directly with the client.

What does it actually look like when you go to the first meeting with a client?

The first meeting is about listening to the client — understanding what they need — and at the same time showing them what we already have and how we work. Based on that, we prepare an offer where we propose a combination of our solutions, and together we discuss what needs to be adjusted, configured, or additionally implemented. If necessary, an analytical phase follows, then a solution proposal, and once everything is ready, the project is handed over to the client.

What do you think is the most challenging part of this position?

Sometimes you have to be “high-level” — talk to the client in a way they can understand what the product does, even if they’re not technical, and be able to explain complex things in plain language. Then suddenly, you jump into JSON databases, parameters, attributes... and have to operate in a fully technical mode. That’s the tricky part — it’s not enough to just “follow trends,” watch tech videos, or read laptop reviews. You really have to understand the technologies themselves.

And nowadays you work both on products and projects. Which do you enjoy more — big projects, small ones, or product development?

Each has its charm. Large projects are a challenge, especially when it comes to banks, where the environment is complex, with many integrations and even more people involved: security teams, architects, business departments, branches, retail… Everyone has their own requirements, and all of them must be aligned for the whole thing to work. It’s demanding in terms of communication, testing, and planning, but you learn a lot.

At the same time, you see how corporations operate — with clear rules, processes, methodologies, acceptance tests — and you need to know how to fit into that. On the other hand, smaller projects are great because they’re less formal and more flexible. You can quickly deliver a solution that the client starts using within weeks, sometimes even days.

With product development, it’s about the long term. It’s not about one-time delivery but about constant improvement, responding to feedback, and finding the balance between what customers want, what’s technically possible, and what makes sense for the business. Every new feature has to fit into the whole and not degrade the user experience. It’s more strategic thinking — how to move the product forward so it provides even more value a year or two from now.

Do you have any “outside the box” ideas that you’ve actually implemented?

One of the solutions I’d call “outside the box” was enabling document signing completely offline. Most similar solutions only work with an internet connection, but we knew our clients often sign documents in the field — for example, couriers or sales representatives in areas with no signal.

So, we came up with a system where the document and signature data are stored locally and automatically synchronized with the server once the device reconnects. It sounds simple, but technically and in terms of security, it was quite a challenge. Today, it’s one of the features that our partners consider essential.

How does a product designer relax?

At work, probably not much (laughs). But outside of it, I think I have a pretty good balance. I don’t know if it’s typical for a product manager, but for me it’s the classics — gym, cycling, sometimes a trip to the mountains, a bit of gardening, occasionally a book or a good movie or series. Manual, relaxing things.

Do you bring anything from this role into your personal life? For example, when organizing something?

Definitely. When we were building our garden shed, I made a complete design before even contacting the builder. I drew up all the dimensions, shelf layouts, doors, windows, and even how the shed should be positioned on the property. I even downloaded a drawing app just for that.

The builder was quite surprised — he said he’d never received such a detailed plan from a client. But to me, it felt totally natural — just like at work, I wanted to be clear about what was going to be done and why. It wasn’t about control, more about clarity on what needs to be done.

And what about at home with the kids — do you feel that same ability to connect different worlds like you do at work?

(Laughs) That’s a good question. I don’t know. I communicate… but whether it works, that’s another story. Maybe you should ask them.

Do you think you’re professionally “deformed” at home too? Like, do you make presentations for your kids or organize their lives?

No, no… I function normally. At least I think so — but maybe you should ask my wife how she sees it.

When needed, I explain things. When needed, I draw something. But do I make slides for the kids? No. Maybe sometimes I issue a “command,” do a “test,” like cleaning something up together… but otherwise, normal parenting — not a military regime.

So you’re not a typical perfectionist?

Definitely not in everything. Cleaning? Washing? You won’t win with me there (laughs). I’m only a perfectionist when I’m really into something — when I see meaning or added value in it.

For example, when I write documentation and I know it matters and will help someone, I put real effort into it. But mowing the lawn? That’s just about going one strip forward, another back, and done. I see no reason to do it again crosswise.

I have neighbors who mow for two hours — I’m done in ten minutes. For them, it’s probably a form of meditation; for me, just a necessity.

And if someone wanted to become a product designer, what would you recommend? How should they prepare?

That depends on the environment they’ll work in. If it’s a “pure” product manager role focused solely on business, they can concentrate on that area.

But in our case, you handle the entire cycle — from analysis to development to deployment. And in that case, I think it’s ideal to first experience the product from another role, for example, as an analyst. You understand how the product was built, what was done and what wasn’t, and you know it in depth.

Of course, you also need presentation skills. That wasn’t a big problem for me because, as an analyst, I already had to develop them. It was harder for me with marketing and sales — those weren’t as close to me.

In some companies, the product manager also handles pricing. With us, we do it together with the sales team, so it’s a shared responsibility.