In the rapidly evolving world of tech, being good at product thinking is key for product managers who want to make products that really connect with users. Product thinking is more than just making a product; it’s about fully understanding what users need, how the market works, and what makes a product truly necessary and not just useful. (Building features that are ‘must-haves’ rather than ‘nice-to-haves’)

At its core, product thinking is the art and science of crafting products that align with the specific needs and desires of users. It’s about peering beyond the surface to grasp the underlying motivations that drive user engagement and loyalty. This skill is not innate; it is cultivated through a relentless pursuit of empathy, observation, and a deep-seated curiosity about human behavior and technological possibilities.

Here’s how we used Product Thinking to build (or rather building 😉) DesignFolio&nbsp;

Shai and I came together to brainstorm ideas for our next product. The issue that really struck a chord with us was how design hiring is currently handled in companies, which we found to be far from ideal.

After identifying the broad problem area, we proceeded to outline the primary stakeholders involved in this process:

Once we did that, we mapped the most straightforward hiring flow that is happening right now in various organisations

Design manager sees the need for a product designer in his team. Sends across a job requisition request to the HR department along with a clear set of requirements and responsibilities pertaining to this profile.

HR department posts the job vacancy internally on company job boards and externally on relevant job portals and professional networks.

HR screens incoming portfolios for basic qualifications and skills.Qualified candidates’ portfolios are forwarded to the hiring manager for review.

Design Manager conducts initial screenings (phone or video calls) with selected candidates to assess their fit for the role, experience, and interest in the company.

Shortlisted candidates are often asked to present their case-studies or complete a design exercise (Sometimes both on the same day😐). The Design Manager evaluate candidates’ design skills, creativity, and alignment with the organization’s design principles.

Candidates who pass the initial screening and design exercise/portfolio review are invited for on-site interviews.Interviews may include meetings with cross-functional team members, technical assessments, and behavioral interviews.

Hiring manager and interview panel evaluate candidates’ performance and suitability for the role. Finalists may undergo reference checks.HR extends a job offer to the selected candidate, negotiating terms and salary if necessary.

This may not be exactly how all hiring is done, but it provides a bird’s eye view of the process.

We decided to deep-dive so as to get a precise problem statement over which to work. Looking at the process, it was evident that every candidate is needed to have a portfolio, as this is the starting point that every candidate needs to carry out to land a job.

We decided to go out there and talk with Product Design Aspirants to understand their POV with regards to the building of portfolios for job hunt.

Talking to some a slight clarity came into picture. Most of these aspiring product designers faced one of these two problems if not both.

Lack of Time- Building portfolio takes a lot of time to get it right.

Too much effort- Building a portfolio often meant the candidate needs to learn to develop a website or learn no-code builders like Framer which has a steep learning curve.

So, now that we identified the major pain-points, we started to brainstorm and came up with the idea of Designfolio, which would be a No-BS portfolio builder.

But before going for product building, we both came into consensus that the product has to be Lean AF: no unnecessary features, no fancy animations, nothing flabbergasting, just a product which works seamlessly and caters to the pain points of the user.

But we had to make sure we were solving the right pain-points. So we decided to launch something called Designfolio Launchpad where we invited aspiring product designers to a 30 days case-study workshop. This move brought in around 180+ designers who wanted to test their Case-study creation skills!

There were basically two reasons we had in mind when we launched the DesignFolio Launchpad:

To help aspiring designers build case-studies which would enable them to be ready for the job-market.

To be close to our target users so that we learn and build a better product through Designfolio.

The Workshop was a learning journey both for us and the participants. We gathered alot of crucial points with regards to the product. We were confident that we were going in the right direction.

During the product development, both Shai and I had multiple feature ideas to be integrated into the product. But we fought with those ideas and managed to keep the product as lean as possible (even we are surprised how we managed it).

Finally our dev team managed to help us build a beautiful product which we lauched with waitlist. At the time of writing, one day after the launching the waitlist, we have 408 users joining our waitlist with more than 580 people visiting our website. That’s a conversion rate of over 70%, something I am drooling over right now!

That’s the brief journey of how Designfolio came into being.

Product thinking is not just a skill but a strategic asset that can differentiate a product in a crowded marketplace. It enables product managers to create products that are not only useful but also deeply resonate with users, fostering loyalty and driving growth.

Moreover, it contributes to a culture of innovation, where products are continuously refined and reimagined to meet evolving user needs and market dynamics.

So, here we are, building in public! The reason behind this is that we wanted to be transparent about our thinking processes and to grow together with our users. So, take a look at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.designfolio.me/" target="_blank">Designfolio</a>&nbsp;and let us know what you think!

<a href="https://medium.com/@aswathsubramanian5/www.designfolio.me" target="_blank">www.designfolio.me</a>

Feel free to connect with me on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aswath-subramanian-k-r-443892162/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/OneSouthIndian" target="_blank">X</a>

How Product Thinking Shaped Our Journey⚡️

Building Designfolio

Led product growth initiatives, including go-to-market strategies, resulting in a 20% increase in user base and generating $110,000 in monthly revenue by aligning product features with user needs and market demand.

Collaborated with the head of product to implement agile methodologies by acting as the product owner, driving a 20% faster sprint completion through prioritisation, backlog management, and fostering cross-functional team alignment.

Redesigned the payment system to accommodate both Crypto and Fiat transactions by integrating secure and scalable payment gateways, leading to a 30% increase in transaction volume within the first three months of implementation.



Led cross-functional teams of UI/UX Designers, Developers, and third-party vendors to develop edtech and fintech products, achieving a 40% revenue increase by delivering solutions that met stakeholder expectations.
Defined product vision and roadmap for 4+ digital products, leveraging Agile and Waterfall, resulting in streamlined execution. Managed project plans and reported to stakeholders using Kanban and Story mapping
Worked closely with IT and business leaders to align technical requirements with business goals and successfully shipped four digital products from concept to launch, generating an annual revenue of $29,000.


Co-founded the venture with a vision to become the 'IDEO' of India, implementing Design Thinking to solve complex problems and build human-centric products for SME entrepreneurs.
Conducted design sprints for diverse clients, from Gaming, E-Commerce to Fintech Startups, demonstrating versatility and innovative problem-solving skills.
Generated revenue of $1,600 but recognised that an 'Innovation-as-a-Service' model was not yet sustainable. Subsequently, pivoted the business by merging with Alfheimr Technologies to offer a more comprehensive solution, combining software innovation with development services.


This case study outlines the digital transformation journey of a traditional business venturing into the e-commerce space with a B2C portal. The focus is on enhancing the online customer experience to match the in-store shopping experience.

The client is an established brick and mortar business selling computers and accessories. They are specialists in assembling gaming PCs and have been in the industry for the past 15 years They wanted to digitize their operations by launching a B2C e-commerce portal. Their core concern was ensuring that online customers received an experience comparable to in-store shopping.

Key Challenge: Transforming the business digitally while providing an online experience that mirrors the in-store shopping experience.

In our Research, we could find two distinct user groups:

Observed interactions in physical stores to understand how users sought information and assistance. Key Observations: 

Conducted sessions with groups of amateur gamers and pro-users to gather qualitative insights. Key Insights: 

To further illustrate the insights, consider the following data points:

To address the needs of the identified user groups, two key features were developed:

1. Suggest Me Module (Catering to Amateur Users)

Objective:&nbsp;The Suggest Me Module aims to replicate the in-store experience for amateur gamers by providing personalized PC build recommendations based on the user's selected games, ensuring optimal performance and price balance. This feature is designed to guide less technically savvy users through the process of ensuring their gaming systems meet the requirements for the games they wish to play.

Game Selection:&nbsp;Users select the games they want to play from a list.

2. Build-Yourself Module (Catering to Pro-Users)

Objective: The Build-Yourself Module is designed for pro-users who enjoy the process of building and customizing their PCs. This feature provides detailed information and interactive tools to support advanced users in selecting and configuring components.

The implementation of the above solutions resulted in significant positive outcomes:

The digital transformation of this traditional business through a carefully designed B2C portal not only addressed the client’s concerns but also significantly boosted their online sales. The human-centered design approach and thorough in-store research were crucial in creating a successful online shopping experience that met the diverse needs of their customers.

UI/UX Design: Mohan Sr. and Mohan Jr. (Yes we have two Mohans :D)

From Brick-and-Mortar to E-Commerce: The Digital Transformation Journey of a Traditional Business

Increased revenue 20% by replicating in-store experience

Aswath joined us as a Junior Product Manager and quickly proved his capability. He demonstrated impressive learning agility and rapidly adapted to his role. His showed good leadership skills and was well liked by the rest of the team to drive results with a collaborative and strategic approach.

Building Designfolio

Aswath Subramanian