The ins and outs of product management with Jose Alberto

In the past 6 years, we've shipped over 60 amazing experiences —most of which we crafted from the ground up with our partners. We shape their vision into a Minimum Perfect Experience, delivering future-proof designs, scalable architectures, and a solid foundation on which to transition the work to their own teams.

Time to meet the Product Manager at Z1, José Alberto!

What are your primary responsibilities and what does your day-to-day look like?

My central role in Z1 as a product manager is to keep everyone happy: on the one hand, our team and, on the other, the partners or clients with whom we work. For this, it is essential to know the project in-depth and organize and prioritize the tasks well.

I am a person who likes to listen actively and be supportive in the face of any problem that may arise during the development of a project. For me, it is vital to maintain that team feeling at all times between the parties involved and for everyone to know that there is someone they can turn to in case of any incident. I always look for a balance so that everything is in tune.

The central role of Jose Alberto as a product manager is always look for a balance so that everything is in tune.

What do you find the most challenging at Z1?

When a project starts, we have to design it conceptually since there is everything still to do. We usually take around two weeks to consider the many factors involved and make significant strategic decisions based on our research. I believe that it is in this challenging phase that product managers, in close collaboration with product designers, add more value, and I enjoy it very much.

We work on many of the original and conceptual decisions that essentially decide the project's future. We have to empathize with the client, see their needs, and help in the best way possible using our data. Sometimes we are faced with non-technical clients asking to get to the moon. It is important to know their limitations and make them see what can add more value to their project. With the resources, time, and expectations that we manage, what is the best we can do? That is the key question.

What has been your favorite project at Z1?

Makara, a cryptocurrency robo-advisor app that uses advanced algorithms to build and manage crypto portfolios that are specifically tuned to each investor's goals and preferences. This is the most intense project I have ever faced, the one with which I have felt the most pressure by far, but also the one that I have enjoyed the most since the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology fascinates me.

Makara's founders managed very extreme times and, although it started as a design project, we ended up also addressing development in React Native within the same time frame. They put a lot of passion into it, and so did we, so the result was tremendously good. You can take a look here: https://makara.com/

How do you spend your time outside of the office?

I like photography, electronics, and, due to my industrial design engineering background, I love designing my own things and messing around with analog stuff in general. If I could, I would have a workshop full of gadgets! Now, for example, I am assembling a star-shaped paper lantern and an advent chandelier, which I fancied after my recent visit to Sweden. Yes, another of my passions is traveling.

Due to his Industrial Design Engineering background, José Alberto loves messing around with analog stuff, but also travelling.

How do you define success in life?

Personally, success in life would be to have a broad positive impact on the world by designing and building a product, establishing some concept or idea that moves other people to do some good, leaving a footprint so that humanity would benefit from it. But there is only 1 Steve Jobs, so keeping my feet on the ground, I believe we can also find great success with the small actions or decisions that we make individually and affect our closest environment.

If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see?

If we talk about a future historical event, I would say making first contact with alien intelligent life. Although it is somewhat unpredictable, I like to be optimistic and think it would be a friendly encounter from which we would learn an infinite amount. I would love to investigate specially what technology they would use!

Get to know José Alberto and the rest of the Z1 team!

We’re delighted that José Alberto decided to join Z1 – it’s been great having them on board! If you have any questions or want to get to know José Alberto or one of their colleagues from the Product team, we can put you in touch. Don’t hesitate to reach out!