There are plenty of opportunities in the field of app development, but it’s essential to understand what to expect. A digital product designer has to be adaptable, creative, and collaborative to succeed in this very popular and exciting career.
Key takeaways:
- Review the ins and outs of working as a digital product designer
- What day-to-day looks like for a product design career
- Job hunting and finding a company that’s right for you
- Navigating the market with your current experience
- Learn what makes Shockoe an innovator in product design
A career path in product design allows for a great variety of work. No two days are the same. Working with and across teams enables a product designer to learn something new every day, which can relate to promotional opportunities and advancement. This position can be extremely fruitful, but it may require a thick-skinned approach as it can be a demanding industry. Part of what makes the job so challenging is the fact that you always have to keep your eyes on the end user’s needs. This also helps make the position exciting because it requires customer interaction. What a great chance to get the information you need – right from the source.
A job in product design can have a lot of twists and turns, as it generally consists of rapidly changing requirements for each task. Each aspect of product design must consider the user’s perspective from every angle. The work must connect with users on a broad scale while catering to a variety of interests and the tools and services users seek. Some of the typical responsibilities include:
- Developing product design concepts from client requirements and confirmation of specifications with them
- Preparing design specifications with sketches
- Budgeting for product designs and setting schedules with clients
- Performing extensive market research
- Analyzing designs and features of competitor products
- QA testing – consistently throughout development
- Bringing innovative ideas to the table when needed
- Managing team members to ensure everyone stays on track with the end goal
- Troubleshooting design issues that may pop up during the process
These are just a handful of responsibilities a product designer can expect to encounter in their career. Some workdays will be more difficult than others, but with organization and collaboration, designers can create impact across the entire project.
Some projects may be more complex than others, so excelling as a product designer requires team collaboration and meeting the client’s needs. To ensure a product designer takes action on every single project, it’s important to understand exactly what the job title requires. Being a vital part of a team can result in a very fulfilling career. The variety breeds knowledge, which in turn can provide more opportunity.
Designing digital products with efficacy
It takes creativity and fortitude to handle back-to-back product design tasks. In most cases, projects have vastly different requirements, forcing designers to adapt rapidly. Thinking quickly on one’s feet is a good skill to hone. Product designers also need to have a good understanding of the end user for each project. A product designer’s knowledge base changes rapidly, so the position is never boring.
You’re bound to encounter clients with customer bases that have many different demographics. This means a product designer has to put themselves in the end user’s shoes to understand what will truly work.
Digital product design is rarely the responsibility of a single person, so everyone on board has to be willing to communicate and collaborate throughout the process. Without the collective mind of dedicated designers, you may not achieve the client and end-user goals.
The importance of teamwork and communication
When designing digital products, a team of designers should work very closely across every stage. The day-to-day workflow for a product designer can vary quite a bit, from being very clear to encountering unpredictable obstacles. Digital product design is a rapidly changing environment, and the job title requires team members to have multiple focal points.
Product design positions may require in-depth research on a target market and a fair amount of back and forth between team members. Although listening to those with more experience is wise, product designers should always feel comfortable sharing their ideas – so working with the right team of people is crucial.
This is all especially true when it comes to digital products. You must maintain a collaborative tone so all team members move forward on the same page.
What a product designer should consider
As with many industries, a product designer will work their way up and continuously add to their portfolio. The career path for a product designer may come with challenges, but there are a few areas you should always prepare for. The few aspects mentioned below cover the relevance of UX, product design methodology, and working with the right company.
Where user experience (UX) ranks in the process of digital product design
From the jump, many people think this job title entirely focuses on UX. Of course, UX is important, but it isn’t the only focus for a product designer. Each project is different, but digital product design usually involves UX, user input/interface (UI), copywriting, marketing, and more. A product designer should be able to shift their focus to the needs of different stages of product development.
Employing methodology
There’s a way of thinking that’s highly beneficial when it comes to any product design task. In this particular industry, many designers refer to a methodology called “design thinking.” The principles behind this methodology are a part of many schools, but it also includes experience and intuition. A lot of this considers human-centered design, as it’s one of the best ways to ensure a product connects with the end user.
Navigating the market
Success for any product designer considers multiple factors, especially regarding the companies they work with. You can find great examples of this in the many case studies from Shockoe, where you can see how our product designers adapted to the intricate needs of a variety of companies.
Many of these case studies discuss digital experiences that cater to end users from different demographics. Any product designer should seek a company that has a good track record and a supportive, collaborative environment.
The innovation of Shockoe
Shockoe’s expertise in design is part of what makes us stand apart from the crowd. Regardless of the project, our team brings an innovative approach to designing applications and other digital products – an essential for anyone looking at digital product design as a career path.
Shockoe has years of experience in the industry, but it’s the innovation that sets them apart from competition. With every project Shockoe completes, especially with digital design, there’s innovation throughout every layer of the product.
This is a testament to the workplace culture Shockoe provides for the designers, immersing innovation with creativity. As leaders in product design they recognize the best solutions build from a place of collaboration.
For more information and to get started, contact us today.
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