What Is Product Design? A Complete Guide To Product Design
What is meant by product design? Essentially, it’s creating a functional product that’s easy to use and solves a user problem. Product design is part of overall product development; it involves creating a product that can be created, tested, and refined to ultimately bring it to market. Here’s your complete guide to what is meant by “product design.”
What Is Product Design?
Product design is the process of identifying a need or problem in the market and then developing a solution in the form of a functional, user-friendly product. The process involves understanding the problem and possible solutions from the customer's perspective. To get to that point, the design team must use market research to understand customer behaviors, frustrations, wants, and needs. The ultimate goal is to create a product where its use is easy and intuitive. This requires product testing services throughout the design process to ensure that those goals are being met.
In addition, product design engineering services are concerned with elements like the product being visually appealing, meeting any required safety standards, fitting into sustainability trends, and more.
Once a product is considered ready for engineering development, product designers continue to test it to ensure it still meets the end-user goals that were first established. Can it be improved? Is there another product that the original one inspires? If so, the process of concept development for a new product starts all over again.
Product Design Process
The product design process begins with an idea. What need in the consumer marketplace isn’t being met? What problem can be solved through a new product? That’s the essence of what is meant by product design.
The process then moves into concept development for that new product. That requires gathering and analyzing market research data, such as trends, consumer behaviors, needs, wants, and frustrations. Then the engineers get to work, coming up with a design. The design moves to the stage where a prototype is created, using technology such as laser-cutting or 3D printing.
The prototype is then tested for things like useability, safety, and the like. A prototype allows a real-world experience of the product that provides further insights, improvements, and any potential problems before starting the manufacturing process.
Research and Discovery
At this stage, the product design and development company investigates the needs and wants of the target audience. They gather this information through market research data and trends. They look at consumer behaviors, pain points, and needs, and examine competitors. This can be done through interviews, surveys, and existing research.
This process helps to more clearly define the problem that can be solved and helps the product design engineering services part of the company have a better idea of what to build.
Concept Development
With a clearer idea of the core problem, the team works to flesh out a concept for a solution. This involves using all that data to brainstorm multiple ideas for a new product.
The engineers then create a basic prototype that allows for testing. They’re looking both for useability and visual appeal, plus more consumer feedback. This information allows the concept to be further refined so that the product does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Testing
Product testing services are an essential part of the product design process. Product testing checks for essentials like ease of use, safety, and aesthetic appeal. The end goal is to have a product that solves a problem in a way that’s simple and intuitive.
Testing also helps uncover any potential problems or needed improvements before a full manufacturing process begins. This can save you time and money down the road.
Implementation
Implementation is the part of the product design process where the rubber meets the road. A prototype is built, based on the research and findings gathered. That prototype is then tested, debugged, and refined.
Part of the implementation process requires regular collaboration between the product development and engineering teams to prioritize the various needs and milestones and keep the timeline moving.
Key Elements of Effective Product Design
The whole purpose of product design is to create a product that solves a problem. So there are some key elements of effective product design that must be taken into consideration. The first is functionality, also known as “Does it work?” Does the product do what it’s supposed to do? What’s the user experience like? Is it easy to use and figure out? How about its visual appeal, like the color, layout, and form? Does it meet any required safety standards? And how does it fit into today’s sustainability goals as far as materials, recycling potential, and the like?
All of these elements need to come together in a seamless way to create a product that successfully meets market demand. Enki Product Development is a product design and development company that handles each step of the process to create a new product and get it market-ready much faster.
Functionality
Does the new product do what it’s supposed to do? Does it solve the problem that it’s meant to? Does it do it in any easy-to-use or understandable way?
Aesthetics
Does the product have visual appeal? Based on market research, are the colors the right ones? Does it have pleasing lines and layout? How does its overall appearance fit into the setting it's meant to be in (like a kitchen)?
Usability
How easy is the product to use and interact with? Is it simple to figure out? What’s the overall user experience (UX) from one end of the experience to the end? This is a key part of effective product design.
Ergonomics
You want the product to be easy, safe, and comfortable to use at every step. This creates an enjoyable experience for the customer, which benefits the brand image. It also reduces the likelihood of complaints or returns that cost money. Since safety is part of ergonomic standards, ensuring that the product design doesn’t skimp on safety-related features will also save money (and brand reputation) in the long run.
Sustainability
These days, product engineering design services must take into account both the construction and materials that go into creating a product. How do they impact the environment? Does it require harmful elements? Is the product or its various elements recyclable down the road? These are important considerations in effective product design.
Common Challenges in Product Design
Among the challenges in product design are issues that are related to viability in the marketplace. How can you get a new product to do something better than something that may already be out there? How can you overcome limitations on budget, pricing, or materials?
Establishing a realistic timeline is another challenge. There will always be delays or hiccups along the development cycle; factoring that into the timeline is essential. Setting up a course of achievable milestones and maintaining clear, regular communication between all parties keeps the process moving along and maintains accountability.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in product design is the most effective use of Time. These days, getting a new product to market requires a solid understanding of every part of the process and then building a realistic timeline to deliver it quickly.
From the initial concept to the research to the creation and testing of the prototype, understanding the challenges of product design going into the process allows for a smarter use of resources from start to finish.
Conclusion
So what is product design about? It’s the process where a new product goes from a good idea on paper to physical creation. The right product design and development company, like Enki Product Development, can handle each step of the process.
Taking an idea and turning it into a workable concept begins with solid research into the market, consumer needs, and any competitors. Then our product engineering services come up with workable solutions, refine them, and then construct a well-designed prototype. We engage our product testing services to see if that prototype lives up to the expectations and demands of the marketplace. This helps avoid potential problems in manufacturing that can cost time and money.
At every stage, we provide a clear timeline and achievable milestones to overcome the typical challenges of product design. The end result is quickly delivering a market-ready product.