Student Spotlight: Building for Impact: Navigating Product Management with a Creative Lens
Myria Mathew (MIIPS ‘23) channels her creative background and startup experience into a career in Product Management.
By Kaitlyn Stossel
Coming from a background in architecture and product design, Myria Mathew approaches product management from a unique perspective.
“In the world of product management, it's quite common to find individuals with strong technical backgrounds, but not as many with a background in design. My design-oriented foundation helps me bring a fresh and creative perspective to the table. This blend of skills I've acquired from past experiences and the MIIPS program allows me to approach challenges from a different angle,” Mathew said.
Mathew began her academic journey by getting her undergraduate degree in architecture. After working as an architect for a year, she transitioned to product design by working with a German startup, Inheaden. The company primarily supports startup founders with building their products and launching them to the market.
This was the first time that Mathew was directly exposed to the product and technology industry, and it was also what made her realize that she wanted to further pursue her education and apply to the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services (MIIPS) program at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
“It was a very impactful time for me, and that’s where I realized that I lacked formal education in the product world, and I found that that could really make the difference for me. As a product person, you want to have a depth of knowledge in one area, and you really want to get broad knowledge in several other areas. That’s exactly what MIIPS provided.”
Advice for MIIPS Students
“With shorter semesters, your schedule will feel very, very full. Managing your time when going into that first semester is so important. Knowing what you want to get out of the program is key. Looking back, I would manage my expectations and figure out what I want from the program, and make intentional choices that support my goals.
CMU has so many resources and so many amazing courses to expand your knowledge. Take some unexpected courses, because you may never be able to again. For example, I took a very interesting Art & Machine Learning course last semester and I think it is one of my favorites so far. There is a lot happening at CMU, so expand your network, find out what’s going on, and get involved.
Your most enriching experiences that inform your work often come from unexpected places, so don’t be afraid of the unfamiliar, and keep your horizon wide."
During the two years she spent working for Inheaden, Mathew designed one of her favorite products, the FOLO App. This app was designed nearing the end of COVID-19, and is used to make new connections and plan meet-ups with them. The FOLO app facilitates friendships, activities, and guides users to hidden gems in their area. She worked on translating the founder’s idea into a product that was launched to market in 2022.
“The time that I worked was between 2020 and 2022, which was during the pandemic, so I was mostly working remotely, and I think that was a very steep learning curve for me. Coming from building in the physical world and then designing in the virtual world, it was definitely a very interesting transition. What really helped with this transition was keeping the user and their overall experience at the center,” Mathew said.
A screenshot from The FOLO App website.
“Apart from my professional and academic projects, the mental health and accessibility space is also of interest to me. It’s important to see the larger impact of the products we’re building and account for diverse needs and situations. I’ve tried to incorporate aspects of the subject into my projects in the MIIPS coursework, and the faculty has been more than supportive," said Mathew.
During the summer, Mathew has been polishing her skills by working with Walmart as a Product Management Intern. Mathew works on the fintech and payments team where she's been involved in working on integrating the services of ONE Finance, a startup company that Walmart recently acquired, into the Walmart ecosystem.
“This is my first time working for a company of this scale and impacting millions of people. It really pushes you to understand the gravity of how the smallest changes to a product can have a massive effect on those people.”
The MIIPS program, along with her past job experience, has allowed Mathew to become very skilled at working on a team.
“In terms of my team at Walmart, we have a very interesting mix of people from analytics to engineering to business. My background in user experience adds to that mix, so all of these attributes fit together very well to make a comprehensive product team, and I’ve really been enjoying my time here,” Mathew said.
Myria at her internship with Walmart.
During her time at CMU, Mathew has also worked as a graduate research assistant for the School of Computer Science, where she focused on creating products for AI and ML use and adoption for non-technical users. She was also focused on making that content fun and engaging for users.
“This was a really cool experience because the lab team was small-scale and it felt like working for a startup again. I learned a lot from my team, and I learned a lot about the technical side of things, and how to take a technically complex subject and break it down for users,” Mathew said.
“When it comes down to it, titles and roles are merely labels that attempt to define our work. The truth is, whether you're a designer, manager, engineer or researcher, we are all united by a common goal: building exceptional products. Together, we have the power to shape experiences, transform industries, and touch the lives of countless individuals. In the end, that is the true essence of our work.”