Integrating Product Design and Brand Experience: Insights from Episode 2 with Katie Deloso

In the latest instalment of our podcast series, "The Brand Experience", I had the privilege of chatting with Katie Deloso, a powerhouse in product design and a partner at Nurture. With her sharp insights into integrating brand and product experiences, Katie’s wisdom is pure gold for anyone striving to create a seamless digital product that not only functions well but also speaks volumes about the brand behind it. Here’s a deep dive into our conversation, peppered with key takeaways that could help your business hit new heights.

The Yellable Why: Making Brand and Product Experiences Cohesive

One of the standout moments in our discussion was when Katie introduced the concept of “the yellable why.” Essentially, it’s the idea that your brand’s core message should be so clear and powerful that it can be shouted across the street and still make an impact. But here’s the kicker—this isn’t just for marketing. That same clarity and punch should resonate throughout the entire product experience, from the first click to the final interaction. Katie hammered home the point that if your product doesn’t echo the brand’s voice, you’re missing a massive opportunity to create a cohesive, memorable experience.

Katie’s Journey: From San Francisco to Charlotte

Katie’s background is a fascinating blend of the West Coast’s tech scene and the South’s burgeoning design community. Originally from San Francisco, she now calls Charlotte, North Carolina home—a city where she’s continued to push the boundaries of digital product design. At Nurture, Katie’s approach is all about weaving design with behavioral science, making sure that over 250 projects to date not only look good but function in ways that keep users coming back. Her work is a testament to the power of strategic vision in shaping both brand and user experiences.

Storytelling: The Secret Sauce of Product Design

One of the most compelling parts of our chat was hearing Katie talk about how she discovered the intersection of brand and product design through storytelling. Her LinkedIn content, which is as fun as it is educational, has become a platform where she blends history, design, and digital products into lessons that are as engaging as they are informative. For Katie, storytelling isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a vital tool in creating a product experience that feels alive and aligned with a brand’s narrative.

The Play-Doh Pivot: A Lesson in User Research

Katie brought up an interesting anecdote about Play-Doh’s unexpected pivot from wallpaper cleaner to beloved children’s toy. This shift wasn’t driven by a flashy rebrand but by observing how people were actually using the product. A teacher saw the potential for it as a modeling clay, and the rest is history. This story underscores a crucial point in product design—never underestimate the value of real-world user research. Sometimes, the most significant product innovations come from simply paying attention to what your users are doing with what you’ve created.

Lego’s Digital Misstep: A Cautionary Tale

During our conversation, I brought up Lego’s foray into digital products, specifically their side-scrolling games. While Lego managed to transition their brand into the digital space, they missed the mark in capturing the imagination in the same way Minecraft did. This serves as a stark reminder of the importance of aligning the physical and digital experiences. If your digital product doesn’t carry the same magic as your physical one, you’re not just missing out—you’re potentially damaging your brand.

Merging Brand and Product Design at Nurture

Katie elaborated on how Nurture often starts with a client looking for help in either brand or product design, but once they’re in, the agency works to intertwine these two elements, ensuring the brand’s voice is reflected in every micro-interaction within the product. This is particularly evident in the microcopy—the tiny bits of text scattered throughout a product, which, if done right, can reinforce the brand’s personality at every turn.

The Brand vs. Product Marketing Gap

A significant challenge Katie pointed out is the often wide gap between brand marketers and product marketers. This disconnect can lead to fragmented user experiences, where the brand promise isn’t fully delivered within the product itself. Katie’s solution? Foster open communication and integrate marketing perspectives early in the design process, ensuring a unified strategy that speaks to the user from every angle.

Katie’s Early Career and Founding of Nurture

Katie’s journey began with a startup that worked on machine learning for email prioritization—a precursor to what we now see in tools like Gmail’s priority inbox. This early experience laid the groundwork for Nurture, where she now focuses on helping Series A and B companies deeply integrate brand and product experiences, ensuring that their digital presence aligns with the promises their brands make.

Behavioral Science: The Backbone of Product Design

At Nurture, behavioral science isn’t just an add-on; it’s baked into the product design process. Katie shared how workshops like user story mapping help uncover the SLOW points—Struggles, Lapses, Obstacles, and Workarounds—in the user experience. A simple change in microcopy, like switching from “Change Plans” to “Upgrade,” can make a massive difference, as evidenced by a spike in user engagement.

The Overlooked Power of Onboarding

Katie is passionate about onboarding—a phase often underestimated in its impact on user retention and satisfaction. She argues that the onboarding process is critical for capturing user motivation and enthusiasm right from the start, setting the stage for long-term engagement.

Future Trends: Thoughtful Integration of AI

Looking forward, Katie predicts that the future of successful digital products will hinge on the seamless integration of brand and product experiences. However, she warns against the indiscriminate use of AI, advocating instead for thoughtful, well-integrated AI solutions that truly enhance the user experience rather than complicate it.

Wrapping Up and Staying Connected with Katie

Katie Deloso’s work at Nurture is a masterclass in merging brand and product design. If you’re working with Series A or B companies and looking to deliver a digital experience that truly reflects your brand’s voice, she’s someone you want to connect with. Find her on LinkedIn or check out her work at Nurture.com. And whether you’re in the product space or not, her growing library of educational content is definitely worth exploring.

A big thank you to Katie for sharing her insights on this episode. Stay tuned for more deep dives into the intersection of product design and brand experience.