Hello! My name is Anna Shulyk. I've been in design for over 15 years, dedicating the last decade to creating and developing innovative products worldwide. Currently, I am the Lead Product Designer at Guru Apps, part of Universe Group — an ecosystem of iOS applications used by over 60 million users in 180 countries. In this article, I'll share my approach to product design and explain how it operates at Universe Group.
What is Product Design?
In its classical sense, product design is the process of creating, developing, and enhancing products that meet specific market needs and solve user problems. The key to successful product design is understanding the end consumer — the person for whom the product is created.
Product designers employ empathy and knowledge of user habits, behaviors, frustrations, needs, and desires. They explore questions such as:
Is the proposed solution viable from a business perspective?
What are the costs involved in design and development?
Can they find ways to reduce costs or expedite product development?
Will the product meet our business goals?
What is the business impact and return on investment?
Product designers collaborate with cross-functional colleagues such as product managers, UX researchers, and marketers to create products millions of users use. A robust product design process is based on the concept of design thinking, developed by Tim Brown and David Kelley of IDEO. Design thinking involves a pragmatic approach to problem-solving through human-centered design.
