Podcast
Product Design and Management in Pro Audio | Elpiniki Pappa (Avid) | Ep 30
Product owner and designer Elpiniki Pappa discusses her decade long journey through music technology, covering product development methodologies, working with legacy code, and building tools that empower creators in the pro audio industry.
Elpiniki Pappa brings over a decade of experience in music technology, having worked across three major software companies including Zynewave Aisus, Native Instruments, and Avid. In this conversation, she shares her journey from a background in applied mathematics and computer science to becoming a product owner and designer in the pro audio industry. She discusses the nuances between product management, product ownership, and product design roles, explaining how these positions vary significantly between companies and require balancing technical requirements, user needs, and business objectives.
The discussion covers critical aspects of modern software development, including agile methodologies, code maintenance, and the challenges of working with legacy code bases. Pappa emphasizes the importance of building for creators rather than just end users, describing her experience designing tools for Contact scriptors and how this shifted her perspective on product development. She advocates for incremental improvements, respecting user workflows and muscle memory while still innovating, and stresses the value of diverse teams in creating products that resonate with broader audiences. The conversation also touches on diversity in the audio industry, offering practical advice for both individuals from underrepresented groups and companies looking to build more inclusive teams.
Originally recorded on Oct 27, 2024.
