What is the difference between product and UX design?

Surely Product Design Is Not A New Thing For You. We All Use This Term Here And There, But The Moment When You Consider Hiring A Product Designer, You Need To Know More. So Let's Start From The Beginning.

what is product design?

Product Design Is The Process Of Developing A Usable Product That Meets Customer's Needs By Defining The Users' Problems And Finding Creative Solutions For These Problems. The Term Is Also Used To Refer To The Result Of This Process, The Design Qualities Of An Existing Product.

Most Common Views Trace Product Design Back To The Mid 19Th Century, When Mass Production Took Off. However, There Are Always People Who Would Say That Product Design Was Always There, As Long As Humans Started Using Tools In Prehistoric Times.

What Is Meant By Product Design Nowadays? When We Say Product Design, We Typically Refer To Software Products. Yet Sometimes It Is Used To Describe Material Objects, Such As Furniture, Electronics, Dishes, Or Something Else. In These Cases, The Term Industrial Design Is Also Used. If You See A Person With A University Degree In Product Design, It Is Likely That The Specialization Is Industrial Design.

Now That We Know The Origins Of The Term, It Is Clear That The Design Approach Has Way Broader Applications Than Just Software Development. It Is Not Just Some Trendy Concept Without Proven Efficiency.

What Is The Difference Between Product And UX Design?

Product Design And UX Design Are Sometimes Confused. If You Have Only One Designer Working On The Product, You Probably Don’t Have To Worry About Those Details. However, If You Consider Hiring A Designer Or Outsourcing, You Will Be Faced With A Wide Variety Of Designer Backgrounds, Including UX And Product And Many More.

The Is No Clear Divider Between The Two, But There Are Some Nuances That You Need To Understand If You Want To Know What Each Of Them Can Contribute To Your Project.

similarities

Both UX Designers And Product Designers Work On The Same Kind Of Projects. Both Follow The Design Thinking Process And User-Centered Approach. Both Use The Same Software Tools For Analysis, Research, Prototyping, And Testing. The Skills Required For These Positions Are Similar, Which Allows Professionals To Switch From Product Design To UX And Vice Versa If They Wish.

Differences/Nuances

Remember What Was Said About Product Design Being A Process? Process Is The Key Here. UX Designers Conduct Research And Develop Products, But Their Work Is Finished When The Product Is Done And Ready To Run. Product Designers Continue The Work After The Initial Launch, Analyzing The Performance Of The Product, Fixing The Bugs, And Improving It In The Long-Term. We Will Dive Deeper Into The Design Process Below.

UX Designers Tend To Focus On Improving Usability, Flow, And Accessibility Of The Product. Product Designers Keep In Mind All Of This, As Well, But They Take A Stronger Business Approach To The Product. In The Process Of Product Development, They Have To Think About The Brand, Market, Business Goals, Evolution Of The Product In The Future, Etc. Apart From The Visuals, They May Also Work On Marketing, Business Development, Research, Etc. It Requires A Strategic Vision And An Integrated Approach.