As end users, we often don’t realize the work put into our favorite apps and software to make it our favorite. Making an intuitive and user-friendly digital product is a complex process. It usually includes steps such as market research, ideating, prototyping, validation, and constant development - and teamwork of many months involving many product designers.
This article will explore how the design process looks in the digital world, including best practices and recommended tools from our team of product designers.
What makes a good digital product design?
A successful digital product design is characterized by functionality, esthetics, and user experience, ensuring a seamless and intuitive interaction for users. User-centric design, where the product is tailored to meet the needs and preferences of its target audience, is crucial.
An effective design should prioritize simplicity and clarity, minimizing cognitive load and maximizing user engagement. Take the example of the mobile app Headspace which offers a visually pleasing and user-friendly interface for meditation and mindfulness. The app's calming color palette, straightforward navigation, and interactive features create a positive user experience. Another noteworthy example is Duolingo, a language-learning app that gamifies education. Its intuitive design, vibrant visuals, and bite-sized lessons create an engaging and effective learning environment.
A good digital product design is one that users can’t get enough of. It makes their life easier and helps them navigate their user journey seamlessly. Good digital product design hinges on understanding user behavior, delivering a visually appealing interface, and providing a frictionless experience.
What is a digital product?
Before we explain how to achieve a good digital product design, let’s understand what a digital product is. A digital product refers to any item or service that exists in a non-physical, digital form. Unlike physical products, digital ones are delivered or accessed electronically, such as via the Internet or digital platforms. Digital products include software applications, e-books, online courses, digital art, music, and streaming services.
Digital products are present in our daily lives at every step - from music streaming services on morning commutes, throughout our work days full of online meetings, to late-night video game sessions. Users interact with them so often that their expectations are extremely high. Any friction might cause them to choose a different option, easily accessible in the saturated market. That is why the process of digital product design should be focused on the end user.
These products are created, distributed, and consumed in a purely digital environment. Digital products are ever-present in the modern world due to their convenience, scalability, and ease of distribution, enabling users to access and enjoy them instantaneously on various devices. The digital nature of these products also allows for frequent updates, customization, and interactive user experiences, contributing to the dynamic and evolving landscape of the digital economy.
What is product design?
The other part of the definition is product design. Product design is a multidisciplinary process that involves conceiving, planning, and creating products or services focusing on user experience, functionality, and esthetics. It consists of various activities that take place in a particular order. This includes researching user needs and market trends, sketching, prototyping, testing with users, and refining the final product. An important aspect of product design is its iterative nature and aim for continuous improvement of the product so that it stays relevant to evolving market needs.
Product designers balance between form and function, ensuring that the resulting item not only looks appealing but also serves its intended purpose effectively. The process often involves collaboration between designers, engineers, marketers, and other stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach to creating successful and innovative products.
Successful product design considers usability, manufacturability, sustainability, and overall user satisfaction. It plays a pivotal role in shaping how we interact with and perceive everyday objects, from consumer goods to technological devices, contributing significantly to the overall user experience and the success of a product in the market.
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Product design vs. UX design - what’s the difference?
UX design is a big part of the product design process, and sometimes these terms get confused. However, they have distinct focuses within the overall product development process. UX design is primarily concerned with enhancing the overall user experience by ensuring that the product is intuitive, easy to use, and meets the needs and expectations of its target audience. UX designers delve into user research, usability testing, and interaction design to optimize how users interact with a product.
On the other hand, product design is a broader discipline that encompasses the entire process of creating a product, from ideation to manufacturing. While UX design is a crucial component of product design, product designers have a more extensive scope, addressing not only the user experience but also considering factors such as esthetics, functionality, market opportunities, and user needs. In essence, UX design is a subset of product design, focusing specifically on the user's journey and interaction with the product, while product design encompasses a more holistic view of the entire product development process. You can explore the differences further in our article about product design vs. UX design.
The role of design thinking
Digital product designers follow a process that ensures their ideas are validated with data. This process is called design thinking. Design thinking is a human-centric methodology emphasizing empathy, ideation, verification, and iteration to address complex problems and create innovative solutions.
In digital product design, design thinking involves understanding user needs, ideating potential solutions, prototyping, and continuously refining based on user feedback. This iterative process aligns well with the dynamic and evolving nature of digital products. Design thinking encourages cross-functional collaboration and a deep understanding of users through discovery techniques such as user interviews, journey mapping, or cognitive walkthroughs. By fostering a creative and empathetic mindset, design thinking enables designers to generate unique insights and develop user-centered solutions.
Design thinking in digital product design also places a strong emphasis on testing and iteration, ensuring that the final digital product not only meets user expectations but also adapts to changing needs and technological advancements.
Stages of the design thinking process
The design thinking process follows steps in a particular order. Below, we explain each stage of the process in the context of digital product design.
Empathize
The first step on the digital product design journey is to empathize. This crucial phase involves product designers immersing themselves in the user's perspective to gain a deep understanding of their needs, motivations, and pain points. Designers employ various research methods, such as user interviews, surveys, and observation, to gather insights into the users' experiences. The ultimate goal of this phase is to discover a gain creator, which is what product designers call a game-changing functionality that keeps users coming back. These revolutionary innovations are rare as they are hard to achieve.
Empathizing means going beyond surface-level interactions and understanding the emotional and behavioral aspects of users as they engage with technology. By empathizing with the end users, designers can develop an awareness of the challenges and aspirations that shape digital experiences. This human-centered approach lays the foundation for creating products that genuinely resonate with users, addressing their real-world problems, and enhancing their overall satisfaction in the digital realm. The Empathize stage sets the tone for the subsequent stages in the design thinking process, guiding the design team to generate solutions that meet or even exceed the needs and expectations of the target audience.
Define
The second stage of the design thinking process is the process of definition. In this phase, designers aim to distill the insights gained from the initial Empathize stage into a clearly defined problem statement or design challenge. This involves synthesizing the user research, identifying patterns, and extracting key pain points and needs. The goal is to articulate the problem in a way that is actionable and inspires creative solutions. The result is a single sentence that defines the problem to solve, called a design challenge.
A famous example of a design challenge is “I need something to listen to music on long flights.” This customer need was articulated by Sony's owner in 1979 
and resulted in the invention of the Walkman, which later revolutionized how we listen to music. This one sentence perfectly encapsulated the design challenge, stating the need without restricting creativity or potential solutions.
In digital product design, defining the problem involves understanding user behaviors, motivations, and pain points within the digital ecosystem. Designers may create user personas, empathy maps, or user journey maps to deepen their understanding. This focused problem definition guides the subsequent stages of the design process, ensuring that the solutions generated are directly aligned with addressing the identified user needs and challenges. The Define stage serves as a crucial bridge between understanding the user and crafting solutions that resonate with their experiences in the digital realm.
Ideate
The Ideate stage in the design thinking process for digital product design is a crucial phase where creative solutions are generated to address the identified problems and meet user needs. During this stage, cross-functional teams engage in divergent thinking, sharing ideas without judgment. Participants explore various possibilities, brainstorming, and ideating without constraints, with the goal of generating innovative concepts.
In digital product design, ideation often involves sketching wireframes, creating prototypes, and considering different user interactions. Designers may draw inspiration from diverse sources, including user research insights, emerging technologies, and successful case studies. The ideation phase encourages a collaborative and open-minded atmosphere, allowing for the synthesis of diverse perspectives and ideas. This stage sets the foundation for the subsequent steps in the design thinking process, ensuring that the final digital product is not only functional but also inventive and capable of addressing user needs in novel ways.
Prototype
The fourth stage of the design thinking process is the Prototype stage, a critical phase in digital product design where concepts and ideas are transformed into tangible representations. In this stage, designers create scaled-down, interactive models or prototypes that simulate the key functionalities and features of the intended digital product.
Prototypes serve as a means to test and validate design assumptions, allowing designers to gather valuable feedback from users and stakeholders. Digital product prototypes can take various forms, ranging from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity interactive mock-ups. The emphasis is on visual and interactive representation of the user interface and user experience. Prototyping enables digital product designers to iterate rapidly, refine design elements, and identify potential issues early in the development process.
At this point, it's good to look at the findings of your research from the previous step. If the prototype doesn’t answer the identified user needs, step back to the empathize stage. More research can give answers and help you produce products that resonate with the audience.
Test
The fifth stage of the design thinking process consists of testing. It is a crucial step in validating and refining proposed solutions. During this stage, designers create prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs) based on the insights gathered in the earlier stages. Testing involves presenting these prototypes to actual users, stakeholders, or target audiences to gather feedback and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. Usability testing, user interviews, and observation are common methods used in this phase.
The goal is to identify usability issues, understand how users interact with the digital product, and validate whether the design effectively addresses user needs. The iterative nature of testing allows for continuous refinement, enabling designers to make informed adjustments and improvements before finalizing the digital product. This stage ensures the end product provides a seamless and meaningful user experience.
Implement
The last stage of the design thinking process is implementation. It marks the culmination of the iterative design journey and involves bringing the refined digital product to life. In digital product design, implementation is the phase where the conceptualized solutions and prototypes are translated into functional, user-ready products. This stage entails collaboration between designers, developers, and other stakeholders to execute the final design, ensuring it aligns with technical requirements and constraints. Implementation involves coding and programming for software applications, integrating user interfaces, and conducting thorough testing to identify and address any remaining issues.
Successful implementation hinges on effective communication and coordination among team members to ensure the seamless transition from the design phase to the functional product. Ongoing feedback loops and testing should be incorporated to refine and optimize the product even after its initial release, reflecting the iterative nature of the design thinking process and acknowledging the need for continuous improvement in the ever-evolving landscape of digital products.
It’s important to remember that at each stage of the design thinking process the team can return to a previous stage to further evaluate and deepen their research. This iterative loop encourages an adaptive approach, continuous improvement, and innovation. Revisiting earlier stages helps teams stay responsive to changing user behaviors, market trends, or technological advancements. The ability to cycle back through the design thinking process reflects the methodology's commitment to ongoing learning and refinement throughout the entire product development life cycle.
What do digital product designers do?
Now that we have explained the nature of the digital product design process, let’s take a look at the people who take part in it. The digital product design process involves a collaborative effort among various professionals, each contributing their expertise to ensure the creation of a successful and user-centered product.
Product designers are at the core of a digital product design team. They engage in extensive research to understand user needs and market trends, then use this information to ideate and sketch potential solutions. They collaborate with cross-functional teams consisting of various professionals.
UX designers are central in conducting user research, creating wireframes, and designing interfaces to optimize the overall user experience. UI designers contribute to the visual esthetics and branding, ensuring the product aligns with the intended design language. Product managers provide strategic direction, overseeing the project timeline, and ensuring that the product aligns with business goals. Developers bring the design to life, coding and implementing the functionalities outlined in the design phase. Quality assurance professionals conduct rigorous testing to identify and rectify any issues in the product's functionality or usability. Additionally, researchers, content strategists, and marketing professionals play crucial roles in gathering insights, crafting compelling narratives, and promoting the product to the target audience. Finally, end users play a critical role - they are the only ones who can test the product thoroughly and pinpoint shortcomings in information architecture or usability.
Effective collaboration among these diverse roles is essential for a holistic and successful digital product design process.
Product design mistakes to avoid
Because digital product design is a complex process engaging multiple professionals of various specializations, there is a lot that can go wrong. From neglecting perspectives to inconsistent design choices, here is a list of common mistakes to avoid.
- Ignoring user feedback
Disregarding user feedback and failing to iterate on a design based on user input is a significant mistake. Whether through usability testing or user surveys, incorporating user insights is essential for refining and improving the product. - Ignoring mobile responsiveness
Neglecting the mobile user experience is a common mistake. Failing to optimize a website or application for a variety of devices can lead to poor usability on smaller screens, impacting user engagement. For example, a website with tiny text or unresponsive buttons on a mobile device can frustrate users and result in high bounce rates. - Inadequate onboarding process
Overlooking the importance of a clear and user-friendly onboarding process can hinder user adoption. If a mobile app doesn't provide guidance or assistance to new users, they may struggle to understand its features and functionalities, leading to frustration and potential abandonment. - Overlooking loading times
Slow loading times can significantly affect user satisfaction. Users expect digital products to be fast and responsive. For instance, an e-commerce site with slow-loading product images or a lagging checkout process may drive users away, impacting conversion rates. - Complex navigation structures
Complex navigation structures can confuse and frustrate users. A website or app with unclear menus and navigation paths can make it challenging for users to find what they need. Simplifying navigation and ensuring a clear hierarchy, resulting from research on information architecture, helps users navigate seamlessly. - Neglecting accessibility
Failing to prioritize accessibility features excludes users with disabilities. For example, a website without proper alt text for images or lacking keyboard navigation options can alienate users who rely on assistive technologies. - Inconsistency
Inconsistent use of design elements such as colors, fonts, and layouts can create a disjointed user experience. For instance, a mobile app with different button styles or color schemes across various screens can make the interface confusing and less visually appealing. Besides visual consistency, take into consideration the verbal aspects: ensure the content is the same across various devices and that the tone of voice stays consistent.
By avoiding these common mistakes, digital product designers can enhance the user experience, improve user satisfaction, and contribute to the overall success of the product.
Recommended product design tools
Good digital product design needs equally good tools. They help digital product designers to streamline their workflow, collaborate effectively, and create visually appealing and user-friendly designs. The following is a list of recommended tools for digital product design:
- Prototyping and UI tools: Adobe XD, Sketch, and Figma are popular for creating high-fidelity prototypes and user interfaces. They offer features like artboards, vector editing, and collaboration capabilities, facilitating seamless design processes. InVision and Marvel enable designers to bring their concepts to life with interactive and clickable prototypes, fostering better communication and testing with users.
- Workshop and brainstorming tools: For ideation and early prototyping, you can use digital whiteboards, such as FigJam or Miro, or - if you have an on-site meeting - an actual whiteboard and markers.
- Collaboration tools: Slack and Trello are instrumental in coordinating efforts among design teams and stakeholders.
- User testing and analytics tools: UsabilityHub and Hotjar help designers gather valuable insights on user behavior and preferences. Quantitative research can be done with analytics tools, such as Pendo, Amplitude, or Google Analytics.
- Version control tools: GitHub or Bitbucket are essential for managing and tracking changes in collaborative projects.
Utilizing a combination of these tools can empower digital product designers to efficiently navigate through the design process, collaborate seamlessly, and deliver products that meet both user expectations and business goals. You can find an extended list of tools for every step of the design thinking process in our article Top 25 Product Design Tools.
Digital product design strategy for a successful product
Creating a robust digital product design strategy ensures that the final product aligns with user needs, business goals, and market trends. Here are several key steps to guide the development of a comprehensive digital product design strategy:
Define objectives and goals
Clearly articulate the objectives of the digital product. Understand the core goals, whether it's improving user engagement, increasing conversions, or entering new markets. Align these objectives with broader business strategies to ensure synergy.
User research and persona development
Conduct thorough user research to understand the target audience. Create user personas that represent different segments of the user base. This step gathers insights into user behaviors, preferences, and pain points to inform the design process.
Competitive analysis
Analyze competitors and similar products in the market. Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This analysis helps in positioning the digital product strategically and differentiating it from existing offerings.
Set design principles
Establish design principles that will guide the entire design process. These principles may include usability, accessibility, consistency, and brand alignment. Having clear design principles ensures a cohesive and user-centric approach to product development.
Information architecture
Develop a solid information architecture that defines the structure and organization of the product. Consider user flows, navigation, and content hierarchy to create an intuitive and user-friendly experience.
Wireframing and prototyping
Create wireframes to outline the basic layout and structure of the digital product. Develop interactive prototypes to visualize the user journey and test different design concepts. Prototyping allows for early feedback and iteration.
Visual design
Implement the visual design elements, including color schemes, typography, and imagery, based on the established design principles. Ensure consistency with brand guidelines and create a visually appealing and cohesive user interface.
Usability testing
Conduct usability testing to evaluate the product's functionality and user experience. Gather feedback from real users to identify areas for improvement and refine the design iteratively.
Iterative design process
Embrace an iterative design process, where feedback from usability testing and user engagement informs ongoing adjustments and refinements. Iterate on the design based on real-world user interactions and evolving requirements.
Development collaboration
Collaborate closely with developers during the design-to-development handoff. Provide detailed design specifications and assets to ensure a smooth transition from design to implementation.
Launch and post-launch evaluation
Launch the digital product and closely monitor its performance. Collect user feedback, analyze key performance indicators, and iterate on the design as necessary to address any emerging issues or capitalize on opportunities.
Metrics in product design
Measuring instruments and precise metrics are pivotal in creating successful and user-friendly products. Measuring instruments in digital product design encompass a variety of tools, ranging from analytics software and usability testing platforms to feedback mechanisms and user surveys. Measurements include both numerical metrics and qualitative assessments of user experiences, such as user satisfaction and engagement. By employing a comprehensive array of analytical tools and embracing meticulous measurements, designers can iteratively refine and optimize their products.
By following these steps, digital product designers can create a strategic framework that not only guides the design process but also ensures that the final product meets user expectations and achieves business objectives.
Best practices for digital product design
Implementing best practices in digital product design is crucial for creating user-friendly, visually appealing, and effective products. Here are several key best practices to consider.
Consistency across platforms
Maintain visual and functional consistency across different devices and platforms. Users should have a seamless experience accessing the product on a website, mobile app, or other digital platforms. Consistency in design elements, branding, and interactions fosters familiarity and usability.
Simplify navigation
Keep navigation simple and intuitive. Clear and well-organized menus, logical information architecture, and easily accessible controls contribute to a positive user experience. Users should be able to navigate through the product with minimal effort.
Regular usability testing
Regularly conduct usability testing with real users throughout the design process. Gather feedback on the product's functionality, navigation, and overall user experience. Iteratively refine the design based on the insights gained from testing.
Collaboration and communication
Focus on effective collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams. Designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders should work closely to align goals, share insights, and ensure a cohesive approach throughout the product development life cycle.
Stay updated on design trends
Stay informed about current design trends, emerging technologies, and user behaviors. While it's essential to prioritize timeless design principles, being aware of trends can inspire fresh ideas and ensure that the product remains relevant in the dynamic digital landscape.
Summary
In this comprehensive guide to digital product design, we have explored the key principles and best practices that form the foundation of successful product development. By following these insights and practices, digital product designers can navigate the complexities of the design process, ultimately delivering products that not only meet user expectations but also contribute to business success in the crowded digital product market.
