Product Knowledge

At Level 1, you're becoming familiar with the product—its structure, purpose, and core functionality—what it does, who uses it, and why it matters. Your primary focus is still on learning, and your understanding is mostly surface-level or feature-specific. You may know how the feature you're working on behaves, but not always how it fits into the whole experience. You're building awareness of the product as a user-facing tool, not just a codebase.

At Level 2, you're becoming a thoughtful contributor to product development. You understand how your work fits into user journeys and product goals, and you actively look for ways to improve the user experience through small but meaningful improvements. You don't just understand *what* you're building—you understand *why*, and you use that context to guide your implementation decisions.

At Level 3, you're a partner in shaping the product. You think strategically about how features serve the broader product vision, and you help translate high-level goals into practical, valuable experiences. You contribute to product decisions, spot gaps in functionality or consistency, and propose enhancements that reflect both user needs and business priorities. Your product understanding is nuanced—and it informs both what you build and how you build it.

At Level 4, you are a strategic product partner. You help define product direction, synthesize feedback across teams, and ensure technical decisions align with long-term goals and user needs. You bring clarity and coherence to product conversations. Your knowledge goes beyond what's currently being built. You help shape what *should* be built by identifying patterns, surfacing needs, and clarifying priorities. You are trusted to evaluate not just feasibility, but relevance and value.

At Level 5, you are a shaper of product strategy and culture. You influence how the organization understands its product, frames its priorities, and designs its systems to reflect the real needs of real users. You work across disciplines and time horizons, connecting dots between business strategy, customer goals, and technical investments. You shape not just products, but the way product thinking happens.