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In some ways, it\u2019s a bit strange that UX design and product design are treated as distinct jobs. Both are ultimately concerned with meeting the needs of users by developing products and services based on feedback and observational research, but a quick look<\/a> at the way employers describe these roles reveals that there\u2019s clearly some important distinction between them.<\/p>\n So what sets them apart?<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s going to be a bit of variation from company to company, but generally product designers have a wider range of responsibilities that go beyond basic questions of usability. Take affordability, for instance. Designing a product that meets every user need won\u2019t amount to much if it\u2019s so expensive that nobody can buy it. Product designers have to consider market forces that could impact cost and availability, as well as how to make products stand out in a hyper-competitive environment. They also need to think about how to translate the latest great UX idea into a viable reality, one that not only makes sense for users, but also for the company itself. What\u2019s the point of building the most user-friendly product ever conceived if the company can\u2019t produce it cost effectively enough to turn a profit?<\/p>\n If product design refers more to the \u201cbig picture\u201d agenda for any design project, UX principles<\/a> can be extremely helpful. In the first place, companies need to know what sort of products they want to deliver to customers. The only way they can answer that question is by understanding and empathizing with those customers to find out what they need and want from those products.<\/p>\n These fundamental questions are traditionally the purvey of UX research<\/a>. Through a combination of surveys, observational research, and continuously iterative usability testing, UX researchers are quite good at identifying customer pain points and drawing forth insights to create a picture of what people want from products and services. It\u2019s up to the product designers to decide whether or not these concepts are viable, but having the data available is tremendously beneficial to the overall design process.<\/p>\n With iterative prototyping being a key aspect of the design thinking process for UX designers, product designers can extend this concept to well beyond the research and testing phase. Digital products like mobile phone apps or computer software have evolved into a unique market position because they\u2019re never really \u201cfinished\u201d in the traditional sense of the term. These programs are continuously being changed according to user feedback, new user interface methodologies, and security considerations. The average successful mobile phone app, for instance, is updated 1 to 4 times each month<\/a>. While some of these updates are minor tweaks to coding that users barely notice, they can sometimes be substantial, fundamentally changing the product\u2019s core user experience.<\/p>\nUX Principles in Product Design<\/h2>\n
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