Alina joined Sidebench this summer as an Associate Product Manager.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
Born in Whittier, I spent my early childhood in the San Gabriel area in cities like Glendale, Pasadena, and La Canada. In elementary school, we took our journey to Orange County and I spent the rest of my childhood into teenage years in Irvine. I recognized the privileges that suburbia can bring and how helping out communities in a place of privilege is important to build character and improve our environment.
Outside of work, what are you irrationally passionate about?
As a south asian and muslim-raised American, I want to make an impact around me and be the representation that has been lacking throughout my childhood. Whether it’s in the professional sense or creative, I want to work on getting that type of representation.
It’s rather common that PMs have uncommon paths into the discipline. Walk us through the process that you went through to get into Product.
For my generation, the tech space is getting more accessible and I was able to have the privilege of tailoring my studies to fit the path of product. Studying cognitive science allowed me to view the human mind in a way that can be helpful to curating products. With courses like ux research, design thinking, social media/communities, and others I have been able to learn about aspects of product that shape the way I think about creating solutions. With my various projects throughout my college career, I have learned how to analyze users and define them in a way that is helpful to the product lens. Finally, I used these educational experiences to get my first role as a product manager intern to learn about the product lifecycle and apply it to both a digital and physical product space.
We talk a lot about our jobs being the opportunity to imagine the future and then make it real. What vision do you have for the future and want to make real?
Technology is always changing and innovating and I would love to see a shift in the industry that uses technology to help out those who are marginalized and create impacts that are not just for monetary gains. We have the power to change certain institutions and reverse negative effects in both our society and environment and I want to contribute to a future that creates technology to improve our overall standard of living. With issues regarding voting accessibility, health accessibility, mental health resources, and even more light hearted products, I want to build a community that is able to get any resource at any time.
Not everything we do works and that’s okay. We learn from those things. What is the least successful product or project you’ve contributed to and what did you learn? (No need to mention real names if it’s an issue)
One project that had more room for improvement was during my time at college. I was in my UX Research class and we were tasked to conduct an Ethnographic Field Study on an ordering kiosk for a boba shop. When we arrived at the boba shop to start observation, we realized we had gone during an offtime that allowed for very niche observations to be seen. It did not give us the expected results we needed to understand the kiosk to its full potential. We also went during a time when one kiosk was out and did not allow us to correctly observe the natural state of this environment. One major learning was to prepare for research to go left and find alternate ways to gather information. We also realized that research is not perfect and repeated findings are more helpful than one instance of collecting data.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?” (Borrowed from Tim Ferris’ “Tribe of Mentors”)
One memory pops into mind that could be considered a “favorite failure” was my first major rejection from the internship search. I had applied to a UX research internship at this large software company and had a great recruitment cycle to end up at the final interview. This three hour final round consisted of multiple interviews with different team members as well as a presentation on a case study. I had left with a good feeling but was met with a copy-paste rejection email and no further feedback to improve upon. I felt defeated and my motivation for the job search left me confused on my path. I then looked into other areas where my skills aligned and found the world of product. If I had gotten that internship, I would have a different career path and even though that could be a nice reality. However, it made me really analyze where I want to be and who I would like to become. I am glad to go through that period of time and venture off into product where I feel most at home.
What’s been the most exciting part about joining Sidebench so far?
One thing that has been riveting in the last four weeks is interacting with the team and learning about all the projects currently in progress. I have loved getting to know everyone and love having those interactions throughout my day. It is also amazing to see everyone’s workload and all the exciting products we are making!
We love to find people that ADD to our culture vs fit into our existing culture. What are some cultural aspects that you’ve experienced that you hope to bring with you?
I am excited to see all the different backgrounds and personalities that currently reside in the team and understand how I can bring my spirit into the team. I try to keep work as casual and friendly as I can and I hope to create collaboration that is not only effective but genuine. Additionally, I want to bring a perspective that embraces my generation, growing up with technology and how those implications reflect on my view on what makes a product successful.
Describe your super power or describe what unique skill/perspective you bring to the team here.
For someone in my role, I believe my superpower is habouring active communication and being as supportive as I can. Collaboration is inevitable in our work and I want to make sure that I am using my leadership skills and position in the team to make every member comfortable to share their concerns and allow them to air out their frustrations in a safe space. On the same note, there will be challenges in any project and I find that putting support at the forefront in my role will allow the team to battle those challenges.
What skill, practice, behavior, hobby or habits are you currently working on?
Given the last year and a half, I have been prioritizing my mental health and trying to incorporate practices that allow me to enjoy the small moments and promote positive behaviors. I have always struggled with doing things “just do it” as I always feel like my hobbies/activities need some type of value to it. To combat this way of thinking, I try to limit my personal screen time and supplementing new hobbies to try out to see what brings me the most joy. By trying new things I have been able to feel out what makes me happy and create a new lifestyle that I hope to keep. Some recent hobbies I have been getting into are biking and crafting.
Bonus Question: What book, publication, or podcast have you most recommended lately and why?
Not within those categories, but something similar I have loved lately is Masterclass. There are so many categories to go through and learn from the best of the best. Very inspiring to listen to those we have looked up to.
