Working at KFin Technologies in 2020 was intense — in the best way. We were dealing with legacy systems, large-scale financial products, tight timelines, and a user base that didn’t have much patience for glitches or friction. That’s what made it the perfect playground to grow as a product manager.
We didn’t just launch one product. Over my time there, we:
• Revamped the KFinKart mutual fund app
• Relaunched the corporate website and investor platforms
• Introduced chatbots
• Improved app ratings significantly
• Integrated white-label apps for multiple AMCs
It was a whirlwind. Looking back, here are the biggest lessons I walked away with — ones I think other PMs (especially those in FinTech or complex legacy ecosystems) will relate to.
1. Legacy ≠ Limitation
When I first joined, I saw legacy systems as blockers. Slow, outdated, unscalable. But over time, I realized: legacy systems can be your foundation — if you respect their constraints and work with them, not against them.
✅ Lesson: Learn the tech stack well enough to negotiate trade-offs with engineering. You don’t have to code, but you do have to understand why something “seemingly simple” isn’t.
2. User Reviews Are a Goldmine (Use Them Early)
We turned Play Store reviews into our starting point. Not just for bugs — but for discovering broken flows, unmet expectations, and even feature ideas. Every 1-star review had a story.
✅ Lesson: Don’t wait for UAT to find friction. Your users have already told you — you just need to look.
3. Stakeholder Alignment Is a Full-Time Job
When you’re building financial products, every department has a say — compliance, customer service, marketing, legal, ops. Managing these relationships took as much effort as the product itself.
✅ Lesson: Book recurring alignment check-ins early. Set clear definitions of done. And bring people along for the ride — not just for sign-offs.
4. Design Thinking Actually Works (If You Commit to It)
We ran proper design thinking workshops — user personas, empathy maps, and all. Initially, people were skeptical. But once teams saw their own assumptions challenged on whiteboards, they got it. Our user journeys became more grounded and our roadmaps sharper.
✅ Lesson: Treat design thinking like a process, not a buzzword. It helps everyone think more clearly — not just designers.
5. Measure What You Ship
One of the best feelings was watching our app rating go from 2.8 to 4.3. But that wasn’t an accident — we were tracking support calls, transaction drop-offs, app crashes, and usage patterns like hawks.
✅ Lesson: Shipping is just the start. If you’re not measuring impact, you’re guessing.
Final Thoughts
KFinTech taught me that building in FinTech isn’t about making flashy features — it’s about reducing friction, increasing clarity, and earning user trust, day after day. It’s less about “what can we add?” and more about “what can we simplify?”
If you’re working on complex legacy products and trying to modernize the experience, I feel you. It’s messy. It’s political. It’s also one of the most satisfying kinds of product work out there.
Beyond the Backlog 