“Looking for a product designer”, “in need of someone who specializes in designing for products”, — that’s how most of the vacancies for product designers on freelance platforms start. They never say they are in need of a UI/UX specialist, while everyone insists, that designers should be accurate in working with products especially. So what and if there is a difference at all?

Unsplash image of Eniko Kiss

Product vs UI/UX

There are numerous different products

Depending on the type of product, there is never only one interface. You need to understand, that the most likely product is an eco-system of interfaces and packages. For example, if you’re working on an electronic cannabis pad for pain reduction, you will have to design not just a mobile app that will be regulating the usage of the pad on the user side, but also a web app for the doctor who will be watching the usage of the pad and the interface of the pad itself, since it has to have a monitor.

While working in simple UI/UX design you’re working on less complex tasks, like a website or a landing page or a solo mobile app without a main object, which is a product, in the centre of everything. And while working on the design you should keep in mind that very different users will be accessing the product from very different devices.

Subtitles of Product Design

In fact, there are many specific details…

While working on the product, you should definitely use a specific design system to keep all the products aligned. You need to keep in mind, that all devices may present your product from the best perspective, so most likely you will have to work on various additional states of screens and additional formats of the app presentation.

Except for it, you also have definitely to work on the detailed screen map at the very beginning of the work project, since you risk simply getting lost on the way, having various types of users. While briefing the client it is crucial to ask about the very exact number and types of users. However, even if the client never remembers the admin panel, you should be attentive and ask about it, since managing the product is another complicated part of work.

While working on the product, you most likely will be working in a big collective with different engineers and since products are very often in a constant hurry, you will have to speed up and work together with another designer. However, to save the consistency of the product, it’s better to share flows, not certain scopes.