When you take a deep dive into industries that are linked to products for the every day consumer, it is worth noting that there are many disciplines that are integrated. Within the sports industry, there are many roles that support the higlighted athletes that include trainers, coaches, team players and more. In the consumer products world, designers have a myriad of roles to drive the advancement of the devices we enjoy everyday and it is helpful to know the difference between product designers.
The term Product Designer orginated from the discipline of the Industrial Designer role as it pertains to consumer products. As a designer in this field, one would primarily focus on the appearance, form and function of the product. This relates to devices, appliances and a plethora of other products that are manufactured and produced. The skill set takes into account for detailed sketching, product modeling and full color renders to define materials, ergonomics and part aesthetics.
With the rise in mobile devices, tablets and flexible screens, it promoted the era of digital screens. This elevated the use of mobile applications, SaaS platforms and pushed the need for designers to create rich experiences for digital systems. Given the demand, the role of the Digital Product Designer took shape and became the staple under the user experience and user interface (UX/UI) field. Much of the positions that relate to user experience (UX) focus on digital products such as, mobile applications and software that is used in a cloud based environment. Focusing on the (UI) user interface, designers apply brand and design elements to layouts in order create a visually appealing result.
There are a variety of design roles in the user experience field as it is ever expanding. Understanding these roles and the differences will help you align with team members and freelancers for your project needs. Check out the video I’ve included below that includes some examples to help illustrate this a bit more.
Until then – Design like your life has color.
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