Understanding the Stages of the Design Process
Choosing to pursue a career in product design can be an exciting and fulfilling endeavour. As an aspiring designer, it may be overwhelming to sift through the enormous amount of design resources available on the internet. You probably have a lot of questions about product design, and how to start out your journey in the best possible way.
The focus of this article will be on the design of digital products. At the end of this article, you will have learned what product design is, the stages of the design process, and the tools you need to get started.
What is Product Design?
A product is a tangible or intangible item that is created, designed, and offered for sale to fulfil a specific purpose or meet a particular need. It can refer to physical objects, digital goods, services, or even experiences that are created and delivered to customers.
Product design is a multidisciplinary field that involves the process of creating and developing new products or improving existing ones. It encompasses the design and development of physical or digital products with a focus on functionality, aesthetics, usability, and user experience.
The Product Design Process
The product design process is an iterative framework that product designers follow to create new products or improve existing ones. It is also known as the Design Thinking Process. The product design process does for a product designer what an architectural plan does for a civil engineer. It provides a blueprint that guides the designer as they design the product.
The product design process is broken down into 5 stages:
Stage 1: Empathise
In this stage, you seek to understand the needs, desires, and challenges of the users for whom you are designing the product. This involves conducting user research, interviews, and observations to gain insights into their experiences and behaviours. The goal is to gain a deep understanding of the users’ perspectives to inform the design process effectively.
Stage 2: Define
In the Define stage, you distill the findings from the Empathise stage and identify the core problems, needs, or opportunities that the product should address. This involves synthesising the research data, identifying patterns, and defining a clear problem statement or design challenge. Defining the problem statement helps you set a specific direction for the subsequent stages of the design process.
Stage 3: Ideate
At this stage, you brainstorm potential solutions to the defined problem statement. This stage encourages divergent thinking and creativity. The focus is on quantity rather than quality at this stage, allowing for innovative and out-of-the-box concepts.
Stage 4: Prototype
In the Prototype stage, you create tangible representations of your ideas. Prototypes can be low-fidelity or high-fidelity, depending on the purpose and complexity of the design. Fidelity here means how closely the prototype resembles the final product.
Prototyping allows designers to test and refine their ideas, gather feedback, and make informed design decisions before investing significant resources in the final product.
Stage 5: Test
Here you gather feedback and evaluate the prototypes with the target users. This stage is focused on testing the usability, functionality, and desirability of the prototypes. User testing and feedback sessions provide valuable insights into how well the design solves the defined problem and meets user needs. Then you iterate and refine your prototypes based on the feedback received, with the aim of continuously improving the product’s design.
It’s important to note that the product design process is iterative, and designers often cycle back through the stages multiple times, refining their ideas and solutions based on user feedback and new insights. This iterative approach allows for continuous improvement and ensures that the final product is well-designed, user-centred, and meets the intended objectives.
The Product Design Starter Kit
Designers use a variety of tools throughout the design process. Here are the basic tools you’ll need as a beginner in design.
- Prototyping tools:
Prototyping tools are software that helps designers create interactive mockups or models of digital products like websites and apps. They allow you to test and refine your ideas as you build your product. Popular prototyping tools include Figma, Sketch, and InVision. - Collaboration tools:
As a designer, you may have to work with developers and other designers to bring your products to life. So, a collaboration tool is a must-have. Fortunately, some prototyping tools, e.g. Figma, incorporate collaborative features. Some other collaboration tools include Slack, Miro, Google Workspace, etc. - Task management tools:
There may be times when you’ll have multiple projects going on at the same time. You may also need to keep track of your progress throughout the design process. You’ll need to properly manage your tasks to stay on top of deadlines. Some common task management tools include Notion, Asana, Basecamp, etc.
Getting started with product design can be a challenging but rewarding process. With this comprehensive guide, you’ll start off your product design journey on a good note, with more clarity and focus.
