Who is a Product Designer?
A product designer looks over a product's design process from beginning to end or if any improvement or changes are needed in an existing product. It is usually a product designer who finds out new solutions to current problematic points, take input from stakeholders, and acts as a liaison between designers, engineers, researchers, and if needed others for the product. That person also helps to compose mock-ups through wireframes and prototypes. Product Designers have a complete understanding of the bigger and broader goals of the development while being mindful of the details needed to achieve the best for the products.
Now, here comes the question what skill set will help one to become a better Product Designer with a better salary? Thus, here are some of the skills that can make one an efficient Product Designer-
UX/UI: A good Product Designer should have the perspective of what a user actually wants to accomplish, what their problem points are, what their needs are, and how a product makes them feel is a core component of design. One should be very quick with their technical skills and learn things which can include wireframing and prototyping, conducting research, and testing product features. Prototyping tools can include Framer, Principle, or Figma.
Visual design tools: It is important for a product designer to make a product that’s pleasing to the eye definitely delights the customers and makes for a good user experience. Job descriptions nowadays often require that one should have a sense of aesthetics, and some knowledge of the tools that are used in visual design. These can include Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.
Project management or leadership experience: To be a good product designer one must have some practice in seeing and involving the bigger picture of a process, one should be able to strategize and execute a vision that can come in handy as a product designer.
Also, another pro tip for a better position and job is to build a portfolio- As a portfolio display one’s past projects, one’s aesthetic, properness, how organized the person is and how you incorporate business needs into the design. A portfolio as a product designer should have an “About me” section to describe one’s background and strengths.
