Fighting for Creatives: From Apple Siri to Becoming a Founder | Mohammed Abdoolcarim (DesignPro, ex-Apple & Google)

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences. Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption, and you can use it for free. Check out the template which I created to help companies connect growth hypotheses with behavioral patterns to uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesThis time we talked to Mohammed, formerly a Product lead on Apple Siri, Product Marketing Manager at Google, and currently a Co-founder of DesignPro. Mohammed shared his journey from studying at Stanford to building innovative products, and reflected on his time at Google and Apple, highlighting the different cultures and approaches to innovation. I felt so inspired after this conversation, especially when Mohammed shared how Steve Jobs entered their room to acquire Siri, how he embraced trial and error and be okay with failure, and how he uncovered that creativity is a fundamental aspect of human nature and should be prioritized in product development. Here are some highlights you can find in the episode:— Embrace trial and error and be okay with failure in the process of product design and development.— Customer obsession and understanding their desires and needs are crucial for successful innovation.— Timing is key in launching products, and being able to tell a compelling narrative is essential for engaging customers.— Creativity is a fundamental aspect of human nature and should be prioritized in product development.— Combining the disciplines of product design and product management can lead to more successful and innovative products.If you find this show valuable, please share it with one of your colleagues or friends — it gives huge support to continue creating it. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com Share this episode with your like-minded colleagues and friends!Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Mohammed Abdoolcarim (DesignPro, ex-Apple & Google):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mscarim/* DesignPro: https://designpro.ai/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhat we’ve covered in this episode:01:26 Studying at Stanford University03:09 Creating Products at Stanford04:44 Working at Google08:14 Building Siri and Joining Apple12:29 Apple's Unique Culture13:57 Combining Product Design and Product Management19:16 Apple's Approach to Building Products22:14 Adapting to the Trend of AI26:38 Transitioning to a Founder Role29:35 Creating DesignPro35:05 Balancing Creativity and Operational Tasks40:42 Fulfilling Creative Routine as a Founder43:09 Memorable Moments at Apple45:14 Book Recommendation: Shoe DogResources referenced:* 15% discount for Self-serve Onboarding course (starts on 15th of April!): https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding?promoCode=growthmates* How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley: https://www.amazon.com/How-Innovation-Works-Serendipity-Technology/dp/0062916599* Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight: https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135929If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to [email protected] to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe