Hire a Designer Who Thinks Like a Product Manager
In her recent New York Times piece, Anna Fixsen did a commendable job clarifying the legal and cultural distinctions between architects, designers, and decorators. But while titles matter — especially when safety, permitting, and compliance are involved — they can also distract from the deeper question clients should be asking: Who is actually equipped to design for how I live, how I work, and how my brand should show up in the world?
The answer lies not in the title, but in the process. Great design is not about personal taste or aesthetic styling — it's about translating human needs into substantive environments that are emotionally resonant, highly functional, and strategically aligned. Whether you're designing a home, a hotel, or a retail space, good taste is a prerequisite. But when you're evaluating multiple options, what you really need is a designer who can think like a product manager: someone fluent in research, insight, prioritization, coordination, and performance.
Before launching More Wow, I spent 20 years working at the intersection of design, technology, and product innovation — most recently leading AI product development at a Fortune Global 500 company. When I started my firm, I brought that entire toolkit with me: not just a love of beautiful things, but a system for understanding people, defining problems, and crafting emotionally resonant, high-functioning solutions. It’s a system rooted in both creativity and validation. We don’t just aim to create beauty; we build environments that perform — functionally, operationally, emotionally.
This is what the best design professionals do — regardless of whether they were trained in architecture, interiors, or digital experience. We start with research. And not just visual research or sourcing inspiration, but methodical, structured inquiry. Great design is informed by validated insight, not just intuition.
Depending on the project, we might use stakeholder interviews, ethnographic observation, customer journey mapping, competitive audits, spatial behavior studies, or segmentation frameworks adapted from market research. In commercial work, we often run brand positioning workshops or visioning sessions to ensure the space aligns with broader business strategy. In residential design, we use tailored prompts and deep listening techniques to uncover behavioral patterns, emotional needs, and latent desires.
This isn’t about asking a few questions to “get a feel.” It’s a disciplined, analytical process — a way of extracting design intelligence and converting it into strategy, narrative, and form. From that foundation, we build spaces that aren't just visually compelling, but truly responsive to how people live, move, gather, and grow.
That’s why I often say that great interior designers are also great UX designers. Whether you’re designing a room, a resort, or a mobile app, the principles are the same:
- Functionality: The space must do what it’s meant to do — beautifully and reliably. What it's meant to do comes from deep understanding of user/customer/buyer needs.
- Accessibility: Good design meets people where they are — physically, emotionally, and cognitively. This is true whether you're abled/disabled/tall/short
- Referenceability: Every space speaks a language. Great design draws on cultural, architectural, and personal references to make users feel grounded, even in unfamiliar environments.
- Usability / Flow: Every space must be intuitive to navigate and pleasant to move through. Whether it’s a checkout process or a restaurant layout, the experience should guide users seamlessly, minimizing friction and maximizing comfort.
- Emotional Resonance: This is the “wow” factor — the quality that makes people feel understood and remembered. It’s not a flourish; it’s a deliverable.
And like in tech, where the best product managers are also systems thinkers, the best designers are also excellent project managers. We handle complex timelines, coordinate between stakeholders, anticipate friction, manage constraints, and continuously prioritize. We don’t lose the creative thread while doing it — we make sure it doesn’t get tangled.
So yes, the difference between an architect, a designer, and a decorator matters. But if what you want is a space that reflects your identity, your heritage, your clientele, or your long-term business goals, the real question is: Who can translate all of that complexity into something clear, cohesive, performative and extraordinary?
That’s a great designer.
About the Author
Russell Goldman is the founder of More Wow, a multidisciplinary design studio working across residential, commercial, and experiential spaces. A former global innovation executive with two decades in tech and product design, he brings a research-driven, emotionally intelligent, UX-inspired approach to every project.