DesignUp.School

THE MODULE

How do you ship magic if you are not Steve Jobs? Get under the hood of the Product practices of leading tech companies that have shipped global high impact products at scale.

Congratulations on making it to the next level! The good news is you made it. The not so good news is that the rules of the game just changed on you, as you find your place in a larger cross-functional ecosystem which includes your friendly neighborhood product manager. Your success built on Design Thinking is now intertwined with another powerful framework called Product Thinking!

In this course we delve into Product Thinking by getting under the hood of product practices and case studies from leading tech companies that have shipped global, high impact products at scale. You will learn how to magnify your business impact while collaborating effectively with your PM counterparts.

Interleaving the themes of “you building product” and “you as product” this course is intended to equip you with practical tools and frameworks to navigate your day-to-day are your new level as well as seek new career levels in the future.

The Course Modules

This will be a 6 week long course conducted after hours and over weekends to accommodate busy work schedules. You will work across 3 key modules over those 6 weeks. Each module will be an integration of Learning, Discussion, Case Studies, Guest Speaker, and Mini Project. The last module will be optional with an additional fee.

The Next Level

We will talk about where you came from and where you are going. Moving from map reading to map making. Re-defining the meaning of your “craft” and success as you grow. Delve into the world of your key stakeholders and particularly your PM. Discerning between Good and Bad PM practices. Decoding your PM through archetypes.

Product Thinking Principles, Frameworks, and Mantras

Deep dive into Product Thinking. What it is and is not. How it differs from Design Thinking. How some of the leading tech companies incorporate it into their DNA and practices. This session will be all about the power of Principles, Frameworks, and Mantras associated with Product Thinking and delivering business impact.

You as Product

Optional, on successful completion of Modules 1 & 2 – This module focuses on you as a product. We use what we have learnt over the past 2 modules to chart your career using Product Thinking principles and Strategic Thinking. This intensive module will require several pre-reads, preparation, contemplation, and discussion leading to a written strategic plan for you to chart out your career path.

About Shirish

Shirish is a big believer in creating a magical experience by marrying empathy with tech and strategy

Shirish heads Product for Twitter India where his team focuses on experiences and participation for India and other emerging markets. He formerly led Product for Uber in India where his teams were instrumental in building and launching key products like Uber Lite and Uber Bus across India, Latam and the Middle East; igniting opportunity through mobility.

With experiences spanning the Bay Area and Bangalore and the “tech” sheep in a family seeped in Art and Art History, Shirish loves bringing cultural and cross functional sensibilities into his products.
He is a CS geek with a Bachelors and Masters in Computer Sciences and an MS in Management Sciences from Stanford University.