Laptops closed, screen on. Sometimes all it takes is a clean break to refocus on what really matters. Once again, we transformed our HelloDigital office into a space for exactly the kind of honest exchange that we rarely have time for in our day-to-day routines.
This time on the mic: Maritza Bonano, co-founder of ChangePath and seasoned product expert, who has shaped product and team development over the past 13 years at heavyweights like Meta, N26, Axel Springer, and Deutsche Telekom. She brought along an observation that is currently keeping the entire tech world on its toes: The tools of Artificial Intelligence are changing weekly. Yet, the real disruption isn't happening in the code, but in the way we make decisions, who we hire, and what skills a tech team actually needs today to be successful.
Maritza’s sharpest take of the evening hit the core of modern product development. AI is breaking open our familiar workflows. There used to be rigid phases: first the long research phase, then conception, then building. Today, we face the strategic question of whether teams should even do traditional upfront research anymore, or if it's better to build prototypes at lightning speed and test them directly in the market. The role of design is changing particularly radically. When interfaces can be generated faster than ever at the push of a button, well-maintained design systems become more important than ever. They are the foundation that prevents the product from falling apart visually and functionally at breakneck speed. So, the question is no longer how fast we can draw an interface, but how we maintain the level of quality at this new pace.
Where Things Still Get Stuck Despite All the Tools
The narrative from software providers is always the same: everything is getting faster, everything is getting easier. But Maritza put her finger on the wound and pointed out the real points of friction that still slow teams down. Because the true hurdles are deeply human:
- Lack of alignment (Is everyone pulling in the same direction?)
- Difficulties with prioritization (What actually brings value?)
- Bumpy handoffs between disciplines.
Her credo of the evening was that we must not sacrifice good, solid "product thinking" just to rush products to market. AI can take over the execution for us, but not the strategic thinking.
Practical Insights Instead of Dry Theory
At HelloDigital, we firmly believe that a great meet-up is characterized by giving you something you can actually change the very next morning. Maritza delivered exactly that, sharing concrete, directly applicable ideas for Product Managers, Designers, Agencies, and Business Stakeholders. We are intentionally just scratching the surface here. Maritza’s concrete examples, her experiences from the Berlin startup scene, and from tech giants like Meta simply work best when you watch them for yourself.
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