The humble vegetable peeler has been around since the 1940s, but it was ripe for reinvention when Betsey Farber, who had arthritis in her hands, found it difficult to use in the 1980s.
Farber molded clay around the handle to make it more ergonomic and brought the idea to her husband, a former cookware company owner. Together, they set out to improve the classic design, leading to the launch of famed household product company OXO.
Product design shapes how a product looks, feels, and functions. If you have a big idea for a new product or service, understanding the product design process is the first step to bringing it to market. Learn what product design is, the stages of the process, and the tools and requirements you’ll need along the way.
What is product design?
Product design is the process of ideating, creating, and iterating a design to develop a final product that meets a specific user or market need. At this stage in the product development process, you’ll assess functionality and aesthetics, engage in creative ideation, prototyping, and iterative testing, and ensure the product aligns with business goals and user needs.
The process starts with defining a vision for the product. Depending on the product and industry, ongoing improvements are made throughout the iterative design process, which typically involves UX designers, graphic designers, market research analysts, engineers, and other collaborators.
A structured design process improves communication across teams, boosts product quality through testing, and reduces time to market with efficient workflows.
10 stages of the product design process
- Brainstorming
- Research
- Define requirements
- Ideate
- Concept development
- Prototype
- Test
- Iterate
- Finalize design
- Launch and evaluate
The product design process can vary by industry, and it’s rarely linear. Here are the key stages:
1. Brainstorming
Brainstorming narrows down the core idea of your product. In this stage, team members freely share as many ideas as possible, using mind mapping, star bursting, or similar techniques. Establish constraints like time limits and topic focus to keep things on track.
This step helps identify a problem, clarify objectives, and set measurable success metrics for stakeholders. For example, the founders of pet product company Supakit set out to create a comfortable, breakaway cat collar made from natural materials to enhance safety.
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2. Research
During the market research stage, you explore the product’s viability through field studies, surveys, competitor analysis, and user interviews. This helps identify customer needs, competitors, and market demand.
Supakit’s founders discovered a gap in the market for quality, well-fitting cat collars. “We researched ’How do you get your cat to keep their collar on?’ and realized that loads of people had the same problem, and that collars were almost considered semi-disposable,” says Supakit co-founder Kevin White. Their research confirmed a clear customer need.
3. Define requirements
Design requirements outline the functionalities, features, and capabilities your product needs. These requirements help prioritize tasks, define scope, and determine which product features to include or exclude, ensuring a smooth experience for end users.
Teams define product requirements based on insights from brainstorming research. Once set, these requirements become the benchmark for a successful final product.
4. Ideate
Ideation involves identifying the product’s key features to solve the user’s problem. This might include creating user personas and user stories that describe how the product provides a solution.
For Supakit’s collar, the founders decided to use high-quality leather instead of cheaper materials. “As cat owners and lovers, we made a decision we’d want for our own pet,” says co-founder Leili Farzaneh.
5. Concept development
Concept development refines and audits the most promising features into a cohesive product vision. Teams address functionality, aesthetics, and feasibility to finalize the design direction, which becomes the prototype.
6. Prototype
A prototype is an early version of your product. Creating sketches and prototypes is critical for identifying design flaws and ensuring user needs are met. Many teams build a minimum viable product (MVP) to gather early user feedback and reduce the risk of costly changes later.
For physical products, prototyping might involve digital mockups or DIY models. For software, it could mean hand-drawn user flows or wireframes. Supakit’s co-owners created a collar prototype from a simple band of leather to test on their cat, Lola. “I had loads of scraps of leather and other materials lying around, so we just started experimenting,” says Leili.
7. Test
Testing determines if the product functions correctly. Usability testing helps identify issues and make adjustments before launch.
“We’re inviting customers to the office to say, Hey, do you like the way that bubble wrap sits on top of your makeup? What about this eye cream that you really like? Do you want this bottle to be opaque?” CEO and founder of Ami Colé Diarrha N’Diaye recalled on the Shopify Masters podcast. “So we’re thinking about the actual experience of the product in the point of view of a real person.”
For digital products, this includes A/B testing, QA testing, and compatibility checks. Supakit used a test group of cats and their owners when designing its harness.
8. Iterate
Design iteration continues after launch. Product management teams monitor performance, while product marketing teams use Net Promoter Score surveys and A/B testing to plan improvements or new features. Supakit, for example, launched a cat harness after customers requested it.
9. Finalize design
This is the final step before launch. The team reviews QA results, resolves any errors, incorporates user feedback, and ensures all requirements are met. Leadership gives final sign-off before the product is shipped.
10. Launch and evaluate
The team launches the product to end users and manages the launch with marketing, communications, and data analysis. Data analysts track user interactions and provide insights to the design team.
Some teams launch in beta, allowing a select group of users to test the product before the official release. Post-launch, teams evaluate feedback and performance to optimize future releases.
5 key elements of product design
These five key elements ensure your product meets user needs and finds success in the marketplace:
1. Functionality
The functionality of a product is central to its design. A functional product meets user needs, enhances the user experience, and increases product value. A well-designed software application, for example, is easy to navigate and efficient.
2. Aesthetics
Consumers make the decision to purchase in a matter of seconds. Visual appeal influences purchasing decisions and can give your product a competitive edge. Aesthetics also reinforce brand identity by incorporating elements like color schemes or sustainable materials.
3. Quality
Quality products meet customer expectations and industry standards. Performance, durability, and reliability are key factors that determine quality. High quality can lead to positive reviews, loyalty, and a strong brand reputation.
4. Sustainability
Sustainable design is increasingly important to the product development lifecycle. Use eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient processes to minimize environmental impact.
5. User experience
User experience (UX) is the overall impression users have when interacting with your product. An easy-to-use product leads to customer satisfaction and boosts revenue. Focus on usability and consider ways to make an emotional connection to enhance the user experience.
4 requirements for product design
A successful product design must meet these four categories of requirements:
1. Functional requirements
These define the baseline functions and features a product needs to work as intended. For digital products, this includes the tech stack, data, back end, and user interface (UI).
2. Non-functional requirements
Non-functional requirements cover how your product performs. They include quality, performance, security, reliability, and scalability.
3. User requirements
User requirements capture what users expect or need from the product, often gathered during testing and prototyping. Design toward user expectations to ensure intuitive operation—like including a hamburger icon for a drop down menu.
4. Technical specifications
Technical specifications are a blueprint for how every aspect of the product should operate. These detailed specs help troubleshoot issues and maintain quality.
Product design tools and techniques
Product designers use a variety of tools and techniques:
Popular design tools
- 3D printing. Utilizing 3D printing can aid designers during conceptualization and prototyping. Create your own prototypes with the help of Shopify’s 3D printing apps.
- Computer-aided design (CAD). Designers use computer software to create 3D models during prototyping to save time and identify opportunities to improve products.
- Collaborative web apps. Tools like Figma, Miro, and Adobe suite support team collaboration on interface design.
- Product management software. Platforms like Monday, Airtable, and Asana help organize workflows and optimize communication.
Popular design techniques
- Design sprints. The five-phase design sprint helps teams solve problems. The five steps are to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
- Usability testing. Conducting usability testing helps improve the user experience. Involving real users in the testing process provides designers with insights into how users interact with the product.
- Customer journey mapping. During the ideation phase, product design teams often apply insights from research to create customer journey maps. These help teams visualize how users interact with the product.
- Wireframing. A wireframe or a sketch is a visual outline of a product’s structure and functionality. Designers use wireframes as cost-effective prototypes to test ideas for digital products.
Product design process FAQ
What are some common mistakes in the product design process?
- Insufficient research. Skipping user and market research makes it hard to design a product that succeeds.
- Focusing too much on aesthetics. Prioritizing looks over usability can hurt performance.
- Not considering the manufacturing process. Research production early to inform plans and costs.
Why is user experience important in the product design process?
User experience (UX) describes how a user interacts with a product. A successful product design process keeps the end user in mind throughout research, prototyping, and testing to improve usability and satisfaction.
How can a product design process help ecommerce business owners?
For ecommerce retailers, a strong product design process guides product development and can boost sales. Since online shoppers can’t physically interact with products, designers must optimize visuals and descriptions to convert visitors into buyers.
What tools are commonly used in the product design process?
Designers use drawing tools, digital design programs like Figma, and 3D modeling software. They also gather user feedback and use project management software to track progress.
How long does the product design process take?
Simple products might take a few months to design, while complex ones can take a year or more. Timing depends on product complexity, team size, and whether it’s a brand new idea or an update.
