Career in Product Design: All You Need to Know in 2024

What Is Product Design?

Product design is thinking about, making, and improving products that solve problems for consumers or meet market needs. For successful product design, it's important to know the end-user customer or the person for whom the product is being made. Product designers solve real problems for real people by putting themselves in their customers' shoes and understanding their habits, behaviors, frustrations, needs, and goals. To start a career in product design, you need some skills to excel.

Skills Required 

Following skills are required to make a successful career in product design - 

1. Computer Coding- You need to learn a variety of programming languages, such as C++, CSS and JavaScript
2. Visual Design- Visual design helps make prototypes of products that can be shown to stakeholders and clients. 
3. UI Design- Product designers require UI design skills to make product interfaces look good and are easy to use. 
4.  UX Design- User experience (UX) design can help a product designer make a product that is enjoyable to use. 
5.  User Research- Product designers do user research to find out what people want and make a product that meets the needs of customers or the market.
6. Communication- Communication skills allow a designer to talk to clients in a way that helps them understand their product requirements and business goals. 
7. Teamwork- A product designer uses teamwork skills to understand a project's goals, get feedback, and use product design ideas from other team members.
8. Problem-Solving- Problem-solving skills also help designers find and fix flaws in their designs.
9. Attention to Detail- Attention to detail can also help a designer find ways to improve a design in both a practical and an aesthetically pleasing way.
10. Creativity- Product designers use their creativity to develop new ideas for new products and improvements to existing ones. 

Top Careers in Product Design

CAD Technician 

Job responsibilities include preparing 2D/3D and rendered models and shop drawings. Knowledge of AutoCAD software is helpful. CAD technicians work with architects to turn their blueprints into technical drawings. To succeed as a CAD technician, you might require experience with CAD software like AutoCAD, attention to detail, communication skills and the ability to work as a team. The average salary in India is Rs 4,49,380 per year.·        

Clothing/Textile Technologist

The main responsibility is to evaluate new clothes designs and fabrics. Quality assurance and analysis of returns/rejection are essential skills to succeed. These are dynamic professionals involved in designing, managing, and controlling fiber and machinery tools. Knowledge of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and fiber science is needed to succeed in this field. The annual average salary in India is Rs 3,64,032 per year.

Color Technologist

Responsibilities include making new pigments and dyes and liaising with various stakeholders to devise bulk color reproduction procedures. As a color technologist, your job will be to apply the science and technology of color application. Also, you will need to evaluate the subsequent performance of the colors. You might also need to liaise with the manufacturing team to produce the dyes and colors in bulk. Industries involving dyes and pigments offer job opportunities in this field. The average salary is Rs 6,40,000 per year in India.

Exhibition Designer 

An exhibition designer makes 3D images of various designs to ensure that the projects meet the specifications. You will need to supervise on site to ensure that the designs you made on the computer are implemented and any issues are resolved to ensure a memorable event. The exhibition designer might also need to go to the exhibitions to transport displays and other stuff. You might need to get the displays installed and dismantled as well. The average annual salary is Rs 2,70,000 per year in India. 

Furniture Designer

Responsibilities include designing the furniture to meet the aesthetic needs, functional needs, and innovative designs. Your designs might be mass-produced, so you need to ensure the quality of the furniture designs. You might also need to select a suitable material to ensure your functional needs. You might need to liaise with the craftsmen to get the right quality per your designs. The average salary is Rs 3,86,508 per year in India.

Interior and Spatial Designer

Your job description will involve designing safe, functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces by analyzing the space availability and the furniture to be placed. You might need to renovate the internal spaces, including the internal designs, furnishings, fixtures, lighting, color schemes, etc. You need a creative mind and the articulation to put your designs into practical applications. The average salary is Rs 3,07,128 in India. 

Become a Design Leader with our PGP in Design Thinking & Innovation. 

Product Designer

Responsibilities include designing the product, creating digital drawings, and ensuring the specifications of the final product meet the requirements. To succeed, you need an eye for shape and color and the ability to convert your requirements into practical product features. You will need to use CAD software to present your designs. The average salary is Rs 9,00,000 in India. 

Product Manager

A key role within technology and product development companies, the product manager is responsible for overseeing the development and marketing of products from conception through launch and beyond. This includes defining the product vision, gathering and prioritizing customer requirements, and working closely with engineering, sales, marketing, and support to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. A successful product manager must possess a unique blend of business and technical acumen, a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality. Skills in market research, user experience design, and strategic planning are crucial. Familiarity with agile methodologies and product management tools can enhance a candidate's effectiveness in this role.

Embark on your journey to becoming a product manager by exploring comprehensive product manager bootcamps designed to kickstart your career!

UX / Ui Designer

The UI/UX designer gathers the requirements and designs aesthetically pleasing graphic elements and navigation systems. Designing software and wireframes are essential skills. The average salary is Rs 5,50,000 in India. If you want to enhance your UI/UX design skills, you can use the UI/UX Design Expert program. In the program, you will learn the design-centric approach toward user interface and user experience, including UX research, UI styling, User-Centered Design process, wireframes and prototypes, usability testing, and more.

Also Check: UI UX Design Course

Here is your golden ticket to making a career in Design Thinking. Sign-up for our PGP in Design Thinking & Innovation course and get a chance to learn from UMass Amherst and EY experts!

Conclusion

Pursuing a career in product design provides an exciting opportunity to influence how people interact with various products and services. This field combines elements of UX/UI design, user research, and visual design to produce functional and visually appealing products. A UI UX Bootcamp can be a valuable resource for those looking to enter the industry or improve their existing design skills.

FAQS

1. Is product design a good career?

A career in product design is a great choice. The demand for product designers is high. If he or she works hard and has the right skills, a product designer can make a lot of money.

2. What are the job options in graphic design?

There are many opportunities in graphic design. The traditional way to become a graphic designer is to start as a junior designer at a creative agency or on the design team of a large company. From there, you might want to move up to become a senior designer, art director, creative director, etc. 

3. Is product design a career?

A product designer is a great career choice. Every day, more and more people need product designers, but there aren't enough skilled ones on the market. If he or she works hard and has the right skills, a product designer can make a lot of money. Your career in product design will be rewarding if you have the required skills and you work hard.

4. Do product designers earn well?

In India, the average salary for a product designer is 9,85,269 INR per year. This includes bonuses, profit sharing, and commissions. 

Which of the mentioned career in Product Design was your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below. Product designing requires you to have a lot of skills, which cannot be acquired by signing up for a single course. Simplilearn offers a wide range of professional courses that can give your career the right push! Explore, sign-up and start learning today!