Designers vs. Product Managers: Will They Become One?
In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick talk about how the lines between designers and product managers are getting more and more blurry.
AI tools speed up our way of working and startups grow using smaller teams than ever. Does that mean we are heading toward a new unicorn role for a designer-product-manager-hybrid?
From working with founders instead of PMs, to shielding teams from company politics, to the rise of fractional roles and hybrid titles, we explore how the designer and PM responsibilities are evolving and whether we’re just overcomplicating the whole thing.
🔸 Why strategy and design are merging
🔸 The slow disappearance of traditional PMs
🔸 What “fractional” actually means (and why it’s not just a buzzword)
🔸 Whether small teams still need dedicated PMs
🔸 The mental toll of context switching
🔸 When meetings are useful — and when they’re just expensive
🔸 The future of the product designer title (or lack thereof)
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👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Hosts
Tyler White
Tyler White is a Senior Product Designer with over a decade of experience in UX, strategy, and business-driven design. He’s worked across startups, fintech, and SaaS, helping teams create products that convert and retain users.
Nick Groeneveld
Nick Groeneveld is a freelance UX and product designers from the Netherlands. He started his design career in 2015 and has since then worked for startups, government agencies, and corporations.
