What Product Executives Say About UX
What Product Executives Say About UX
What Product Executives Say About UX
Over the summer, I interviewed five executive product leaders to understand what’s working, what’s not, and what could improve in how UX fits into their organizations.
Each conversation started differently, but a few consistent themes came through. Product leaders value UX, but most feel it isn’t operating at its full potential.
1. The speed problem is really an alignment problem
Every leader talked about the pressure to deliver faster. None blamed UX for slowing things down.
“As companies grow, there’s an increase in stakeholders,” one leader said. “You’re constantly balancing opportunity cost and cutting corners to ship.”
The real friction comes from internal politics, legacy systems, and too many layers of approval. UX gets pulled into that tension because discovery and validation take time, and teams often feel they can’t spare it.
“There’s always pressure to skip research,” another leader told me. “Every time we do, it’s a mistake. We end up learning later what we could’ve learned sooner.”
Speed improves when UX and product are aligned early. It’s not about moving faster, it’s about removing the second-guessing that happens when alignment comes too late.
2. Recruitment is everyone’s problem, but no one’s job
When I asked how user testing fits into their process, every leader hesitated. Recruiting participants is the hardest part.
“Trying to get customers to do a 30-minute session isn’t easy,” one said. “That’s why this step gets skipped.”
Some teams have customer panels or in-product surveys. Others rely on feedback from internal teams. Few have a reliable, ongoing research system.
“We’ve done ad hoc testing and panels,” another leader shared. “Even then, it’s hard to schedule. That’s the biggest challenge we’ve had.”
Without access to users, teams rely on assumptions. And when assumptions drive decisions, research becomes reactive.
“We’ll do retroactive interviews after launch and uncover things we should have known,” one admitted. “Sometimes it’s a small tweak. Sometimes it’s a flawed concept.”
3. Platform work rarely gets prioritized
Every product leader mentioned the same frustration. Platform work, like design systems, navigation, and permissions, always loses to feature work.
“Those are the first projects that get pushed,” one said. “We have to set goals around them just to keep them alive.”
Another, still building a design system years in, laughed and said,
“By the time it’s done, it’ll be outdated.”
A third explained the deeper issue.
“You can staff people for support and upkeep, but it’s not a glamorous job. Giving people a percentage of time doesn’t work. You have to commit.”
Skipping foundational work might help in the short term, but it slows everything down later.
4. The real risk is building something that doesn’t matter
When I asked where they felt the most risk, every leader gave the same answer. It’s not about quality or bugs. It’s about value.
“The biggest risk is value risk,” one said. “Will customers see value in it? Will they use it?”
Another added,
“I don’t lose sleep over quality. I worry about whether people will actually adopt what we build.”
That’s the gap UX is meant to close. Connecting what’s possible with what’s valuable. But that only happens when UX is involved early enough to shape what gets built, not just how it looks.
5. What product leaders really want from UX
When I asked what UX could do to speed delivery, I expected to hear “move faster” or “simplify the process.” That’s not what I heard.
They want clearer thinking and more honest communication.
“Have the hard conversation early,” one said. “If something’s too complex or not going to work, say it.”
“UX can drive cross-functional perspective,” another told me. “Bring other people into the process. Don’t stay in your lane.”
And another:
“Designers should know enough to make better assumptions. Rely less on testing and more on judgment.”
These aren’t calls for less UX. They are calling for a stronger, more confident version of it.
The takeaway
Product leaders want partners who understand business context, speak their language, and help the team make confident decisions. They don’t want validation on visuals. They want clarity on direction.
The opportunity for UX isn’t to move faster. It’s to bring the kind of judgment that helps everyone move with confidence.
Supergreen helps product teams increase velocity and improve quality. Want to dig deeper? Let’s talk.
Over the summer, I interviewed five executive product leaders to understand what’s working, what’s not, and what could improve in how UX fits into their organizations.
Each conversation started differently, but a few consistent themes came through. Product leaders value UX, but most feel it isn’t operating at its full potential.
1. The speed problem is really an alignment problem
Every leader talked about the pressure to deliver faster. None blamed UX for slowing things down.
“As companies grow, there’s an increase in stakeholders,” one leader said. “You’re constantly balancing opportunity cost and cutting corners to ship.”
The real friction comes from internal politics, legacy systems, and too many layers of approval. UX gets pulled into that tension because discovery and validation take time, and teams often feel they can’t spare it.
“There’s always pressure to skip research,” another leader told me. “Every time we do, it’s a mistake. We end up learning later what we could’ve learned sooner.”
Speed improves when UX and product are aligned early. It’s not about moving faster, it’s about removing the second-guessing that happens when alignment comes too late.
2. Recruitment is everyone’s problem, but no one’s job
When I asked how user testing fits into their process, every leader hesitated. Recruiting participants is the hardest part.
“Trying to get customers to do a 30-minute session isn’t easy,” one said. “That’s why this step gets skipped.”
Some teams have customer panels or in-product surveys. Others rely on feedback from internal teams. Few have a reliable, ongoing research system.
“We’ve done ad hoc testing and panels,” another leader shared. “Even then, it’s hard to schedule. That’s the biggest challenge we’ve had.”
Without access to users, teams rely on assumptions. And when assumptions drive decisions, research becomes reactive.
“We’ll do retroactive interviews after launch and uncover things we should have known,” one admitted. “Sometimes it’s a small tweak. Sometimes it’s a flawed concept.”
3. Platform work rarely gets prioritized
Every product leader mentioned the same frustration. Platform work, like design systems, navigation, and permissions, always loses to feature work.
“Those are the first projects that get pushed,” one said. “We have to set goals around them just to keep them alive.”
Another, still building a design system years in, laughed and said,
“By the time it’s done, it’ll be outdated.”
A third explained the deeper issue.
“You can staff people for support and upkeep, but it’s not a glamorous job. Giving people a percentage of time doesn’t work. You have to commit.”
Skipping foundational work might help in the short term, but it slows everything down later.
4. The real risk is building something that doesn’t matter
When I asked where they felt the most risk, every leader gave the same answer. It’s not about quality or bugs. It’s about value.
“The biggest risk is value risk,” one said. “Will customers see value in it? Will they use it?”
Another added,
“I don’t lose sleep over quality. I worry about whether people will actually adopt what we build.”
That’s the gap UX is meant to close. Connecting what’s possible with what’s valuable. But that only happens when UX is involved early enough to shape what gets built, not just how it looks.
5. What product leaders really want from UX
When I asked what UX could do to speed delivery, I expected to hear “move faster” or “simplify the process.” That’s not what I heard.
They want clearer thinking and more honest communication.
“Have the hard conversation early,” one said. “If something’s too complex or not going to work, say it.”
“UX can drive cross-functional perspective,” another told me. “Bring other people into the process. Don’t stay in your lane.”
And another:
“Designers should know enough to make better assumptions. Rely less on testing and more on judgment.”
These aren’t calls for less UX. They are calling for a stronger, more confident version of it.
The takeaway
Product leaders want partners who understand business context, speak their language, and help the team make confident decisions. They don’t want validation on visuals. They want clarity on direction.
The opportunity for UX isn’t to move faster. It’s to bring the kind of judgment that helps everyone move with confidence.
Supergreen helps product teams increase velocity and improve quality. Want to dig deeper? Let’s talk.
Over the summer, I interviewed five executive product leaders to understand what’s working, what’s not, and what could improve in how UX fits into their organizations.
Each conversation started differently, but a few consistent themes came through. Product leaders value UX, but most feel it isn’t operating at its full potential.
1. The speed problem is really an alignment problem
Every leader talked about the pressure to deliver faster. None blamed UX for slowing things down.
“As companies grow, there’s an increase in stakeholders,” one leader said. “You’re constantly balancing opportunity cost and cutting corners to ship.”
The real friction comes from internal politics, legacy systems, and too many layers of approval. UX gets pulled into that tension because discovery and validation take time, and teams often feel they can’t spare it.
“There’s always pressure to skip research,” another leader told me. “Every time we do, it’s a mistake. We end up learning later what we could’ve learned sooner.”
Speed improves when UX and product are aligned early. It’s not about moving faster, it’s about removing the second-guessing that happens when alignment comes too late.
2. Recruitment is everyone’s problem, but no one’s job
When I asked how user testing fits into their process, every leader hesitated. Recruiting participants is the hardest part.
“Trying to get customers to do a 30-minute session isn’t easy,” one said. “That’s why this step gets skipped.”
Some teams have customer panels or in-product surveys. Others rely on feedback from internal teams. Few have a reliable, ongoing research system.
“We’ve done ad hoc testing and panels,” another leader shared. “Even then, it’s hard to schedule. That’s the biggest challenge we’ve had.”
Without access to users, teams rely on assumptions. And when assumptions drive decisions, research becomes reactive.
“We’ll do retroactive interviews after launch and uncover things we should have known,” one admitted. “Sometimes it’s a small tweak. Sometimes it’s a flawed concept.”
3. Platform work rarely gets prioritized
Every product leader mentioned the same frustration. Platform work, like design systems, navigation, and permissions, always loses to feature work.
“Those are the first projects that get pushed,” one said. “We have to set goals around them just to keep them alive.”
Another, still building a design system years in, laughed and said,
“By the time it’s done, it’ll be outdated.”
A third explained the deeper issue.
“You can staff people for support and upkeep, but it’s not a glamorous job. Giving people a percentage of time doesn’t work. You have to commit.”
Skipping foundational work might help in the short term, but it slows everything down later.
4. The real risk is building something that doesn’t matter
When I asked where they felt the most risk, every leader gave the same answer. It’s not about quality or bugs. It’s about value.
“The biggest risk is value risk,” one said. “Will customers see value in it? Will they use it?”
Another added,
“I don’t lose sleep over quality. I worry about whether people will actually adopt what we build.”
That’s the gap UX is meant to close. Connecting what’s possible with what’s valuable. But that only happens when UX is involved early enough to shape what gets built, not just how it looks.
5. What product leaders really want from UX
When I asked what UX could do to speed delivery, I expected to hear “move faster” or “simplify the process.” That’s not what I heard.
They want clearer thinking and more honest communication.
“Have the hard conversation early,” one said. “If something’s too complex or not going to work, say it.”
“UX can drive cross-functional perspective,” another told me. “Bring other people into the process. Don’t stay in your lane.”
And another:
“Designers should know enough to make better assumptions. Rely less on testing and more on judgment.”
These aren’t calls for less UX. They are calling for a stronger, more confident version of it.
The takeaway
Product leaders want partners who understand business context, speak their language, and help the team make confident decisions. They don’t want validation on visuals. They want clarity on direction.
The opportunity for UX isn’t to move faster. It’s to bring the kind of judgment that helps everyone move with confidence.
Supergreen helps product teams increase velocity and improve quality. Want to dig deeper? Let’s talk.