1. Design Thinking

The concept of design thinking has been around for decades. In fact, Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, notes the engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859) as one of the first design thinkers. The term was thought to be coined in 1959, as John E. Arnold wrote about 4 key areas of design thinking in his book ‘Creative Engineering.’ However, it was IDEO co-founder David Kelley who expanded upon and socialized the idea of design thinking into business and innovation.

A solid and efficient design process is a vital part of product development. Stakeholders will look to you, as the Product Designer, to be the expert in this area. You should know where to start the process, depending on the ask of the project, and you should know how to execute this stage properly. This means utilizing the design thinking framework to understand a problem, establish a firm approach to problem-solving, and then develop solutions surrounding that problem. You can learn more about what design thinking is and how to apply it here.

2. Product-Oriented Approach

What separates a top Product Designer from the rest is the ability to speak and understand the Product Manager’s language. Honing in on this skill will enable you to stretch beyond the user goals, and allow you to to better understand the business goals and needs.

Understanding the ‘why’ from a business perspective will allow you to build a better product and communicate more effectively with stakeholders. You should be able to assess KPIs and measure the success rate. This means understanding product metrics and data and then forming logical conclusions or hypotheses based on the information.

3. UX Research

What separates a top Product Designer from the rest is the ability to speak and understand the Product Manager’s language. Honing in on this skill will enable you to stretch beyond the user goals, and allow you to to better understand the business goals and needs.

Understanding the ‘why’ from a business perspective will allow you to build a better product and communicate more effectively with stakeholders. You should be able to assess KPIs and measure the success rate. This means understanding product metrics and data and then forming logical conclusions or hypotheses based on the information.

4. UX Design

The term ‘UX Design’ is used loosely in the tech world today. However, it ultimately means having the necessary strategical skills to understand your users and create a product that suits their needs.

You should be able to produce storyboards and journey maps to help you understand where the user is and the emotion they are feeling while using the product. These assets can also be used as leverage to effectively communicate the users’ needs to stakeholders. The deliverables you create will vary depending on the scope of the project, but you should be well-versed in the reason for creating each of these visuals.

5. UI Design + Software Proficiency

Being proficient in the UI design tools available is a necessity to landing a job as a Product Designer. New software is emerging every day, but it’s important to choose a tool and become an expert at it. Design software should serve as an aid to your process, and should never pose a barrier.

Some of the most popular prototyping and design tools include Figma, Sketch, InVision, Framer, and Principle.

However, before you learn the tools, you should also make sure to have a solid understanding of UI and visual design principles. Understanding typography, colors, layout/grid, composition, and form are all necessary to create a great product from start to finish. Product Designers are expected to create a visual hierarchy and provide a consistent visual language. They also need to account for each user touchpoint and shape how the user interface behavior will respond accordingly.

In addition, it is important to know how to navigate a design system and have a fundamental knowledge of how to build one. Employers will expect that Product Designers know the ins and outs of design systems and how to take advantage of all they have to offer.

6. Foundational front-end knowledge

Last, but certainly not least, is the ability to understand the foundations of front-end code, such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. While there is controversy around whether a designer needs to learn to code or not, it is undeniable that you need to have enough of an understanding to communicate with engineers. A certain degree of technical prowess is expected of a Product Designer. If you do not understand how the product is being built at its core, then it will be difficult to produce something that is within reason, timeline, and scope.

Takeaways

Providing an overview of these hard skills barely scratches the surface when it comes to being a great Product Designer. However, with time, practice, and experience, these skills can be learned and mastered. It is important to note that no one will be an expert from the beginning, but refining these skills early on will set you up for a successful career as a Product Designer.