This Week’s Special Guest on Behind the Mic: Pablo Franco, Director of Product Design at Delivery Hero!

With more than 20 years of experience in the software industry, Pablo blends strong product design and business knowledge with an entrepreneurial spirit. He has successfully led product design teams through innovation and excellence at renowned organizations such as AT&T, American Express, and Wayfair and is currently leading the Operations Tribe at Delivery Hero.
Pablo’s diverse background empowers him to inspire and manage large teams in creating complex, user-centric products that not only meet business objectives but also delight their users. Since joining Delivery Hero, Pablo has been involved in various AI initiatives to enhance customer interactions and experience. His unwavering pursuit of design excellence and passion for leveraging new technologies to improve user experience makes him an innovative leader in the field.

We had an inspiring conversation with Pablo about his journey on product design , and the future of user-centered innovation. Here’s what he shared with us:

Q1. What inspired you to pursue your career in product design, and what were the key steps in your journey?

My design path started long ago as a Graphic Designer and slowly progressed to web design and, finally, Product Design. However, the key moment for me was the change in the mobile device industry with the introduction of touch screens and the endless possibilities they offered. That was when I decided to shift my focus to product design completely.

Q2. How have you utilized emerging design trends and technologies to create user-focused and innovative products?

I believe that one crucial element for creating user-centered products is a deep understanding of research as the backbone of Product Design. Combining high-quality and data-driven research and AI technologies for synthesizing and refining learnings has been instrumental for me to propose innovative product solutions. As per design trends, they are the last stage and should represent the brand and the users.

Q3. What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced in designing user-centric products, and how did you address them?

In my experience, the most significant challenges I’ve faced came from a lack of clarity in identifying the core problem to be solved or a disconnect from our users. I’ve seen teams invest their energy into solutions that don’t solve real user needs. And trust me, no one wants to have to explain why something failed, especially when it’s because we didn’t take the time to validate the problem we were trying to solve.

Q4. What role does user feedback play in shaping your designs, and how do you ensure it's effectively incorporated into your process?

Though I’m not currently designing hands-on, I guide my teams to anchor their designs to user needs and business objectives. Our standard process includes defining robust personas, developing crisp problem statements informed by user feedback, and establishing the product and business metrics we’ll use to track progress and measure success.

Q5. What strategies do you use to deliver seamless and meaningful user experiences in your designs?

Everything revolves around Personas in general. What users consider seamless and meaningful in a specific context and under particular conditions could be the opposite for others in a very different context. That is why leveraging personas for every product decision is instrumental: it ensures that every bit of energy your team invests will have a valuable impact on your users and their needs.

Q6. Can you share an example where user research or behavior insights helped identify opportunities for improving your product design?

We recently changed a data model that we used to provide on-screen options for our users to choose alternatives to their original selection. Even though this change didn’t involve any design adjustments, this qualitative research uncovered unforeseen constraints that the new model brought to the users, leading us to make valuable adjustments to the model.

Q7. Could you highlight a success story where your work in product design led to impactful outcomes for users or businesses?

My team’s most impactful work streams over the past years were related to Vision work. We create dedicated teams to focus on Vision projects where team members with vast experience and strong domain knowledge collaborate to build the Vision of our products without considering any day-to-day constraints, and then we use the outcome of those Vision exercises to inform some of the long-term business roadmap decisions

Q8. What frameworks or methodologies do you rely on to prioritize design features while ensuring alignment with user needs and organizational goals?

Our prioritization process centers on impact assessment, using a variety of metrics, including those related to business, operations, and team velocity. A data-driven approach is fundamental, so we always establish clear metrics upfront, even for new initiatives, to ensure we can measure impact accurately. That way, we ensure that we prioritize our efforts to address the most important and valuable initiatives.

Q9. How do you foster collaboration with cross-functional teams—like engineering, product management, and marketing—to create cohesive designs?

A well-established product-tech-design triad is key for cohesive and user-centric products. I encourage my teams to build strong relationships across these disciplines, fostering a sense of shared ownership and ensuring each member understands their unique contributions and how their perspective enriches the perspectives of others.

Q10. How do you balance pushing the boundaries of creative innovation with ensuring your designs remain functional and accessible?

We begin by defining a clear product vision. This vision serves as a north star and guides our green field exploration, enabling teams to secure buy-in from the business. Once this vision is established, we bring it back to earth by identifying opportunities relevant to our current state that allow us to progressively move towards that vision and keep us grounded in the current state in terms of functionality and accessibility.

Q11. What measures do you take to maintain ethical design practices and ensure transparency in your products’ interactions with users?

We have a very clear policy regarding not utilizing dark patterns as part of our core ethical design practices. Also, all the work the team produces goes through User Testing before going into development to have real user feedback and validation. That way even if unintentionally our proposed solution is failing to be transparent, we can detect that during User Testing to fix it before going to market.

Q12. How do you stay ahead of trends and continuously learn about advancements in design and user experience to deliver impactful solutions?

I’m an avid reader of newsletters like Nielsen Norman Group and Smashing Magazine to stay current on industry trends. I also attend UX and product conferences to gain firsthand experience and connect with other professionals. This combination of resources and human interaction is essential for staying up-to-date with the latest developments in our field.

Conclusion

Our conversation with Pablo Franco provided deep insights into the evolving world of product design, user experience, and innovation. From leveraging AI and data-driven research to refining product solutions, to fostering cross-functional collaboration and maintaining ethical design practices, Pablo emphasized the importance of always staying connected to user needs. His approach to balancing creative vision with functionality and accessibility showcases how impactful design goes beyond aesthetics, it shapes how users interact with technology in meaningful ways.
As the field of product design continues to evolve, Pablo’s insights serve as a valuable guide for designers, product managers, and tech leaders striving to create user-centric, innovative, and scalable digital experiences.

“Thank you for tuning in to this week’s Behind the Mic edition and being part of this journey! Stay tuned for more insightful conversations with industry leaders as we continue to explore the future of design, technology, and innovation. See you all next week! 🚀”