About this Episode:

Enterprise product design is never simple. In this episode of Creating Better Products, I talk with Melanie Dreser, Senior Director of Product Design & Design Operations at Celonis, about designing for complexity in enterprise software.

We explore how to break down complex user journeys, design AI enabled experiences, and lead in fast changing enterprise environments.

What you’ll learn:

• How to map micro user journeys and make complexity actionable

• Balancing novice and power users without oversimplifying

• Building trust in AI enabled experiences

• Leadership rituals to stop gaps at team handoffs

One takeaway: Map one micro journey, define success and friction, ship one improvement, then reconnect it to adjacent journeys.

Pro tip: Think in systems, not screens. Align product, design, and engineering early and launch for learning.

Connect:

• ⁠Melanie Dreser on LinkedIn⁠

• ⁠Sabrina Mach on LinkedIn⁠

Call to action:If you enjoyed this conversation, please follow and share it with a colleague. Your support helps amplify the voices of product leaders like Melanie.

Timestamps:00:00 Why we need to help users navigate complexity01:54 Meet Melanie and the Celonis context03:02 What complexity means in enterprise design10:43 Breaking down journeys into micro user journeys14:52 How to design when variation is overwhelming20:51 Where innovation comes from in process mining29:41 Bridging team handoffs and avoiding cracks36:49 Hiring and onboarding for complex domains43:49 Making implicit knowledge visible47:13 Designing AI enabled experiences with trust52:35 Leadership in complex product environments57:31 First steps and pro tips for tackling complexity1:03:21 Principles that make design leadership effective1:06:36 Why navigating complexity is key to creating better products1:08:41 Books and podcasts that inspire Melanie1:12:10 Where to connect with Melanie

The data is not the hero — the message is.

In this episode of Creating Better Products, host Sabrina Mach sits down with Abdo Wahba — CPO, exited founder, and storytelling coach — to explore the art (and science) of storytelling with data.

Too often, product leaders throw charts into a slide deck and hope for the best. Abdo argues that data only becomes powerful when it supports a clear message — one that changes how people think, feel, or act.

You’ll learn:

• Why most business presentations fail (and how to fix yours)

• The difference between showing data and making a case

• How to tailor your message based on your audience

• Why storytelling is the product leader’s secret weapon — especially in the age of AI

• How to avoid “analysis rabbit holes” and focus on outcomes

✨ Bonus: Abdo shares his personal framework for crafting compelling messages and offers a free coaching session for Sabrina’s audience at abduwahba.com/freebie

Whether you present to your team, your execs, or the entire company — this episode will sharpen your communication game and help you create better products, one story at a time.

🎧 Listen now, and share it with someone who could use a storytelling upgrade.

#productleadership #storytellingwithdata #presentationskills #creatingbetterproducts #publicspeaking #productmanagement

Startup founders aren't just building products — they're building belief.
In this special crossover episode of Creating Better Products and Startup Life Live, Sabrina Mach shares five powerful lessons from her conversation with Jan Heimes, co-founder of Needle — a Berlin-based AI startup in the messy, beautiful early stages of growth.

What can enterprise product leaders learn from early-stage founders? A lot, actually.

In this episode:

• Why loving your customer (and talking to them constantly) fuels more than just product roadmaps

• Why "build, break, build" beats months of over-planning

• How pivoting fast — and quitting early — can be a sign of strength, not failure

• Why getting out of stealth mode (even before you're ready) is critical

• And the importance of being the spark that keeps your team believing

Whether you're working in a startup or a scaled enterprise, these lessons will help you stay focused, move faster, and bring fresh energy to your teams and products.

✨ Stay bold. Stay customer-obsessed. Stay believing.

Follow Creating Better Products and Startup Life Live for more insights from builders who know what it takes to turn an idea into something real.

#productleadership #startuplife #enterpriseinnovation #earlystagefounders #creatingbetterproducts #startupstories