What the hell is a Product Designer?
What do we do?
The definitions are all over the place and they can vary from person to person and company to company.
This article will focus on Product Design and a few skills that are under that umbrella. I’m not writing a comprehensive and exacting list of all the things that a Product Designer does or can do — the permutations abound.
That said, here’s what I think: Design is design. Let’s try not to fuss about it too much (even though we will). More or less, are we not all trying to accomplish the same thing?
Discover and define a problem, then empathetically design the solution.
Short story
I solve problems for people. One methodology that I personally like is Design Thinking.
“Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”
— Tim Brown, president and CEO, IDEO
The design thinking process:
1. Empathize with people
2. Define the problem
3. Ideate a solution
4. Build a prototype
5. Test your solution
Remember, even though this appears linear, it isn’t. The design process is non-linear. It’s also cyclical.
See my other article Make Navigation a Game to see an example of how I used this process.
NOTE: Please remember: people over process.
Now, there are other methodologies like JTBD, Design Sprints, Agile, etc., that work great too. Some people can get too hung up on methodologies and processes; they are only there to help you solve a problem and give you a framework. Don’t get too attached to one method over another.
Longer short story
For me, I specialize in these four things:
User Experience Design (The way a product feels). I create the product’s logic. I love user research and user testing. I’m people-driven as well as data influenced. I enhance people’s satisfaction with a product by refining the usability, accessibility, and pleasure given in the interaction between a person and a product.
Interaction Design (The way a product behaves). I think about what the interface does after a person touches it, speaks to it, or looks at it — I make interactive experiences. I prototype and do user testing. I create animations, transitions, haptics, and other interactivity to guide and delight.
User Interface Design (The way a product looks). I think about the aesthetics and interface elements: typography, color, space, shapes, texture, buttons, headers, images, icons, illustrations, etc. I make sure a person’s interaction with those elements is as captivating, elegant and straightforward as possible.
Information Architecture (The way a product is structured and how the content is organized). I help with user flow, journey mapping, how a person performs and completes tasks — How they get from A to B.
Now, there are some other things a Product Designer should know such as understanding basic development (HTML, CSS, Javascript) to empathize and communicate better with developers, knowing how to write (understand copy and microcopy), balancing your customer’s needs with the business’s needs, and having the courage to dive deeper into the why and really live within a problem.
I’m not suggesting everyone go be a magical wizard unicorn designer. That said, Product Designers should know the holistic process of designing meaningful products and experiences. The key is to learn to be adaptable and have a love for learning.
Start with these four disciplines: User Experience Design, Interaction Design, User Interface Design (Visual Design), and Information Architecture. Intimately know and practice these four disciplines and they will push you in the right direction.
Overview with an example
You know those products or tools you use that are super easy to use and actually help you? I’m the person that helps design that experience. You know that door that says pull to open but it really means push to open; I make sure that doesn’t happen.
UX and Bananas
Think about a banana (I know, an overused example but it’s so good).
Let’s begin: A banana shows you when it’s ready to eat, it’s mobile and easy to take with you everywhere, it has a protective peel, and when it’s ready to eat, it peels quickly without the need of any other tools. Bananas are not messy; they don’t fuss. You don’t have to wash them before eating. You don’t have to do much really — just peel and eat. Plus, a banana is healthy.
Once you peel that banana, eating it is pleasant and effortless. There are no hidden parts, no seeds or a core that takes up all the space inside.
And as a bonus, bananas can help produce serotonin in our bodies — a chemical that makes us happy.
Bananas are impeccable designs.
I design bananas in products.
Conclusion
Above all, please keep this in mind: Humans.
People should be at the center of all your designs. You should have a passion for people and solve their problems as well as enhance their experience with a product; When we focus on defining a problem, being empathetic to a person’s overall experience with a product, and designing a solution to help a person meet their need/goal — when that is our mindset and the lens through which we view, only then can we even begin to design meaningful products, ones that reflect that of the banana.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Cheers!
