What Makes a Solid Product Design? Tips and Tricks to Follow

What Makes a Solid Product Design? Tips and Tricks to Follow

Product design is a slippery art form that combines the best of commerce with creativity and practicality. Getting the right balance is tricky, but a well-designed product can instantly connect you with your audience; it can even be so iconic that it fulfills a gaping need in the market right away or turns into one of those trends we can’t avoid.

When creativity and vision combine to produce something new, effective, and attractive, it can be an eye-opening experience for both the manufacturer and customers. However, the concerns of the product designer are pretty different from those set out by the creator or manufacturer themselves, and it can be a frustrating and challenging process. The following are a few ways to make a product’s design sing and be useful while connecting viscerally with consumers.

1. Functionality is King

Functionality is King

While a product with cool colors and fun features is excellent, it’s not the only thing anyone should be looking for, and the functionality is essential. A product designer needs to remember that the focus should be on function rather than features – otherwise, it’s easy to get weighed down by too many bells and whistles while losing the core of the product identity. 

It’s easy to get sucked into fancy features that seem terribly clever. However, customers don’t want that. They want something that works well and is worth their money. So, features have to come second when thinking about a product’s design.

2. Problem Solving

Problem Solving

A good product is successful when it’s clear the ways in which it can help solve a problem that plagues us. If the product isn’t particularly useful or its purpose isn’t clear, you may run into a situation in making it marketable. The professionals associated with the field of UK Product Development can attest to the importance of making a product completely functional and having its practicality take precedence over aesthetics. 

Things can go south for product marketers and designers when they try to convince people that they need a solution to something that isn’t necessarily a problem when they could actually get a desperately needed solution from another product right away. If consumers disagree with the sort of thing that requires problem-solving, then the product may fall flat straight out of the gate.

3. Details

Details

The finer details tend to differentiate products from one another, and it pits a batch of the thoughtfully conceived against the expedient ones, making it clear to consumers what the prudent choice should be. The little details matter a lot. Everything from fit, polish, formal design is very telling. 

While most consumers hunt for things that will help solve the problems that crop up in their lives, the smaller details add up and have a cumulative effect on how a product is conceived. When the details look good, customers will leave a good impression and may be more likely to purchase. In this day and age of mass-produced, cheaply made goods, anything made with respect to the individual component will get more buyers to notice and stand at attention.

4. Simplicity

Simplicity

Another important facet of product design is keeping things fluid and simple. A user needs to quickly understand how a product should be used instead of guessing and wondering if they have items right. Making sure that the product isn’t complicated to use and is user-friendly is a tall order but tends to go a long way with consumers.

Users will get frustrated with a product that doesn’t seem to work for them or isn’t simple to handle and will toss it aside in frustration. When designing a new product, it’s always helpful to put yourself in the shoes of others and fine-tune the areas that can be hard for the consumer to get a handle on. If the utility of the object at hand feels confusing or can lead to misuse, then it might be time to go back to the drawing board.

5. Establish a Strong Brand Identity

Strong Brand Identity

Branding is an important part of product design since you need to have the user associate your product with the company at large. A well-designed product should have the logo artfully present and bear some unique identifying features that will help the audience better understand your brand and the kind of products or services being sold.

Strong design principles are important to any company or organization that designs products for popular consumption. Designing a product is easier said than done, and it takes a lot of patience, skill, and determination since you may fail more than once. But a robust design pays dividends in the long run.

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