What is it really? I've been working hard on creating something that pops up on my smartphone or monitor using various design tools on my computer such as Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma, but the name I call my job keeps changing. Web designer, UI designer, UX designer, product designer… I thought it must be because everyone calls it that and it is written on job postings for famous companies. I thought that I could find the right person to work with or grow on my own if I knew what role a designer plays. What Do Product Designers Make?
When you think of a product (=product), the first thing that comes to mind is a physical object. Things like air purifiers and vacuum cleaners. But it is a word that means much more than that. The word product means a manufactured item. Previously, after the Industrial Revolution, we were familiar with products that were traditionally visible physical objects, but as people started using software all day long with their iPhones, the meaning of the word expanded to mean any object or system that satisfies users in the market. It is done.
Since Apple has proven that user-centric thinking is a key factor in business success, many other companies have looked for people to build software products in a similar way. A variety of occupations have been created, including web designers, who originally dealt with designs displayed on digital devices, UI designers, who design the process of interacting with electronic devices, and UX designers, who design the entire user experience.
In keeping with the mobile boom, the UI/UX design field has grown significantly. Unlike other product lines that required making the product as perfect as possible, digital products can be improved gradually and frequently at a low cost, and since users do not have to pay every time, it is easy to understand the response. Naturally, we began to prefer small organizations that could quickly learn from the market and adapt, and we needed a design that could design products that could constantly communicate with users and achieve their goals while handling the overall design lightly and quickly. People in this role began to be called product designers.
So do product designers create everything? Human resources are limited, and having more responsibilities may not necessarily be a good thing. It is important to use resources strategically at the right time and at all times. There are four main steps when creating a digital product. It goes through three stages: exploration to gather information about what to do, definition to clarify what the collected information means, design to actually implement, and delivery to release to users. Job groups tend to be divided depending on what role is needed at each stage.
This is a profession that understands users and studies how users can achieve their desired goals. It can be said that it is mainly responsible for the initial stages of product design. Because we conduct a variety of research, communication skills are essential. For example, when conducting a user interview, you must be able to properly control if the user speaks in the wrong direction, and when conducting a usability test, you must be able to ask appropriate questions to obtain unbiased data about what the user is thinking. There must be.
As you conduct various types of user research, you need to know what the purpose is, what data you need to achieve the purpose, and the capabilities you need to proceed to obtain the data. You also need the ability to derive insights appropriate for the project your company is currently working on through the obtained data.
UI designers are a profession that primarily focuses on visualization. Based on the workflow or prototype derived from the UX stage, it creates a layout using visual techniques such as color, typography, and icons, and plays a role in planning how the product works in detail to encourage user behavior.
You must be able to use a variety of visual techniques freely, have a clear understanding of the functions of commonly used components such as buttons, text inputs, and radio buttons, and be able to create new components when necessary. It is responsible for designing the actual appearance that users will use, and requires smooth communication with Front-End, iOS, and Android Developers in charge of implementation.
This is a job that combines UX and UI. In the past, UX and UI were divided, and in large companies, the job groups were separated to strengthen expertise. However, as technology and tools develop, it becomes easier to learn the tasks performed by each job and apply them to projects, so the two are often performed together. Because it is not easy to perform both of these tasks, I can basically perform them, but I tend to have expertise that matches my capabilities.
UX designers can be categorized as either designers who deeply understand users and can construct UI, or designers who can design attractive interfaces and understand users' needs.
A product designer is a job role that goes beyond understanding UI and UX and takes on the role of a manager who manages the product itself. Just as UI/UX are combined, as technology and tools have developed, various basic roles have become possible, and the role has now been expanded to include managing the products that are actually delivered to users. The ability to think product-centric from a more comprehensive perspective is required. Literally designing a product, you need not only usability and aesthetic aspects, but also the execution ability to set the direction of the product and actually deliver the product to users. Communication is important because collaboration is essential to improve the product with various teams such as product owner, project manager, front end designer, business team, and marketing team.
So far, we have summarized what product design is and what a product designer is. Creating a digital product requires a lot of design. People with the ability to solve problems with higher quality, such as Graphic Designer, Brand Designer, UX Writer, and UX Researcher, are needed as needed. New roles will likely be needed in the future as industry demands evolve. A variety of previously difficult technologies will become easier to learn, and higher-dimensional, high-context thinking skills beyond simple implementation will be required. How will the names of designers change in the future?
*Processes and definitions may vary depending on the company or project. For easy understanding, I have defined it based on personal experience, so please understand.
Every Tuesday morning, a designer with 16 years of experience curated Collect design trends.
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