6 Tips On What To Consider When Doing A Product Designing
While product designing might seem like a very artistic thing to do, which it is, it is quite technical at the same time. As a product designer, not only are you giving form to the idea of the engineers and the product development teams behind the project, but you are just as much a part of the product development process as the technical staff. In fact, you are also vertically integrated into the next phase of the business as you are working with R&D and sales to create something which is an ideal mix between what engineers have to offer and what the market has a demand for.
More importantly, it is through your work that the ideas of the engineers will come to life and the concepts and technologies that they have been working on will be materialized through your efforts. In a sense, the brand identity also rests in your hands, as it is your job to make a product that consumers will enjoy using and will be willing to spend their money on. Just like how the presentation of a dish can make an average meal look like a delight, a poor presentation can make a delicious meal look unappetizing.
Here are 6 things that you want to keep in mind when designing a product to make it possible to win the hearts of product developers and clients alike.
1. Focus
Your design needs to be based on something, focused around a specific thing, or aimed at a certain objective. You might want to highlight a unique feature of your product, your product might be formed around a certain technology, or you might want to cater to the needs of a certain market or client. Whatever it is that your aim is, it needs to be reflected in your design.
2. Address Problems
Generally, products are created in response to consumer demand, which either stems from problems users are facing or from their needs that existing products are not addressing. Even if you are developing a new to the world product, there must be a specific problem that it aims to solve or a certain clientele that it aims to cater to. It is vital that the design allows the product to achieve its purpose.
3. Beauty In Details
Humans enjoy the beauty, and through quality design, even mundane things can be made to stand out. One of the best ways to attract consumer attention is to make your product look good. The designers at 4D Products suggest that paying attention to the details is what makes a product look better. Even though these things might not be apparent at first glance, the overall impact a product has is significantly enhanced if the fine details are high quality and have been developed with a purpose in mind.
4. Value
Your product might not have any significant intrinsic value, but through design, you can overcome this hurdle and make it appear to be a product worth the clients’ time and money. Through quality design, the perceived product value can be increased. Marketing and brand strategy also plays a role in this step, but the design needs to support these strategies for the campaign to work. By understanding the nature of the client, you can create designs that will enhance perceived value.
5. Aesthetics
There is a fine balance when it comes to making a product aesthetically valuable, which marks the point between a product that is only a visually appealing object and one which is only a functional device. Quality design will blur this differentiation and make the looks of a product seem like they too are contributing to the functionality of the device and vice versa.
Everyone wants something special. That is how they know that the money they have spent is giving them value. Even if the product is homogenous, the design allows for it to be unique and stand out in a crowded market. However, you don’t want your design to be so unique that it makes the product seem odd and drives customers away.
6. Quality
Even for common consumer items, you can find extremely expensive versions which boast quality and style. Look at designer masks, for example, they use the same filters as many common masks but the overall quality of the product and the design allows it to sell at a far higher premium. Some designs incorporate various materials and even production techniques, though this should not be at the cost of durability. In many cases, people are willing to have a slightly less visually appealing product if it promises to serve them for a long time due to its durable and sturdy design.
While balancing these different requirements can seem like a challenging job, it is what makes product design such an interesting field of work. The right mix of all of these design characteristics can lead to timeless products like the Rolex, whose design has only changed very slightly a couple of times in the company’s century-long history. Product design is only perfected through trial and error, so don’t shy away from redoing older designs, as you never know when you come across something special.