Everyone is familiar with the term “product”. A product is therefore tangible and can often be found in a retail store.
However, nowadays the scope of the term “product” has changed and it now also applies to digital products. Think, for example, of Android or iPhone app development where all properties are displayed that apply to modern products.
Apps are one of the most effective ways for users to interact with various companies around the world. You can see that when you buy a plane ticket, watch the latest news or talk to family on the other side of the world. All this is possible by using apps.
If you want to develop a fantastic app , the design is one of the most important features that requires a lot of care and time. Over the years we have come to a point where product design has become very important.
Product design is one of the things that helps to give you an edge over your competitors. The design ensures that your users can easily use the app.
We are now at the point of seeing app design as part of product design rather than UI/UX . You are probably wondering what exactly is the difference between those two terms? Let’s look at this.
UX (User Experience) Designer
The job description of a UX Designer is to check how a product works and feels. In short, it must be ensured that user interaction is as smooth and easy as possible. They look at app design from the user’s point of view. The UX Designer understands the problems a user encounters and tries to solve these problems in the following ways:
Formulates different product settings and creates patterns of interaction
Uses various methods to test a product and observes user activity. (A/B testing, eye tracking, email surveys, etc.)
Creating an interface and building product logic via wireframes
UI (User Interface) Designer
UI designers focus on how the product looks. They are responsible for designing pages and elements of the app that the user interacts with. The purpose of the UI Designer is to ensure that the user interface developed by the UX Designer actually works and looks good. Examples of this are: the style guide, visual language and all other elements that are part of the product.
Product Designer
A product designer is a term that is used for all the activities mentioned above. This is someone who is responsible for how the product looks and how it feels to use. In other words, the product designer takes care of how a certain UX component should work.
Design Evolution
Design has a lot to do with how resourceful a particular person is. So there is a positive trend of designers taking on many different tasks during product development. The following points help to better understand this phenomenon:
design thinking
Design thinking is the latest development that helps to develop good products. Particular attention is also paid to end-to-end product development solutions. When it comes to designing products (and therefore apps) it is important that the designers continue to test the company goals sharply. They then have to develop a product that consists of the following phases:
Empathize
This therefore consists of research into the needs and wishes of your users.
To define
Based on your research, you look at the problems your users encounter. Therefore, look for bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Try to keep in mind exactly what the user wants.
Ideate
Then use your skills to compile a list of potential solutions.
Prototype
The development of a prototype app helps designers to determine whether they are on the right path or not. Build a prototype to test your solutions. You may run into other good ideas that you wouldn’t have come across otherwise.
Test
Talk to users to gather essential feedback about your product. This will certainly help determine if your ideas are good and develop better solutions.
1. Deploy
The last step is to put in all your time and energy. Make sure your solutions actually solve the user’s problem.
2. Collaborate
Many companies are trying to get their designers and other teams to collaborate much more. This ensures better quality where everyone strives for an innovative mobile app.
3. Continuous Improvements
Improving digital products never stops. You will only encounter major bottlenecks of your product when the app is actually launched . In order for the app to be a success and also to remain, it is important that you continuously improve it.
It is important that you continue to use the feedback you receive from your users. This process thus ensures that you are one step ahead of the competition and that you can improve your app so that it is more valuable to users.
Conclusion
Product design involves much more than just user experience design. It is therefore much larger, taking the entire experience of the product into account.
To develop a good product you have to ensure that UI/UX designers develop into competent product designers. These can therefore process a lot of information to ensure that you can launch a good app.