Freshworks x ownpath

Overview

ownpath conducted an upskilling program with a customized curriculum for a cohort of 23 designers from the Freshworks team. The program included sessions led by design and product leaders who introduced key concepts, shared their experiences and case studies, and answered specific questions from the designers.

Expectations from Leadership

The leadership team at Freshworks were looking to expand their team’s skills beyond UX and approach design more holistically, and to gain appreciation from cross-functional stakeholders by contributing to product decisions and roadmaps and facilitating better collaboration.

The goal was for design and product teams to earn recognition from leadership by driving business value with design.

Curriculum

• Product Thinking by Akshay Verma - Partner, Prophecy
• Articulating & Facilitating Design Decisions by Aiswarya Kolishetty - Design Lead, Alan
• Designing for Trust by Matt Walleart - ex-Head of Behavioural Science, Frog Design
• User Research Fundamentals & Jobs-to-be-done by Swathy G. - Senior Researcher, Microsoft
• Advocating for quality on design execution by Abhishek Ghate - ex Head of Design, Sequoia India
• Collaborating with Engineering by Abhinit Tiwari - ex Head of Design, Gojek
• Design Presentation Skills by Ben Sauer - Author of Death by Screens & Product and Design Strategist
• Persuasive Design by Shivani Gupta - Head, Fractal Dimension
• Generative AI by Akshay Kore - Author & Design Lead, Suki.AI
• Designing for Growth by Aditi Kulkarni - Senior Design Manager, SEEK; ex-UX Manager, Shopify
• Designing for value and retention by Kristin Skinner - Author & ex VP of Design, Expedia Group

Content Samples

Password - 123456

Challenges Faced

One of the primary challenges was irregular attendance. This inconsistency made it difficult for participants to fully benefit from the program and maintain a steady learning pace.

Another significant issue was limited engagement. Many participants did not actively involve themselves in the activities and discussions, which hindered their overall learning experience and the collective progress of the group.

Additionally, the one-on-one sessions with our instructors were underutilized. Despite being a valuable resource for personalized learning and deeper understanding, these sessions were not taken advantage of by the majority of participants.

What Worked

The program created a collaborative learning environment for designers from different teams, allowing them to interact with and learn from design, research, and product leaders who have authored books and led top industry teams.

It combined theory with hands-on exercises and case studies to contextualize the participants’ learning. The mentors provided actionable insights and solutions to address their immediate design and product challenges in daily work. Participants were also inspired to engage more deeply through one-on-one sessions with the instructors.

Conclusion

If fully utilised, the program can empower designers to create superior products, significantly boost business metrics, and unlock new career growth opportunities. However, this requires active and consistent participation.

ownpath is eager to collaborate closely with the Freshworks team to revise the format as needed and support Freshworks in achieving its objectives.