Product Design | The Top 4 Key Phases

The Power of Good Product Design

In today’s fiercely competitive business landscape, success hinges on more than just offering a great product or service. It’s about creating a memorable and meaningful customer experience. One often-overlooked aspect of this equation is the implementation of product design — the discipline that shapes the form and function of products.

From small startups to large corporations, businesses of all sizes can harness the transformative power of using good design to not only survive but thrive in the market.

However, the way we design products has changed a lot in recent decades. Technology and access to information have completely transformed the way we design.

There are four major phases that dramatically impact the success of any product. As designers, these steps can make or break our careers. Products that are good, rarely gain recognition — products that are bad, will always rise to fame.

I want to tell you what these phases are and dive deeper into how to properly succeed in each one.

You can read this blog post, or simply watch our YouTube video on the topic.

These four main phases of designing a product are essential. For a product to even come close to being innovative, all these phases have to be satisfied within the project’s allowed timeframe.

Research & Discovery

The initial phase in a product’s design lifecycle is often considered the most critical one. The phase I am referring to is called Research and Discovery.

Almost all design disciplines require that designers perform some form of research. This phase begins by developing a project brief and then focuses on the analysis of the product’s market and its users. Now, let’s explore the finer details of Research and Discovery. It can be easily categorized into four sub-stages.

Problem Comprehending

The first phase is what we refer to as Problem Comprehending. In this phase, the designer meets with the client to discuss project goals and objectives. Basically, they have to summarize what the product aims to be and how product design can help.

The designer should have a very clear understanding of the client’s vision, brand identity, target market, and any form of budgetary considerations.

During this time, the designer has to work closely with the client, as a unit, to properly define the specific problem that the product or design solution will have to address. This means expanding on the client’s initial request and implementing some “design language” into the brief itself. They may have to identify pain points in an existing product or recognize some unmet need in the market.

User Research

The second phase is something many designers are quite aware of. This phase is called User Research. At this step, the designer should already have a very clear understanding of what the project is all about. The brief should already be integrated into their design thinking and decision-making moving on.

At this time, they should start conducting product design-related user interviews. This involves meeting potential users and gaining a deeper understanding of their behaviors, preferences, and pain points.

This will help the designer connect with potential users; identify who they are; and grasp a strong idea of how they can help them with the use of product design. This proves to be the best method of performing research and properly understanding the product’s users.

However, it can be very limited due to time and budgeting concerns. What I mean is that the designer can only concentrate on a specific number of people, whereas alternative research methods, like surveys and questionnaires, have been proven to effectively widen their user base pool.

After reviewing questionnaires, the designer will notice that they have gathered a well-defined data outcome. However, the constraints of this research method are directly linked to its inability to directly engage with users.

Both of these methodologies work great, but it is up to the designer and the client to define which direction fits the project budget and timeline best.

User interviews take a lot more time and money to perform but tend to give results that can be of real worth to the designer’s decision-making.

Founder & Head of Industrial Design & Branding, Dimitrios Intzidis

Our product designers and architects at Fact & Form, depend strongly on the process of researching the history of products, designs, and buildings — be they good or bad. Both our product designers and architects rely on research to push the boundaries of creativity and functionality, ensuring their creations not only meet but exceed expectations.

Additionally, research fosters adaptability, enabling designers and architects to embrace emerging technologies and address evolving societal needs, ultimately contributing to the evolution and enhancement of their respective disciplines.

In essence, in product design, research is the compass guiding product designers toward the creation of meaningful, purposeful, and forward-thinking designs. Without this compass, the evolution of design will be stomped.

Market Analysis

When the project timeline and budget are limited, research results might be relatively weak. In some cases, the project’s schedule and budget don’t leave room for designers to do user research at all.

Happily, we always have access to the web. This allows us to proceed to the third research phase, known as Market Analysis. During this phase, the designer taps into the vast data available on the internet and continues to explore competitors and their products. At this point, it is up to the designer to spot any similarities or differences between their product and those of competitors.

Once these similarities and differences are identified — with a clear focus on product design thinking— the next step is to conduct a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for both their own product and the competitor’s product.

A SWOT analysis, much like in business practices, can help designers determine what other products in the market are excelling at, where they have the potential for success, and where their product should aim to excel. Essentially, this process serves as a source of inspiration and provides a clearer direction for the product’s development.

Materials & Tech R&A

The fourth and final step of research is focused on Materials and Tech. That is as clear as it sounds. The designer searches through various materials to consider factors of durability, cost-effectiveness, aesthetics, and so on.

A designer should always be up-to-date with new and upcoming technologies — even if they are not yet implemented widely in our industry.

It is vital that they fully understand the technology behind a product’s manufacturing in regards to technology. This can be easily understood through analyzing the product’s own history or products of similar construction.

Without such knowledge, the designer can easily fall into the realm of products that are simply stuck in the ideation phase due to the simple fact that no current technology can allow for its realization.

Conceptualization & Ideation

The research phase of the design process might be the most crucial one, but it’s not the stage where concrete design decisions are made.

Brainstorming

The place where a designer’s imagination can run wild is during the Conceptualization and Ideation phase. At this time the designer has already grasped the brief, knows who the potential user is, what their wants and needs are, and how such a design can be brought to life.

Now, how does a designer go about bringing all that data into form?

Well, firstly, through their imagination. Now, the designer is encouraged to engage in imagination and creative thinking. This is often done in collaboration with other designers and engineers during the Brainstorming phase.

Sketching & Rendering

During product design, ideas can be thrown around. The ones that stick around just a bit longer can be given a visual representation through sketching.

The designer now has a new and exciting idea to put down on paper, or in many cases a screen. The most favored ideas are drawn to capture the core of the concept, creating a starting point for others to contribute with their insights.

Once an idea, or a set of ideas, passes through a multitude of revisions it eventually reaches a final rendering that will be visually represented. That can be done in traditional methods using paper media or through digital means.

With a final render in hand, the client, designer, and other team members can collectively determine which direction aligns best with the project’s objectives.

Prototyping

The next step, once a direction is decided, would be Prototyping. Currently, we have access to many different types of prototyping technologies such as rapid prototyping, where rough, low-fidelity prototypes are made through the use of simple materials such as foam or cardboard.

Another form of prototyping, typically following a successful rapid prototype, is the high-fidelity prototype. In this stage, designers aim to create a real-life model of the product that closely resembles the final product’s functionality and form. This ensures that everyone involved can fully grasp the final product direction.

The main challenge of product design lies in the limited access to a diverse range of prototyping suppliers, hindering their ability to acquire specific technologies and materials essential for unique design projects.

Prototyping needs, such as injection molding, low-cost CNC machining, and sheet metal bending, vary widely, making it difficult for designers to find suitable suppliers.

This scarcity not only complicates the prototyping process but also restricts designers from fully exploring innovative materials and manufacturing techniques crucial for pushing creative boundaries.

Collaboration between designers and prototyping service providers, along with the development of digital platforms connecting designers to a broader network of suppliers, is vital for overcoming this challenge and fostering a more dynamic and efficient design ecosystem.

Protolabs Network (previously known as Hubs), a reliable supplier with a formerly known identity as Hubs, has played a crucial role in our expansion. Its remarkable global network of manufacturing partners, streamlined user experience, and exceptional prototyping quality and speed have been integral to our growth.

Design Development

Now that we have a final agreed-upon prototype in hand, designers and engineers proceed to use advanced CAD software to create detailed 3D models and drawings.

Detailed Design

This phase is what we refer to as Detailed Design. All sub-assembly parts are taken into account when designing a 3D model for manufacturing.

The CAD construction of the product has to be given precise measurements, tolerances, and assembly details. More intricate products often demand an extended construction period, particularly in the case of non-static products.

Products that involve stretching, compression, or deformation require multiple prototyping iterations, especially when the final material differs from the one used in the prototypes.

Once the CAD model is constructed, technical drawings are drafted, mostly by a specialist engineer or drafter, whose aim is to produce drawings in the scope of manufacturing the product accurately.

Designers can give their input in matters of both functionality and aesthetics to the drafter so the final product is made to the highest possible design standards. Some of these inputs can be related to ergonomics, material feel, seamless surfacing, and so on.

Prototyping & Testing

The next step involves producing a final series of prototypes, trying to get a result that is as close as possible to the mass-manufactured product. In most cases, producing a prototype out of a mold is not cost-effective and it is generally avoided.

Once the prototype is assembled, any remaining areas for improvement are identified through rigorous functional testing to assess the product’s functionality and performance.

Once everyone is happy with the result, the 3D model, together with technical drawings, and other necessary information is passed to the manufacturing partners so that the project finally reaches its manufacturing stage.

Production & Implementation

Now that everything is settled between the product design team and the client, the last step is all about addressing any remaining details for the product’s manufacturing.

Manufacturing & Quality Control

Throughout the manufacturing phase, designers maintain their involvement with the client and the project, offering oversight during the initial manufacturing stages. This ensures that the product adheres to the specifications established and agreed upon by the design team and the client.

Quality control measures are put in place to ensure that those responsible for the quality control phase of the manufactured product uphold the expected quality standards.

Launch & Post-Launch Activities

Now that the product has finally been mass-manufactured and a stock is prepared, the product is introduced to the market.

Marketing teams aim to increase awareness and demand for the product through different marketing campaigns mostly targeting the product’s expected user profile.

In many cases, as a product is never truly finished, the whole life-cycle of product design that we just talked about is repeated to create a better and improved product. This is eventually done through feedback on the first product’s performance in the real world, experienced by real users.

It might sound relatively simple, but the process of designing a product includes a multitude of teams and decision-makers.

A lot more aspects such as budgets, timelines, and logistics have to be properly arranged in common accord by every team member to satisfy the project brief.

Product design requires a lot of knowledge. It can even be rough at some points, but the process and end result can be very satisfactory.