Product Expertise by Immersion
by Dominic Gadoury
My husband and I were recently talking about how actors have varied processes when preparing for a new role. Some of the better performances we’ve seen have come after a rigorous “research and development” process (although I think they call it something different). They essentially study their characters in-depth to better portray them (especially those are based on a real person),
Product people need (and certainly should want) to know as much about the people and environments using their products. For me (until recently), that has been strictly in the Human Capital Management space. As such, I spent a great deal of time interviewing HR staff and leaders. I came to understand the “typical” day in the life narrative for individuals who help drive business outcomes via people and culture.
In my current role, things have shifted to include a number of other verticals. As such I am having to go through a new immersion exercise myself, specifically in the real estate space. As such I’m a child in the industry learning the basics and sniffing out opportunities for using data assets to solve for pain and problems. Some of my early impressions on the real estate market:
- There is a fresh surge in using data and technology in this space, unlike most others.
- With a new open ecosystem, there is a movement for real estate technology firms to be focused on integrations to a real estate “operating system”
- Mapping technology is critical. As there are so many variables to work with now in real estate transactions, the ability to make them all easily consumable is important. As such mapping technologies like Mapbox, Matterport, and Esri are important players in this space.
So, as I immerse myself in this new area for me, I am adding several new phases to my learnings. First, I am going to get my real estate license to truly understand the basics of real estate and understand all the core components that go into being a broker. Second, I have begun to set up Day in the Life sessions with folks who work in the real estate sector (if you are interested in that, please let me know). Finally, I am meeting with other real estate tech companies to understand the latest trends around using technology to assist in this industry.
What other processes do you use to immerse yourself in new product offerings and personas?
