Donna Lichaw is a film school graduate turned product specialist, and she has used her experience in film to develop and advocate a “story first” approach that she now writes about, speaks about and teaches to products managers all over the world.

At this year’s London #mtpcon she spoke about the importance of engaging an audience – a fundamental tenet of film-making is that you tell a story – and how this can be applied to product. “Whether it’s software, a website, apps or services – digital or analogue – I’ll call them products for short, they have a lot in common with films. If you want to engage your audience you have to have a story at your foundation. You can do this by accident or with meticulous care and intent by mapping the story out.”