Product Design

What is Product Design?

Product design describes the process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve
users’ problems or address specific needs in a given market.

The key to successful product design is an understanding of the end-user customer, the person
for whom the product is being created. Product designers attempt to solve real problems for real
people by using both empathy and knowledge of their prospective customers’ habits, behaviors,
frustrations, needs, and wants.

What is the History of Product Design?

Product design is an outgrowth of a very similar discipline called industrial design.

According to the Industrial Designers Society of America:

“Industrial design is the professional practice of designing products used by millions of people
around the world every day. Industrial designers not only focus on the appearance of a product,
but also on how it functions, is manufactured and ultimately the value and experience it provides
for users.”

Prior to the mass-production era of manufacturing, craftspeople built products primarily by hand.
This meant there were fewer products available for sale, and that they cost more. Then, the
industrialization of manufacturing allowed businesses to mass-produce products inexpensively.

To help sell their products to the millions of people who could now afford them, manufacturers
enlisted the help of industrial designers to create products that were not only functional but also
aesthetically pleasing.
Over time, a subset of industrial design has evolved into its own category: product design. This is
because industrial design today connotes physical products such as furniture and household
appliances, whereas product design can refer to any product—even digital, virtual products such
as software apps.

What are the Types of Product Design Jobs Available?

What different companies think of today as product design jobs might include several roles under
different names. For example:

UX designer

User-experience designers focus on refining a product based on how their research into users
behavior suggests people will get the most satisfaction from using the product. UX designers aim
to increase users’ happiness.

Data analyst

These designers focus on user research and other data to identify ways to improve a product’s
layout, feature set, and visual aesthetic. In other words, their primary role is a scientific one, but
they are also designers.

Prototyper

Prototypers are the members of the product team who bring the team’s ideas to a tangible state,
to help the company quickly validate with users the product’s features and other characteristics.
In a company that makes physical products, prototypers will hand-craft mockups. For digital
companies, the prototyping team will develop wireframes or other virtual mockups.

Product designer

Of course, in many cases a company will hire a person to handle several of the roles above, and
others, under a job called Product Designer. In other companies, they’ll handle some of the
bigger-picture, strategic elements involved in developing new product ideas. There, other
professionals in the organization take responsibility for things like—user research, UX design,
information architecture, etc.

What Does the Product Design Process Look Like?

The details of the product design process will vary from company to company, but these
professionals do tend to follow a similar philosophy or framework when it comes to design
thinking. As Cam Sackett explains, the design-thinking process involves several steps:

1. Empathize with people

2. Define the problem

3. Ideate a solution

4. Build a prototype

5. Test the solution

Sackett also points out that although it’s arranged in a linear way, the design process doesn’t
necessarily move in a linear path. Sometimes the results learned in a given step lead the team
back to repeat or refine an earlier step.

What Types of Tools Do Product Designers Use?

Because it covers a broad range of disciplines, the role requires several different types of tools.
Among these are:

 Wireframing apps

 Graphic design apps

 Prototyping tools

 Research and data analytics tools (e.g., spreadsheets, sophisticated A/B testing apps)

 CAD (computer aided design) software

 Project management apps (e.g., Trello)

  Product roadmap apps (e.g., ProductPlan)

Conclusion
Product design is a far broader, far more strategically central role than most people realize. It is
not simply the process of making a product look better. As Eric Eriksson argues, “product design
is the whole process.” And that includes problem validation, as well as crafting, designing,
testing, and shipping the solution.

Factors affecting product design

There are several factors that affect the design of a product. A product designer must consider
these factors before designing the product in order to create winning designs. These factors are as
follows:

1. Customer requirements
The end users or customers are the ones that would leverage the product. So, due respect should
be given to their requirements before designing a product. The designers should make sure that
the product is ergonomically designed so that the customers can use it conveniently in all
conditions.

2. Facilities for the operators

It is the task of product designers to ensure that the operators can effortlessly perform the
intended operations using the product. The product should be integrated with all the essential
features and facilities that make its operation simple and comfortable. If the product design is
complicated, then the operator may become tired and be less productive. So, the product should
be designed in such a way that it is easy to handle and operate.

3. Functionality
A product should be designed in such a way that it yields 100% customer satisfaction. For this,
the designer must ensure that the product is functioning optimally and is meeting the purpose for
which it is designed. There should be sync between the appearance of the product and its
functionality to the customers.
4. Cost Ratio
A product designer must design high-quality product in a way that it is cost effective. The
product should be of top-notch quality, functional and appealing in design, such that it attracts
the customers. The designer must also ensure that he is creating a design which is even cost
effective as that will attract the customers most.

5. Quality of product
The design of a product and its quality should go hand in hand. The quality of a product depends
on its design as well as conformity. So, the designer must ensure that he/she is producing a good
quality product that embellishes an impressive design.

6. Capability of process
A product designer must have the requisite knowledge of the machinery in order to take care of
the quality of conformance. The quality of conformance depends on the capacity of equipment
and machines (how much they can process). A designer should thus establish a tolerance limit of
each machine and equipment.

7. Material requirements
The type, quality, and nature of a material used in the production of a product impact its design
to a great extent. So, the designer must have adequate knowledge of the materials. He/she should
have up to date information about the availability of new and better materials in order to create
the desired product.

8. Work methods
The work methods adopted and the equipment used to impact the viability of the design. Little
changes in the work methods can considerably affect the production cost. So, a designer must be
inventive in order to find out the most efficient work methods. He/she should be accustomed to
the innovations in the market so that he/she can improvise the work methods and equipment
accordingly. A product should be designed in such a way that it should have the scope for
improvisation in the type of equipment required and the work methods adopted.

9. Effect on existing designs

In case a new product is being designed to replace an existing product, then a designer should
ensure that he/she uses the standards materials, parts, components, design strategies, techniques
and manufacturing processes. It is the task of a product designer to blend the existing product
with new manufacturing technology. In this way, the designer can keep the production cost
minimum.

10. Packaging
Packaging is one of the core components associated with a product. The design of the package of
a product is equally important as the product itself. This is because packaging ensures that the
product is delivered safely to the end users. Thus, the designer should ensure that the package is
protective and even serves the promotional purpose. The package should be attractive as that will
appeal to the customers.

These are the major factors that a product designer should consider. In our product designing
course, we make sure that the students are familiarised with all these factors so that they can
create effective product designs when they enter the job field. Our design college is among the
top design colleges of India as we offer world-class education and best in class faculty members.