Product Designer vs UX Designer, Which One Does Your Business Need?

Every product design process comes with its unique challenges. For instance, let's say you're developing a new app for your business. You've assembled a great team of developers, marketers, and investors. But what about the user experience? Who will be responsible for establishing that all-important foundation to ensure the app meets the needs of its target audience? A product designer? A UX designer? The answer is that both roles are critical to the app's success. But it's essential to understand their differences before moving on to the product design process. This blog will help you do just that. First, we'll discuss the differences between product and UX designers. Then, we'll discuss which role your business needs to create a successful product.

If you're looking for a solution to help you navigate the product design process, NUMI can help. Our tools simplify product design to help you discover the best approach for your project, including the right team to bring your vision to life.

What is a Product Designer?

A product designer is responsible for a product's user experience, usually taking direction on the business goals and objectives from product management. Although typically associated with a product's visual/tactile aspects, product designers can also play a role in information architecture and system design.

Diverse Roles in Product Design

A product designer may also be referred to as a User Experience Designer, Customer Experience Architect, User Interface Designer, Interaction Designer, or Information Architect, depending on the type of company, the size and diversity of the design department, and the particular individual’s area of expertise. 

The Role of Product Designers in Product Development

While companies can always benefit from a product designer, they play a vital role during key stages of product development. During the initial design and proof-of-concept phase, they can translate the product's goal into a functional user experience and provide requirements feedback regarding what must be in place for users to achieve their goals. 

As a product grows and adds more features and functionality, it can ensure an intuitive user experience and reduce points of friction. Once a product is mature, it can help refine the user experience and make it more efficient, improving page load speeds, etc. 

The Importance of Product Designers in Different Company Stages

Some companies view product designers as a luxury and might only add someone to that role later in their lifecycle. In contrast, others might hire a product designer before adding a product manager. Product design can also be outsourced relatively easily, so many companies rely on outside consultants and agencies.

What Are the Key Responsibilities of a Product Designer?

Product designers may be asked to operate at high-level design (such as designing the overall system or information architecture) and very granular details (pixel-specific mockups or CSS templates). Regardless of what they’re working on, the user experience is front-and-center for their work. 

Product designers have several artifacts they may deliver as part of their job, including but limited to:

• Prototypes
• Wireframes
• Mockups
• User Journey Maps

A Collaborative Approach to Product Design

While the “traditional” model involved handing off a product to product designers after the requirements were set, many product designers now work hand-in-hand with the product team throughout the product development process. By being involved throughout, they can influence what the product does and how it does it, keeping the user experience in mind. 

Product designers typically take the reins for prototyping and user testing, as their goal is to create an excellent product experience. They may also do some coding (typically more with front-end presentation languages such as HTML and CSS) and create digital assets such as:

• Logos
• Icons
• Buttons

They assist in authoring the text used within the product. A product designer is responsible for solutions that include physical products or hardware, such as helping select materials, colors, and textures, possibly even using 3-D printers for prototyping or recommending production methods. Product designers will also maintain the design library of the product suite for future reference.

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What is UX Designer?

User experience (UX) designers create simple, intuitive interaction experiences that solve user problems in easy-to-use, aesthetically pleasing formats. 

To make a positive experience, designers must understand the user:

• Desires
• Attitudes
• Motivations
• Expectations
• Pain points

UX designers investigate why users adopt products, the key tasks they hope to accomplish with a product, and their attitudes toward it. These insights inform product functionality and design. 

What Does a UX Designer Do?

User experience (UX) designers are responsible for the look and feel of a product, website, or app. They work with teams of product managers, UI designers, writers, and developers to create high-fidelity screens and prototypes that represent how the product will look and function once it is released to the public. 

A few of the day-to-day tasks or projects you might work on as a UX designer include:

User Research

UX designers are grounded in data. This data is gathered when you conduct user research, collect data from your target audience and ideal product users, and analyze it to empower your design decisions. With this data, you can create user personas or snapshots that profile user groups or types to help you quickly assess your users' broader needs and map out user journeys. During these sessions, you can identify user needs and use them to help you create better designs.

Wireframes

A wireframe is a simplified version of an app or webpage, like a blueprint, that maps out where each design element will be placed on a page. It's a quick sketch that lets you look at structure, layout, flows, interactions, and more, quickly shifting components around to arrive at a good decision before moving on. The earliest part of any design process is to map out user flows and more.

Information Architecture

Information Architecture (sometimes simply referred to as "IA") is the process of organizing, structuring, and labeling a product's content to help users find information quickly and easily. 

In the context of product design, it involves creating a logical and meaningful structure for the content to help users navigate through the product intuitively and efficiently. 

UX designers incorporate information architecture principles early on in the UX design process to ensure that users can access the information they need when needed.

High-Fidelity Designs

After the initial wireframes have been approved, the design moves into a new phase: high-fidelity (or "hi-fi"). The grayscale sketch comes to life with colors, typography, imagery, and interactions. 

The Role of UX Designers in the Design Process

As a UX designer, it's typically assumed that you'll be able to create a high-fidelity design yourself. That's why UX Academy students learn how to take a concept from initial user research to the final product, ready for handoff to a development team. Nevertheless, specialized roles like UI Designer or Visual Designer may take over this process in companies with larger design teams.

Prototypes

Throughout the design process, a UX designer may turn the design into a prototype. A prototype is a working model of a design that behaves similarly to how it would when a developer fully codes it. It allows you to conduct usability testing without requiring coding skills and is a helpful way to observe real user interactions.

Usability Testing

A UX designer plays a crucial role in usability testing, which evaluates how easy and efficient a product is to use. The UX designer is responsible for setting up the prototype, creating and implementing test plans, recruiting participants, moderating test sessions, and analyzing the results to identify areas for improvement.

Data Review and Analysis

We've already mentioned that product design is a data-driven process. As a UX designer, you aim to collect meaningful data throughout the process, analyze it to extract insights, and then share them with your team to inform future design decisions. 

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Product Designer vs UX Designer: What are the Differences?

Think of product design and UX design like a relay race. UX designers are in charge of the early stages, taking the baton during development. Their mission? Create a product or feature that solves real user problems while staying true to the company’s goals. 

Once the groundwork is laid, the team passes the baton to product designers, who manage and refine the product during its growth and maturity phases. They keep it fresh, functional, and relevant long after launch.

What’s the Design Approach? Users vs. Big Picture Thinking

Both roles share a user-focused mindset, but their day-to-day priorities differ: UX Designers are like behavioral scientists for your product. They research user habits, test prototypes, and tweak designs until they’re seamless and satisfying. 

Product designers, however, juggle user needs with the business side of things. They consider long-term strategies, market trends, and how to keep the product competitive.

What About Prototypes, Testing, and Tools?

UX Designers craft low-fidelity sketches and clickable prototypes, constantly refining them through usability testing. Their focus is on perfecting the pre-launch experience. Product Designers are all about high-fidelity prototypes. They use these to troubleshoot existing features, roll out new ones, and discover ways to maximize the product’s impact post-launch. 

When it comes to tools, product designers typically have a broader toolkit. Along with design platforms like Figma, they might use analytics tools or even dabble in coding to enhance their workflows.

What’s the Research Divide?

Here’s another way their focus differs: UX Designers geek out on user behavior and usability testing. They want to know why users do what they do and how to improve their experience. Product Designers balance that with a more strategic lens, digging into market analysis and competitor research to uncover new business opportunities.  

Generalists vs. Specialists

If you’re looking for a quick way to distinguish the two, think of UX designers as specialists. They’re laser-focused on crafting the best possible user experience. Product designers are generalists. They do a bit of everything:

• Design
• Market strategy
• User behavior analysis
• Light coding

So, Which Role Matters More?

Honestly, both are critical. UX designers pave the way by ensuring the product is user-friendly and intuitive. Then, product designers step in to keep it relevant and valuable over time. Together, they’re the dream team that balances user satisfaction with business success. In short, UX designers lay the foundation, and product designers build on it to keep your product thriving. It’s teamwork at its finest!

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Product Designer vs. UX Designer: Comparison Of Job Roles

Product designers and UX designers have a similar goal: creating user-friendly products. But the roles differ significantly in their scope and focus. Understanding the overlap between the two job roles can help you identify the right expert for your product design needs. Product and UX designers are interested in creating a seamless user experience. To do this, they rely on research, testing, and design iterations to inform their decisions.

While product designers take a more strategic approach to defining the product's vision, UX designers focus on optimizing the experience within that vision. In short, product designers and UX designers work toward the same end goal but have different day-to-day responsibilities.

Do You Need a Product Designer or a UX Designer?

A UX designer is your go-to expert if you’re still in the early stages of building your product:

• Figuring out user needs
• Defining the experience
• Designing key features

They’ll help you: 

• Conduct user research to understand your audience’s behavior, pain points, and expectations. 
• Create user journeys and wireframes to visualize how users interact with your product. 
• Design and test prototypes to ensure the experience is intuitive and enjoyable before development begins.
  

In short, a UX designer is essential when shaping the foundation of your product’s usability and overall experience.

When to Call a Product Designer: Existing Products with User Experience Issues

If your product is already live, or if you’re juggling a mix of user needs, business goals, and technical challenges, a product designer might be what you need. They’ll help you: 

• Refine and evolve an existing product to stay competitive in the market. 
• Identify opportunities to add new features or improve existing ones.
• Align design efforts with broader business strategies and goals.
• Solve usability issues while considering the product’s technical feasibility and scalability. 
• Product designers are ideal for long-term product management. They balance the user’s perspective with market demands and business viability.

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NUMI helps startups create better products and websites by improving their product design and UX design processes. How? We embed skilled designers into your team who understand your vision and goals and can execute your project to create a product that meets the needs of your users and your business. 

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