Have you ever stopped to appreciate the thoughtful design behind your favourite product? You may own a beautiful coffee maker or a sleek pen. You may also like the design of your mobile phone. Ever wondered who made these products? What was the process behind doing it? Is it interesting? Let’s find out!
Product Design
Product design essentially means creating functional, intuitive products that are easy on the eyes. The product you design must address the key issues your consumer faces before buying it. Moreover, the design should have the perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics. Sounds complicated? We bet it’s not! You just need the right guidance to learn the art of product design.
Product designers construct an entire roadmap for product conceptualisation to achieve this feat. Massive datasets are analysed to define the problem statement and find solutions. After all these tasks, a design prototype is made and further evaluated to avoid errors. The product’s design is refined until all parameters are given a green signal.
The Superpowers of a Product Designer
Every product designer possesses a few superpowers. These superpowers are nothing more than the capabilities of a product designer. You have to learn all these skills to land a good opportunity in the product development field.
The Design Toolbox
Now, you will have various physical and digital design tools to execute your product plan. A good design school will train you in these tools to assist your product design process. You will use existing tools like pen and paper for your initial sketches. If you are good at digital design, AutoCAD and Figma will be your friends. There are various courses also available online that will help you learn these tools.
The other types of tools that you will use are user testing tools. Figma has built-in user testing tools that allow you to evaluate the usability of your design. Other online tools are also available with the latest features for your design project. All you need is proper guidance, and you’re all set to start your career on the right path.
Product Design Across the Spectrum
There are various use cases for a product design project. It is not just limited to electric gadgets like coffee makers or mobile phones. You can also design everyday objects like furniture, toys, and sporting goods. Product designers with medical expertise also design many medical appliances. Engineers only design the functional part of the product. However, the product designers materialise the product into an appealing design.
The role of a product designer also goes beyond design. They can be the pioneers of innovation in the manufacturing industry. Sustainable design and production processes are the trend now. Hence, product designers are using eco-friendly materials to design products that are better for the environment.
The Future of Product Design
The product design industry is also facing a wave of emerging, new technologies. These technologies are aimed at creating new product experiences for the designer. Virtual products are taking hold over the market where the designer can just execute their tasks without any physical implications. VR and AR are used to design products and store them directly in a database.
Other emerging technologies emphasise on user-centric design processes. The current methods only use datasets from users collected through forms and surveys. The data fails to give an accurate insight into the user’s thought processes and is limited to the survey options. However, a designer empathizes with the user’s issues in a user-centered design process. Technology has made it possible for designers to simulate user problems and arrive at more accurate solutions.
So, do you want to be a product designer?
Does product design sound exciting? We are sure it does. You must learn a few skills to start your product design career. All the technical skills are taught at India’s best product design colleges. They will also teach soft skills like communication and problem-solving for better results. You will have an amazing portfolio by the end of your graduation that will help you in landing excellent job opportunities. There are also chances that you will innovate a new product and start your entrepreneurial journey!
So, is product design for you? Well, it can be because it’s a rewarding field that requires creativity, technical skills, and empathy. With the right education and a passion for creating user-friendly products, you can become a product design champion and shape the world around you!