What is the role of a Product Designer in a company?
A good digital product in any organisation, whatever it is, is never made by one person alone. It's important to know how to think, plan and collaborate with the different people involved in developing and delivering the solution, to make sure every expectation and need is met.
A product designer is responsible for the design of a product, from its definition through to its delivery and use.
They're able to structure a product design process focused on activities like definition, ideation, design thinking, co-creation, and validation and research. How to work in both the problem space and the solution space, and how to communicate, present, and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.
What are the benefits of a well-structured design process?
- Lower costs and faster production
- A more consolidated product design, and its development phases
- Tighter control over quality and usability
- Constant, iterative feedback loops
- A sharper focus on the user and the customer experience
And who do you need to align with?
Product development involves a range of stakeholders, including but not limited to:
- Product Managers
- UX designers and researchers
- UI designers
- Accessibility specialists
- UX writers
- Developers
- Testers and QA
- Stakeholders, internal and external
- Users and customers
So, there it is: a closer look at life as a Product Designer. If you're thinking about a career in this field, I hope this gave you a sense of what it's like.
Taught at The Starter
Originally written in Portuguese for The Starter's UX design courses, translated here.