The Product-Minded Engineer

A product-minded engineer is a developer who goes beyond just writing code—they’re deeply invested in the product itself. They care about why decisions are made, how people use the product, and often take part in shaping its direction. Many of them could make excellent product managers, though they’ve chosen to stick with the joy of building.

I’ve worked with many great product-minded engineers and consider myself one. In companies building world-class products, these engineers help their teams achieve outsized impact.

Sherif Mansour, a PM at Atlassian, wrote a fantastic article about product engineers and how product managers can identify and work well with them. His takeaway is aligned:

"Over my last ten years of product management, I’ve come to conclude that product engineers are a critical ingredient to helping you build a successful product, scale yourself and become a better product manager."

He also quotes Jean-Michel Lemieux, head of engineering at Shopify, who puts it this way:

"Once you have the product foundations, you need devs who engage with the 'why', actively. Engineers who have the thirst for using technologies to leapfrog human/user problems. Those with empathy to reach for magical experiences. That is what defined a product engineer in my books. Bad ones cut too many corners. Great product engineers know that minimum lovable products need the right depth to be considered during the build phase."

Teams working on user-facing features and collaborating closely with product managers provide fertile ground for product-minded engineers. They often become key contributors, go-to partners for PMs, and are frequently tapped for leadership roles.

What Makes a Product-Minded Engineer?

So, what traits define product-minded engineers? And how can other developers start cultivating this mindset?

Here are 9 traits I’ve consistently seen in product-minded engineers, along with tips for how you can develop them.

1. Proactive With Product Ideas and Opinions

Product-minded engineers don’t just take a spec and implement it—they think critically about what’s being built. They regularly bring new ideas to the table and aren’t afraid to challenge existing plans. They often approach PMs with alternative suggestions that may be more effective or efficient.

2. Interest in the Business, User Behavior, and Data

These engineers don’t generate ideas in a vacuum. They take time to understand the business model, the product’s goals, and how it fits into the market. They’re empathetic about user experiences and constantly seek data—whether from dashboards, PMs, or data scientists—to inform their thinking.

Their curiosity drives them to uncover how the product performs and how users behave.

3. Deep Curiosity About "Why?"

Product-minded engineers ask “why?” a lot:

Why this feature over another?
Why prioritize this milestone?
Why measure success this way?

They seek out answers independently and also ask thoughtful questions of PMs and stakeholders. Despite their many questions, they tend not to frustrate others—because they’ve built strong relationships grounded in mutual respect.

4. Strong Communication and Relationships With Non-Engineers

They don’t stay siloed in engineering. Product-minded engineers actively build connections with people in design, product, support, and operations. They love hallway chats, coffee breaks, and informal catch-ups to learn how the whole product ecosystem works.

5. Upfront About Product/Engineering Tradeoffs

Because they understand both the product’s goals and technical constraints, product-minded engineers are uniquely positioned to suggest tradeoffs. For example:

A technically complex feature might not be worth the engineering cost.
A simpler alternative might achieve a similar product impact for a fraction of the effort.

They navigate both sides of the coin—product needs and engineering feasibility—and make smart, fast decisions by combining their technical insights with product intuition.

6. Pragmatic About Edge Cases

Edge cases can be tricky. Some engineers forget them entirely; others try to handle every possibility up front, which can delay shipping.

Product-minded engineers strike a balance:

They map out likely edge cases.
They propose pragmatic solutions—sometimes requiring no code.
They assess impact versus effort and ask smart questions:
- Will this affect 1 in 1,000 users?
- Can support handle it temporarily?
- Can we adjust the product to avoid the case altogether?

They’re laser-focused on delivering a minimum lovable product that doesn’t get bogged down in low-impact edge handling.

7. Fast Product Validation Cycles

Before features are even finished, product-minded engineers look for ways to validate assumptions:

Show early work to PMs or teammates
Run hallway usability tests
Set up internal bug bashes or share beta builds

They constantly ask: “How do we know people will use this the way we expect?”
Validation isn’t just a phase at the end—it’s a habit throughout their work.

8. End-to-End Product Feature Ownership

Experienced engineers take ownership from spec to rollout. Product-minded engineers go a step further:

They track post-launch behavior and performance.
They review user metrics and feedback.
They keep checking in—even while working on something new.

If something underperforms, they want to know why. They’re just as curious about real-world results as they are about debugging elusive bugs. These engineers collaborate with PMs and data scientists to refine and improve based on what they learn.

9. Strong Product Instincts Built Over Time

The typical cycle for a product-minded engineer looks like this:

Ask deep “why?” questions at the start.
Propose smart suggestions and tradeoffs.
Build quickly with early feedback in mind.
Follow up after launch with data and insights.
Learn from what worked—and what didn’t.

Each cycle sharpens their instincts. Over time, they become trusted advisors to product managers and valuable strategic contributors well before planning begins. Their product skills compound—just like their technical ones.

How to Become a More Product-Minded Engineer

The best way to build product-minded skills is to get close to the action:

Sit in on user research sessions.
Join planning meetings with PMs and designers.
Ask for access to product dashboards.
Read user feedback and support tickets.

If that’s hard to do in your current environment, try building your own product on the side. Even a small project can teach you volumes about what it takes to design, build, ship, and iterate based on user needs.

Becoming product-minded isn’t about changing your job—it’s about expanding your perspective and growing your impact.

Bonus: How to Support Product-Minded Engineers

If you’re a PM, EM, or designer lucky enough to work with a product-minded engineer, here’s how to nurture that talent:

Invite them to early product discussions. They’ll often ask great questions and spot risks or quick wins others miss.
Don’t overly shield them from product complexity. Let them hear messy customer feedback and see how prioritization happens.
Recognize their product work, not just code output. Highlight their influence on ideas, tradeoffs, or results in retros and reviews.
Encourage experimentation. Give them room to test prototypes or run internal pilots without red tape.

These engineers are your secret weapon for building products people love.