Product designers play a crucial role in overseeing the design process of a product from start to finish or improving an existing product. They are responsible for various tasks, including brainstorming solutions, taking input from stakeholders, acting as a liaison between designers, engineers, and researchers, and helping compose mock-ups through wireframes and prototypes. A product designer has a holistic understanding of the product's goals while being mindful of the details needed to achieve them.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Product Designer

Designing

While a product designer wears many hats, their principal task is to design. They use their knowledge of colour, typography, detail, and other design elements to create a product that meets the desired requirements.

Considering User Experience (UX)

A product designer is expected to incorporate UX principles into their design. This involves not only making the product user-friendly but also conducting A/B testing, email surveys, and other UX research. Additionally, they may be required to build wireframes, prototypes, and journey maps to ensure a seamless user experience.

Collaborating Across Teams

As a product designer takes a holistic view of designing a product, they often collaborate with designers, researchers, and business teams. This collaboration ensures that the finished product aligns with the company's goals and incorporates all the necessary processes to make the product user-friendly and well-designed.

Product Designer vs. UX Designer

While there is often confusion between the roles of a product designer and a UX designer, there are distinct differences:

• A UX designer typically focuses on a portion of the design process, ensuring that the product is optimally designed for user experience.
• A product designer focuses on the entirety of the process, including ensuring that the product fits the company's business needs.
• UX designers may work more heavily in the initial design stage of the product, while product designers often work to improve existing products.

It's important to note that a product designer often works with UX designers and is generally expected to have a good understanding of UX principles. Additionally, the two titles are sometimes used interchangeably, leading to understandable confusion.

How to Become a Product Designer

Becoming a product designer requires a combination of relevant skills, portfolio building, and potentially starting in related roles. Here are some steps to consider:

Gain Relevant Skills

UX/UI Skills: Understanding user needs, pain points, and how a product makes them feel is a core component of design. Technical skills to learn can include wireframing and prototyping, conducting research, and testing product features. Prototyping tools like Framer, Principle, or Figma can be helpful.

Visual Design Tools: A product that is aesthetically pleasing can delight customers and provide a pleasant user experience. Job descriptions often request a sense of aesthetics and knowledge of visual design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.

Project Management or Leadership Experience: Having experience in seeing the bigger picture of a process, strategizing, and executing a vision can be advantageous as a product designer. While you don't necessarily need to have worked as a project manager, some experience in creating, overseeing, or implementing a project can be useful.

Build a Portfolio

A portfolio can showcase your past projects, your aesthetic, and how you incorporate business needs into design. A product designer's portfolio can include an "About me" section to describe your background and strengths. You can build a portfolio using website builders like WordPress, Wix, SquareSpace, or Webflow. If you don't have enough projects for a full website initially, you can start by uploading your projects onto your LinkedIn and construct a complete portfolio later.

Start in Related Roles

The path to becoming a product designer is not always straightforward. You can gain related experience by working in roles that expose you to different aspects of product design. Depending on your skill set, you can try starting out in UX design, graphic design, copywriting, or information architect roles.

Take Courses

Regardless of your background, courses can help you polish the skills you have yet to master. Identify the gaps in your skill set and explore relevant courses and resources to bridge those gaps.

Product Designer Salary

According to Glassdoor, a product designer in the US makes an average base salary of $81,845 in 2022. The average additional pay, such as bonuses, commission, and profit-sharing, is $14,923, bringing the average total pay for a product designer in the US to $96,768. Here's a comparison with other related roles:

Role	Average Salary
Product Designer	$96,768
UX Designer	$98,651
Product Manager	$127,528

Conclusion

Becoming a product designer requires a combination of skills, including UX/UI design, visual design, and project management. Building a strong portfolio and potentially starting in related roles can help pave the way to a successful career as a product designer. With the right skills and experience, product designers can play a crucial role in overseeing the design process of products from start to finish.

FAQs

What is the primary difference between a product designer and a UX designer?

While both roles are involved in the design process, a UX designer typically focuses on ensuring an optimal user experience for a specific part of the product. In contrast, a product designer takes a more holistic approach, overseeing the entire design process from start to finish and ensuring the product aligns with the company's business goals.

What technical skills are essential for a product designer?

Some essential technical skills for a product designer include proficiency in wireframing and prototyping tools like Framer, Principle, or Figma, as well as visual design tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, knowledge of UX principles, research methods, and testing techniques is vital.

How important is it for a product designer to have project management or leadership experience?

While not strictly required, having experience in managing projects, strategizing, and executing a vision can be highly beneficial for a product designer. This experience helps them take a broader view of the design process and effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.

What should a product designer's portfolio include?

A product designer's portfolio should showcase their past projects, design aesthetic, and ability to incorporate business needs into their designs. It can include an "About me" section highlighting their background and strengths, as well as wireframes, prototypes, and visual designs they have created.

Is it difficult to transition into a product design career from a different field?

Transitioning into a product design career from a different field can be challenging but not impossible. Many product designers start in related roles such as UX design, graphic design, copywriting, or information architecture, which can provide valuable exposure to different aspects of product design.