What is product design and how is it performed?

Have you ever had an idea in your head and wanted to bring it to reality? That's where problems begin, but nothing bad will happen if you choose to be a product designer. 

This is the professional who is in charge of creating the design of that product that the company's engineers imagine.

Yes, it’s true that a service has to solve specific customer needs, but it will be useless to have the best item if it has an unpleasant design that doesn’t attract the attention of the market. 

It's time to start unleashing your creativity, and here's how. Are you going to miss it? 

What is product design?

First, let's start by defining what product design is. It’s the process of creating and developing products that solve specific user needs. 

In most cases, it’s essential to first create a buyer persona model to have an image of the ideal customer profile. From here, designers use the information provided by the consumption habits and frustrations of their potential users. 

In this sense, when the product is made correctly, nobody notices the design, but this doesn’t mean that it’s bad. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, the more imperceptible the design is, the more pleasing it is to the customer's mind and eye. It’s definitely a work of art in every way. 

Types of product design

Two types of products are used to create something from scratch. Pay attention and find out what they are: 

1. Designing a new product

It's nothing else than creating an idea and prototype that has never been developed, so it will literally be starting from scratch. 

First, you do some research and then you give it a creative and new look. 

2. Changes to the initial service

Secondly, we have the changes we need to make to the initial service. It’s more frequent than many people think, and although it sounds easy it really isn’t because you have to highlight the characteristics of the business. 

In addition, it has to be different from the models that are already on the market. 

Product design process

Have you ever wondered what the actual process of designing a product from scratch is like? Well, we will answer that question below:

1. Analysis and observation 

The first thing a designer does is to observe his market and his target audience to understand what their needs are and what situations are they going through nowadays. From there he will note down tips that are an obstacle in the buying process. 

The important thing in this step is to discover the problems that the user is experiencing on a daily basis. Many products are good, but they could be better if they had a more pleasant design adjusted to the customer's expectations. 

2. Concept or idea

Once you’ve seen the user's needs, it’s time to create a kind of prototype in your mind and then put it down on paper. 

Remember that at the end of the day, these are just ideas and the goal is to compare them with each other to find the ideal model for the product. This is where we give free rein to creativity. 

3. Synthesis or implementation 

After you finalize the basic prototype of the product, it's time to launch it on the market. However, first, you will have to wait for the board of directors to approve it. They will do the numbers and determine if it’s a project worth betting on. 

The idea is to enter the market with a few units and increase production as you see satisfactory results. 

Objectives of product design in a business

Product design has the purpose of offering comfort to the user every time he/she uses the service and making him/her feel safe and warm every time he/she uses it. 

Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to details, as customers interact with others to show their happiness or anger with the product in question. 

Now, some of the objectives that product design pursues are: 

1. Quality product

No matter how nice a product is, if it doesn’t have enough quality, it’s very difficult to leave the user satisfied. That’s why we say that the first objective of design is to develop a quality product that fits what the customer is looking for.

2. Developing a service that is trendy and meets the needs of the client 

Is it important for a product to be trendy? The truth is yes, very much so, since no one will use something they no longer need. 

This is the great challenge, to build something that fits the customer's needs and meets the characteristics that the market is currently looking for. 

Think about it: We all need to brush, but people don't do it with their fingers, they are looking for a quality toothbrush that ensures the hygiene of their teeth. So, if you manage to meet this need together with some small innovation, you will be closer to success. 

3. Economical product without neglecting quality in any way

Yes, it’s a challenge, but it can be done. One of the objectives of design is to use economical raw materials without compromising the quality of the product. 

A service that is damaged after the first few uses will be one that will not be purchased a second time by anyone. Therefore, the design has to be in line with the quality of the project to ensure massive and repetitive sales. 

4. Targeting new segments to increase market share

With a proper design you will be able to target your product to new segments, to niches that you had previously neglected because you didn’t realize the opportunity that existed in that market. 

It’s essential to pay attention to details in order to attract the users you are interested in. This will make the difference between success and failure. 

Advantages of incorporating product design into your sales strategy

Product design is one of the most important elements of any business. Leaving it aside is a direct way to defeat. At the end of the day, it’s like the identity of the service, so it’s essential to pay attention to it in order not to leave any detail to chance. 

Let's take a look at some of the advantages of product design below: 

1. Better customer experience

It’s no secret that people buy according to the design of the product. We can transfer this to food, as many users eat with their eyes, that is, depending on how the dish looks. 

That’s why major brands such as Apple and Samsung leave nothing to chance. That is, they focus on giving an incredible visual of their functionality and usability to convince the user that they are the ideal alternative. 

The few limitations, attractive image, and ease of use are key features that increase the likelihood that a user will opt for your item. 

2. Determinant in product success

With the right design, the chances of success increase dramatically. Efficiency, performance, and behavior will be much more efficient because the right design minimizes the defects that the product may have. 

That’s why we say that it’s very important to make sure that the product design is the right one. You can't imagine the risk and uncertainty you reduce with a good design, so it's time to take it into account before it's too late.

3. Increases the percentage of sales

Innovative designs are indispensable to reach larger markets since in many cases it’s the success factor in the sales of a company's products. 

How many times have you walked through the supermarket and suddenly come across an item that has such a cool design that you just can't ignore it? Well, this effect works for many people, which shows how important design is. 

The same goes for the car market. Many cars are so beautiful that customers go for them just for the design, leaving aside details such as quality, engine and durability of accessories. 

So, think about these examples every time you have doubts about the design of your next product. 

4. Quality of the company

Quality companies have many characteristics in common, but we can't ignore that one of them is that they spend most of their time on design. At the end of the day they know that this is critical to the success of the project. 

Here they focus on the careful use of materials, have reduced production costs, and reduce losses to a minimum. This results in losses being reduced by a large percentage because they pay attention to even the smallest detail. 

Tips to improve the design of your products

It’s true that in the previous sections, we gave you a series of steps to create the best possible design for your products. However, it’s no secret that this process is a continuous life cycle aimed at satisfying customer needs. 

In this sense, let's take a look at some tips for you to improve your design below: 

1. Research

We couldn't start any other way than with research. The first step is to understand in depth who our consumers are and the sales objectives we have to determine the problem that the product should solve. 

Then, as product designers, we can use different methods to obtain information. Questionnaires, market research, interviews, surveys, and data analysis are perfect examples. 

It’s important to dedicate the necessary time, since many times we find designers who rush to execute their ideas, but this usually results in a product that didn’t take into account all the details. 

Once you feel ready, you can move on to the next step. 

2. Generate ideas

Second is idea generation. Here we give the green light to creative thinking and start creating possible solutions to the scenario we found in the first step. 

Nowadays we have many techniques, brainstorming being a concrete example. 

However, it’s not about proposing ideas at random, but about studying what was done in the initial phase to guide the process to help find the ideal solution to the client's needs.  The idea is to optimize time and reduce wasted time. 

3. Refine and validate

Well, we already have the ideas, and now we must validate each of them to find the ideal one. The creation of concepts is essential to verify that the project fits what the client is looking for in their day-to-day. 

On the other hand, we cannot forget the commercial requirements that the company has, that is, the integration of the product with other existing lines, aesthetic margin, brand identity, and adjustment to the established budget. 

Here it’s very likely that we will need the help of other members of the organization to define the final product that will be launched to the market.

4. Don't forget about prototypes and tests

Prototypes are a great way to move the process forward. In this case, we can take ideas that have already been successful and turn them into prototypes to study them in depth. 

Once you check it out you will realize new considerations that you had not taken into account so far. 

So, if the product is physical, you will test attributes that were not so obvious at the beginning. Texture, image, or weight are very clear examples that can affect the sales process. 

5. Repetition

The iteration or repetition phase is where new discoveries emerge that will significantly help you improve the product. This is really where the optimization of the item is executed in order to deliver the best possible model for the user. 

How many iterations do you have to do? It will all depend on the size of the team, the infrastructure, and the details we find in the process. 

Now, do you see the importance of product design? It's time to get down to work and pay attention to it to increase the chances of selling your service. 

And you, are you ready to take your business to the next level?