Rugiet Health: Where I Found Product Management
Full Stack Developer (25% time) • February 2023 - September 2024
The Product Manager Moment
I joined Rugiet Health as a full-stack engineer, but I found product management. This was the moment I realized my highest leverage wasn't writing code—it was asking the right questions before anyone wrote code.
The Paradox of Control: Saving Retention by Letting Users Go
Churn wasn't happening because users disliked the product. It was happening because they felt *trapped*. The rigid subscription model created anxiety.
The Insight
I analyzed user data and realized that patients were cancelling not because they wanted to leave, but because they needed a break (travel, surplus medication). Our system forced a binary choice: Stay or Quit. So they quit.
The Fix: The 'Pause' Button
I championed a 'Pause' feature. Technically, this required refactoring our subscription state machine to support a 'suspended' status that preserved patient data without triggering billing events. It was a complex backend change, but it solved the psychological problem of 'subscription anxiety.'
The Outcome
Retention increased by 35%. By giving users the freedom to leave (temporarily), we gave them a reason to stay. It proved that in healthcare, *autonomy* is a key feature.
Impact Metrics
- 📈 Retention Increase: 35% improvement in 90-day retention
- 💡 Product Insight: Realized I was better at deciding what to build than building it
- 🎯 Customer Impact: Patients could maintain care during life changes instead of churning
- 🚀 Career Pivot: This project showed me my path to product management