With its many features from on-demand transportation booking to payments, the Grab app is a highly complex digital product.
If you’ve ever wondered how Grab structures its product development, Grab a Seat episode 8 is for you.
In this latest instalment of Grab’s tech podcast, host Ankit Vengurlekar speaks with Shweta Padmanabhan; Head of Product, Consumer Experience, and Tom Waechter; Head of Product, Platforms.
They have been with Grab for eight and nine years, respectively—which has equipped them with insights not just into the Grab app itself, but about the evolution of product management as a profession.
The purpose of product management has stayed constant since the start of the profession, notes Padmanabhan. “It’s still all about figuring out what is a meaningful customer problem to solve, prioritising the right solution and making sure that it works!”
However, the work of a product manager has become much more codified. “There’s now a history of product management that’s built up over the past one or two decades,” she says. That comes with more established processes and ways to understand and measure the impact of great product management.
As Head of Product, Consumer Experience, Padmanabhan deals with all aspects of the consumer-facing app that are not directly related to a single vertical, such as food- or transportation ordering. Her teams are responsible for the appearance and functionality of the Grab app landing pages, as well as vertical-agnostic consumer experiences such as Grab’s loyalty and rewards programs.
Waechter, as Head of Product, Platforms, is concerned with all the aspects of the product that sit at the deepest layer of the Grab app. This includes processes like sign-up and account verification, as well as fraud prevention.
The role of his department grew as the company moved from solving product problems for existing needs to thinking long-term about creating efficiencies several years down the line. Waechter says a key challenge for his team is to ensure Grab can build products that are unique to every Southeast Asian market, but also “learn about the similarities. What are the things that cut across that we can standardise”?
This episode offers a unique inside view of Grab that will be eye-opening to everyone curious about digital products.
You can also find Grab a Seat on the podcasting platform of your choice.
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GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to the tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of millions of workers. One of them was Komsan, an assistant chef in a luxury hotel based in the Srinakarin area.
As the number of tourists at the hotel plunged, he decided to sign up as a GrabFood delivery-partner to earn an alternative income. Soon after, the hotel ceased operations.
Komsan has viewed this change through an optimistic lens, calling it the perfect opportunity for him to embark on a fresh journey after his previous job. Aside from GrabFood deliveries, he now also picks up GrabExpress jobs. It can get tiring, having to shuttle between different locations, but Komsan finds it exciting. And mostly, he’s glad to get his income back on track.