Latch PM Tess Varney tells us about her role in revolutionizing the way people interact with buildings.
Kraftful Growth Lead, Anna Carmichael, chatted with Latch Product Manager, Tess Varney, to learn more about her role in helping revolutionize the ways that residents interact with their living experience.
Anna: What drew you to IoT?
Tess: IoT has been this emerging field for kind of a while now. At previous roles, I started to get introduced more and more to the convergence of physical and digital experiences. IoT really embodies that and it’s an interesting area and that’s what drew me in.
Anna: What have you enjoyed the most about being in IoT?
Tess: I think what's really interesting is the opportunity to help people reimagine the way that they manage and interact with day to day functions. It’s exciting to have a complete evolution from what a lot of people grew up with in terms of what they can do and what they can manage and have visibility into. It’s a great opportunity to have a big impact within that.
Anna: If you’re successful in the mission at Latch, how will you impact the world?
Tess: The thing that I really like is that we reduce the complexity for people in their day to day lives. There are many aspects of technology that can be complicated and complex, but Latch allows you to manage your home, when it makes sense to you, when you remember and when you think of it. Everyone is busy and we make things a little bit easier to simplify the life of many people. And I think that's a really beautiful thing in a really complex time in a very complex world.
Anna: What drives your product development process?
Tess: You need to have the courage of your convictions as a product manager, but be ready to be wrong. Don’t be so set in your path that you can’t hear anything else. Listen and lean on your design and engineering counterparts so that your team can guide your vision. Everyone around you is incredibly smart and they should impact the direction of your future as well.
Anna: What advice do you have for women who are looking to break into product?
Tess: Three things. 1.) Seek out mentors and managers who see your value and can advocate for you and with you. It’s a huge part of my success for sure. 2.) Don’t be shy. Your ideas are correct. Your thoughts are correct. Take up space and articulate the ideas that you have. 3.) There are so many pathways to getting into Product and having the opportunity to impact end user experiences. Figure out your skills and pathways and then tell your story.
