Our five-pronged approach focuses on your individual strengths to develop your unique qualities towards making you an exemplary pi- designer.
Saili Sawant
07/02/2025
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Are you aware of the power that product design possesses in shaping human experiences? This transformative career path blends creativity and engineering to shape products that we interact with on a daily basis. From life-saving medical devices to smartphone apps we cannot do without, product design is all about enhancing your everyday experiences, making them more intuitive, efficient, and meaningful, in every possible way.
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We go about our daily lives sipping coffee from coffee mugs, scrolling endlessly on our sleek smartphones, and relaxing on chairs that cradle us just right. But have you ever paused to wonder about the creative minds behind these everyday objects? Your ergonomic chair, the mug’s design, or the intuitive interface of your favorite app—these are all results of the thoughtful and creative problem-solving abilities of a product designer.
Product designers are the skilled professionals who blend creativity and functionality to shape our everyday experiences. Product design isn’t merely a career that involves creating things; rather, it focuses on transforming ideas into products that enhance the way people interact with the world.
If you have a knack for curating life-changing experiences over just products, product design might be your perfect career match. Let’s dive into this blog and explore if you are built for this career path.
Product design, at its core, involves imagining, designing, creating, and iterating products that address specific user demands or solve problems in any given market. It is a fusion of multiple disciplines, including engineering, designing, and marketing. For instance, the most simple yet innovative example of a well-designed product is a ballpen that entails a tiny ball bearing that controls the flow of excess ink.
Understanding the needs and demands of the users to come up with intuitive and accessible designs. Razorpay’s seamless checkout experience coupled with its multiple payment options tailored for user convenience has revolutionised digital payments in India.
Prioritising designs that are not merely aesthetic but also work well for the end user. Think of those leak-proof Tupperware boxes that aren’t just sleek and practical to carry around but also help prevent food spillage.
Innovating efficient solutions that solve real-world problems and add value to the user’s life. Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Ola that make your everyday commute easy and seamless.
Creating products that add value to the user’s life while also catering to the well-being of the environment. Sustainable products like edible cutlery is a fun yet useful example crafted from a blend of natural grains that aims at eliminating the use of disposable, single-use plastic cutlery.
Designing products that align with business goals, ensuring an enhanced revenue and elevated brand perception. Jio has transformed the Indian telecom sector with its affordable plans and simple recharge options, thus establishing itself as a go-to name in the industry.
There are three types of product design based on the specific problems that each category caters to.
Focuses on creating interconnected components that work cohesively, such as device ecosystems. For example, a well-designed UPI ecosystem integrates various banking apps like GooglePay, PhonePe, and Paytm seamlessly, allowing you to make quicker payments.
Involves curating designs of physical or digital products, like gadgets or tools. Designing products like Apple iphones includes crafting both physical and digital elements for an intuitive user experience.
Revolves around the creation of intuitive and engaging interfaces such as website UX/UI, for users to interact with. For example, the easy-to-use and simple layout of Instagram makes it more engaging and addictive for users.
Thoughtfully curated products can help skyrocket sales, take the brand perception from zero to hero, and ensure consumer satisfaction.
From AI-powered personal assistants like Amazon’s Alexa to wearable health monitors, product design is leading the innovation game in diverse industries.
Sustainability, interactive animation, and biophilic designing are some market trends leading the charge in product design globally.
Being an offbeat career option, the salary of a product designer can be quite lucrative based on the role and expertise. According to Glassdoor, the salary of a product designer ranges between 7-18 lakhs per year.
From consumer electronics and healthcare to fashion and skincare, almost every industry offers amazing opportunities to professionals skilled in product design. Some of the most common job roles for product designers include:
Product design encourages cooperation among professionals from different backgrounds. For instance, creating health-oriented gadgets like Fitbit involves inputs from engineers, designers, and health experts to ensure it is aesthetic, accurate, and comfortable for the users.
Given the increasing demand for superior goods and services, professionals like UI/UX designers who create intuitive apps like Spotify and design strategists who are creative minds behind premium brands like Nike, are quite sought-after.
In 2024, the global product design and development market was worth USD 6.92 billion. Over the forecast period of 2025-2032, it is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 5.30%, reaching USD 10.47 billion by 2032. Technological advancements like AI, Internet of Things, and sustainability are responsible for this amazing growth.
The Indian product design and development services market is expected to reach USD 2713.9 million by 2030. Both emerging startups and established companies are seeking skilled designers to help them grow their businesses. Cities like Bengaluru and Pune are flourishing as important design hubs.
While the United States and Europe have been leading the design game for a long time now, Asia is also catching up with its cutting-edge product designs that are tailored to the evolving consumer demands. Nations like China and Singapore are making greater investments to upgrade their design education and infrastructure.
Cities like Berlin, known for its innovations in sustainability, and Singapore, a hub for UX and digital design are coming to the forefront of the product design fraternity. Indian cities like Bengaluru are emerging as hubs for product design innovation.
With a surge in demand for digital products, AI wearables, and eco-friendly designs, the product design market is experiencing more profitable opportunities than ever. The global AI wearable market size is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 29.8% by 2030.
Stepping into product design requires the building of an extensive skill set that includes both technical and soft skills.
Includes the ability to create prototypes using tools like Figma, Sketch, or even physical model-making.
Involves curating 3D models using software like Blender, SolidWorks, and Rhino, among many others.
Revolves around conducting extensive research on the target user base, their needs, and the business goals that the product intends to serve.
Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a must for digital designers since it is an integral part of creating product prototypes.
Promotes the combination of essential skills like problem-solving and flexibility to produce design iterations for various products.
Working with experts from multiple disciplines. This could mean collaborating with professionals like architects, engineers, fellow design experts, or specialised consultants like textile experts, depending on the scale and type of project.
Conveying design concepts to the relevant stakeholders. Ideas can be best presented through visual presentation formats like design mockups and moodboards. This helps align the execution with the vision.
Addressing user pain points and coming up with pragmatic and effective solutions to address them. Identify challenges that the users are facing and tackle them proactively.
Think of practical solutions that are out of the box. Find innovative ways to elevate functionality with creative interventions for complex problems.
Juggling multiple projects and meeting deadlines. Keep a thorough understanding of what needs to be prioritised when and ensure that there is no compromise with the quality.
Skim through your overall design approach. Understanding your unique talent opens the door to a comprehensive development in product design regardless of whether you are a creative person or more of a technical executor.
Brainstorming, mind mapping, and sketching can help you discover how well you can think creatively and come up with holistic answers for a variety of solutions.
Use technical tools like 3D software, prototyping tools, and basic coding to transform your imaginations into presentable product designs.
Assess your attention to detail and observation skills by analysing products around you based on both the aesthetic and functional aspects of their designs.
Reverse-engineering current products or developing design solutions from scratch along with experimenting with different design iterations to find different solutions to the same issue.
Examine your personality traits and consider whether you have qualities like patience, curiosity, resilience, and teamwork that can help you meet the challenges of being a product designer.
Ask yourself questions like, “Do I enjoy solving problems through creative yet practical solutions?” that help you explore your interests more deeply to check if you are actually gravitating towards pursuing a career in product design.
After completing 12th grade, you can opt for diverse educational routes to step into the career of a product designer.
Institutions like Indian Institute of Art and Design, National Institute of Design, and National Institute of Fashion Technology offer various courses in product design that you can take up after completing 12th from a renowned institution.
Engineering colleges like IITs, Delhi Technical University, and Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, offer design programmes that fuse both the creative and technical aspects of design learning and are also amazing learning platforms for product design aspirants.
Besides popular design schools, specialised institutes that focus on certain design domains like industrial design and product design are also great options to choose.
If you are seeking ways that can help you enhance your knowledge in certain areas like coding or 3D modelling, short-term courses in tools like Figma or SolidWorks can be really helpful.
Professional certifications in domains like UX/UI design take you a step further into the world of product design while providing a competitive edge in the job market.
Learning platforms like SkillShare, Udemy, and Coursera, offer a wide range of online specialisations that provide access to top-notch resources for better growth and learning.
As a product designer, you are likely to experience something new every day. Joining the product design fraternity offers fresh challenges and the most insightful opportunities to learn.
Conducting research, brainstorming, creating prototypes, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and stakeholder presentations are all common everyday activities for product designers.
For the product design industry, 2025 is expected to be a transformative year with futuristic gadgets and environment-friendly solutions at the forefront. This year there will likely be a lot of attention around the following ground-breaking innovations.
Smart home devices in 2025 are going to be more intelligent and innovative. For example, Dyson’s Hot plus Cool Gen 1 entails an intelligent sensor that automatically detects dust, pollen, and other particle pollution, helping optimise indoor air quality according to your daily habits.
Self-healing materials are not confined to labs anymore, they are now integrated into everyday products. Brands like BASF are coming up with polymer-based coatings that react to heat or UV light to repair damage.
Foldable electronics are taking centre stage as smart, practical, sleek, and highly functional devices. Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 360 combines the functionality of a laptop, tablet, and smartphone within a single foldable device while allowing users to switch between modes effortlessly.
Product design is a multifaceted career option that blends creativity, practicality, and problem-solving to influence daily life. From comprehending user requirements and adopting sustainability to honing technical abilities and developing communication skills, this field provides countless opportunities for both professional and personal development. Therefore, if you enjoy the finer aspects of system, digital, or interface design, product design is your chance to be creative and use your ideas to improve the lives of people around you.
Functionality, simplicity, user-centrism, and authenticity are some of the most basic product design principles.
Product design is essential because it directly impacts a product’s user experience, brand perception, and market competitiveness.
Indian Institute of Art and Design, National Institute of Design, and National Institute of Fashion Technology are some of the best institutes to learn product design in India.
- Did you enjoy reading this piece? Author Saili Sawantt has also articulated an interesting read on the scope of interior architecture and design course in India.
- Curious to know about alternative careers beyond architecture and design? Here’s everything you should know.
- What are the top institutes that can help you get your journey started as a graphic designer? Explore more about the top 9 graphic design colleges in 2025.
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