Lessons from building products in broken systems - Damilola Adelekan (Lead Product Manager, Remedial Health)
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In this episode of The Product Experience, hosts Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Damilola Adelekan, Lead Product Manager at Remedial Health, discusses building pragmatic, people-centred solutions in Africa’s fragmented and under-resourced healthcare system.
Key Takeaways
— Solving system-wide issues requires holistic thinking: Tackling only one part of a broken system (e.g. telemedicine) won’t create lasting impact—solutions must address the full value chain.
— User diversity demands contextual design: From language localisation to offline training, product success depends on adapting to regional and cultural realities.
— Communication is core to product leadership: Translating needs across business, operations, and engineering requires strong communication skills and empathy.
— Product vision is shaped by pragmatism, not Silicon Valley ideals: Effective products in emerging markets are built around real constraints and user needs—not templates from the global north.
— AI can’t solve everything, yet: While AI is exciting, foundational infrastructure like data access and system interoperability remains a key barrier.
— Adoption starts with trust and education: Training, human support, and clear messaging are essential to help low-literacy users adopt digital tools.
— Internal alignment needs structured prioritisation: Managing multiple stakeholder demands involves understanding business impact across departments, not just using theoretical frameworks.
Chapters
05:30 – Early Lessons from Volunteering and Nonprofits
07:00 – Why Digitising a Broken System Isn’t Enough
10:00 – Tackling Trust, Funding, and Fragmentation in Healthcare
12:30 – Collaborating Beyond the Organisation
14:30 – Building a Full Healthcare Supply Chain
16:00 – Pragmatism Over Perfection in Product Vision
18:00 – Cross-Team Collaboration at Scale
20:00 – Structuring Product Work Across Functions
22:00 – Communications Tips for Cross-Functional Leadership
24:00 – Increasing Tech Adoption Among Low-Digital-Literacy Users
26:00 – Customer Research in Low-Tech Contexts
28:00 – Voice of the Customer: Calls, Feedback, and Sales Teams
30:00 – What Inspires a Product Manager in Nigeria?
— Solving system-wide issues requires holistic thinking: Tackling only one part of a broken system (e.g. telemedicine) won’t create lasting impact—solutions must address the full value chain.
— User diversity demands contextual design: From language localisation to offline training, product success depends on adapting to regional and cultural realities.
— Communication is core to product leadership: Translating needs across business, operations, and engineering requires strong communication skills and empathy.
— Product vision is shaped by pragmatism, not Silicon Valley ideals: Effective products in emerging markets are built around real constraints and user needs—not templates from the global north.
— AI can’t solve everything, yet: While AI is exciting, foundational infrastructure like data access and system interoperability remains a key barrier.
— Adoption starts with trust and education: Training, human support, and clear messaging are essential to help low-literacy users adopt digital tools.
— Internal alignment needs structured prioritisation: Managing multiple stakeholder demands involves understanding business impact across departments, not just using theoretical frameworks.
Chapters
05:30 – Early Lessons from Volunteering and Nonprofits
07:00 – Why Digitising a Broken System Isn’t Enough
10:00 – Tackling Trust, Funding, and Fragmentation in Healthcare
12:30 – Collaborating Beyond the Organisation
14:30 – Building a Full Healthcare Supply Chain
16:00 – Pragmatism Over Perfection in Product Vision
18:00 – Cross-Team Collaboration at Scale
20:00 – Structuring Product Work Across Functions
22:00 – Communications Tips for Cross-Functional Leadership
24:00 – Increasing Tech Adoption Among Low-Digital-Literacy Users
26:00 – Customer Research in Low-Tech Contexts
28:00 – Voice of the Customer: Calls, Feedback, and Sales Teams
30:00 – What Inspires a Product Manager in Nigeria?
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