Creating a digital product requires a variety of skills. Depending on the service, the type of product required is different, and the product maker required is also different. A product maker is a person who solves business problems into products. Each of them has their own special skills to solve problems, and they solve problems by dividing them into various job groups such as planners, designers, and developers. Dividing into occupational groups Ambiguous areas are sometimes handled by collaborators according to their respective capabilities.

So what problems can designers solve better? And what skills are needed to solve the problem? Regardless of names such as UI, UX, or product, we have summarized what skills are needed to take on the role of design, which designs the specific shape of a digital product.

way of thinking

It is the ability that underlies everything. If you are trying to create good usability, you must be able to go beyond simply saying, “I made this convenient because it seemed convenient,” and think about who found it convenient when using the service, and for what purpose, and be able to explain in detail to design the product as intended. .   

• logical thinking -  If you don't know what effect the icon will have on the user, why put it there? You must be able to clearly state the justification or reason for your results.

• Critical Thinking —  Is the design I choose the best answer? There are various ways to achieve the goal. The ability to analyze and evaluate accidents and make rational decisions is required.

• imagination - Countless ideas come pouring out. I can explain it in words, but not everyone may know how it works. Designers need the ability to imagine concrete designs for ideas that have not yet been realized.

• Data Literacy — The user's thoughts and actions rather than my intentions will be the answer. In order to understand users, you must be able to understand and interpret the hidden meaning of various data. You need the ability to define and collect what data is needed for the desired design.

UX design

Ability to design user experiences. Although it includes UI, it mainly deals with the entire experience, focusing on the user's thoughts and actions. We need the ability to observe how users actually think and act in various contexts, and to process and share the difficult concept of experience into a form that product makers can understand.   

• Understanding people — To create an experience, you'll need to know who's using it. You need to know how people think and act in certain situations. Prior knowledge of cognitive psychology and behavioral psychology is mainly required.

• Quantitative Research — You should not recklessly predict users based on intuition. It requires the ability to understand user behavior. We interpret phenomena based on quantified behavioral result data from many people. We mainly use methods such as surveys and measuring product usage records (click-through rate, purchase rate, etc.).

• Qualitative Research — People are complex, so we won't be able to figure everything out with numbers. It requires the ability to understand the user's way of thinking. We understand people's thoughts and reasons for phenomena, which are difficult to find through numbers. Methods such as user interviews and usability testing are mainly used.

• Experience Design — How do we share invisible experiences and avoid misunderstandings? It must be possible to process the user's experience and steps through which the service is experienced in a tangible form. Methods such as persona, card sorting, user journey map, and wireframing are mainly used.

UI design

It is the ability to design the process by which users use a service using a device. Digital products mainly design ways to use tools in a series of processes to achieve various purposes using smartphones or computers. 

• Understanding the tools — Should I use it as a smartphone or as a laptop? Users use a variety of tools, from physical tools such as smartwatches, smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, and cars to intangible platforms such as iOS/Android. Designers need to know the differences between different tools.

• Visual Design – Users still use their smartphones more with their eyes than with their words. You must be able to understand and utilize the effects of various visual techniques such as color, icons, and layout so that users can use the tool smoothly.

• Prototyping – Is there a way to verify that the current design is optimal before development? Before investing a lot of money in development, you need the ability to create a prototype that is as close to the real thing as possible.

• Design System – I think there is something similar, but do I really need to create a new one? If it's a similar function, if you recycle what you created previously, users can use it as before without having to learn a new interface. For efficiency, the ability to build a design system that standardizes elements that are used repeatedly is necessary.

Why do so many things need to be done so well?

We have listed what skills are needed to design digital products. I've said it all clearly as if it's essential, but do I have to do it all well? That would be nonsense. We've summarized it into three categories for ease of understanding, but if you delve into each topic, you'll need an endless number of abilities. The odds of finding someone who can do everything perfectly are less likely than finding a spotted unicorn with three horns and getting struck by lightning.

The capabilities required will vary depending on the company or service, and the breadth and depth of each individual's capabilities will vary. Companies will need to define what role a product plays in a service and identify what design capabilities are needed to create a better product. As a designer, you will need to understand the role of the company's product and consider whether to highlight your strengths or fill in your shortcomings. When both sides have the same understanding of the product and roles, they will be able to create a better product.

Product Design 101