# Ep. 64 - Why product teams keep missing the real journey - Steve Cleff

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-experience-edge-7117779/ep-64-why-product-teams-keep-missing-the-real-journey-steve-cleff
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-experience-edge-7117779/ep-64-why-product-teams-keep-missing-the-real-journey-steve-cleff.md
Podcast: [The Experience Edge](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-experience-edge-7117779)
Published: 2026-02-25T06:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/experienceedge/episodes/Ep--64---Why-product-teams-keep-missing-the-real-journey---Steve-Cleff-e3fi2u6
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/fb8746cc/podcast/play/115984774/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-1-24%2F418743089-44100-2-8f2bcc315b69c.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3418

## Resource

Steve Cleff, product design leader and founder of Prismatic Vision, has led product and design at Comcast, Barclays, and Siemens, helping global enterprises move beyond feature factories toward experience-led growth. In this episode, he shares how his background in UX, engineering, and fine arts shapes his belief that customer experience starts long before someone touches your product. In conversation with Johan, Steve unpacks the tension between product and CX, why shared goals matter more than ownership, and how AI can accelerate - but not replace - human judgment. From RICE frameworks to agentic workflows, he challenges leaders to protect creativity and empathy while offloading structure and repetition. Guest Bio Steve Cleff is a product design leader with over 15 years of experience building software that improves people’s lives and strengthens how companies engage customers. He has led product and design initiatives across organizations including Comcast, Barclays, and Siemens, and has partnered with brands such as JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Target, and Vanguard. Now the founder of Prismatic Vision , Steve helps organizations gain a competitive edge through experience-led strategy, multi-agent AI workflows, and cross-functional collaboration between product and customer experience teams. Takeaways Customer experience begins before someone becomes a customer - from the first problem or “sniffle” to post-purchase advocacy. Product teams often drift into “feature farms” when roadmaps aren’t anchored in real customer journeys. CX and product don’t need strict ownership boundaries - they need shared goals and mutual reinforcement. AI should accelerate structure, synthesis, and distribution, but creativity, empathy, and strategic leaps must remain human-led. The f…

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