Product Knowledge

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.

Key Behaviors

  • Speaks confidently about how users interact with the features they build
  • Connects implementation decisions to user and business value
  • Highlights UX concerns or confusing flows during development
  • Asks clarifying questions to better align implementation with product goals
  • Suggests small enhancements that improve usability or consistency

Common Struggles

  • May hesitate to question product direction or raise user experience concerns
  • Sometimes defaults to building exactly what's asked without exploring better options
  • Can struggle to prioritize usability over technical convenience

Success Indicators

You know you're successful when you:

  • Demonstrate empathy for the user in how you build and test
  • Make decisions that improve both product quality and user experience
  • Flag gaps, edge cases, or misalignments between design and implementation
  • Bring a product-minded lens to code reviews, discussions, and demos

Mindset Shift

From:

"I follow product specs well."

To:

"I co-create solutions that solve real user problems."

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • What are users trying to *accomplish*, and is this helping them do it?
  • Is there a simpler, clearer, or faster way to solve this need?
  • What's the bigger product goal that this work supports?

Build These Habits

  • 1
    Test the product end-to-end—not just the parts you built
  • 2
    Compare actual implementation to product designs and flag discrepancies
  • 3
    Ask designers and PMs about intent, edge cases, and expected outcomes

Seek Feedback

  • "Does this behavior make sense from a user perspective?"
  • "What assumptions are we making about the user here?"
  • "Could we make this flow simpler or more intuitive?"

Signals You're Ready to Level Up

  • Others see you as product-aware and user-focused
  • Your input is reflected in how designs or features evolve
  • You help spot usability issues before they reach production

Focus Summary

  • Think like a user
  • Speak like a partner
  • Build like it matters

At Level 2, product knowledge becomes active. You use it to make better decisions, ask better questions, and create better experiences.