A lot of people tend to use the terms 'product designer' and 'UX designer' interchangeably. 

Even though both roles can overlap, there are significant value propositions that product and UX designers offer. 

In this blog post, we will compare and contrast the job roles of product designers and UX designers to help you better understand the difference between the two. 

What Does a Product Designer Do? 

A product designer is responsible for the overall design of a product. It includes everything from the initial concept to the final output. To do this, product designers must have a strong understanding of the user experience and the technical aspects of product development. 

One of the key responsibilities of a product designer is to create prototypes. Prototypes are important because they allow designers to test their ideas before investing a lot of time and resources into developing a final product. 

Product designers also need to be able to communicate their ideas to both developers and stakeholders effectively. It is important because it ensures everyone is on the same page and that the final product meets everyone's expectations. 

What Does a UX Designer Do? 

A UX designer's main focus is creating an enjoyable and intuitive product user experience. To do this, they must first gain a deep understanding of their users and what they are trying to achieve with the product. Once they have done this, they can start designing solutions that meet these needs elegantly and efficiently. 

One of the key tools that user experience designers use is user research. User research helps them understand how users interact with products and their specific needs. UX designers use this information to create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes. These artefacts are then used to communicate their designs to developers and stakeholders. 

Differences Between Product Designers and UX Designers

Product designers are responsible for translating an idea into a physical product that can be brought to market. It involves overseeing all stages of the design process, including brainstorming, prototyping, and refining the design thinking process to ensure it meets customer needs and technical requirements. 

In contrast, UX designers focus on crafting a product's user experience. They often conduct user research to gain insights into how people interact with products to identify pain points or areas for improvement. It may involve analysing existing data or conducting usability tests to see how users respond to various designs or interfaces. 

Ultimately, although both product designers and UX designers work towards creating effective and successful products, their focus areas are different, and each requires specific skill sets for success.

Similarities Between Product Designers and UX Designers

When it comes to product design, there are many similarities between both UX designers and product designers. 

Both roles focus on creating user-friendly digital experiences that meet the final product's business needs and user demands. 

Additionally, both occupations use various UX tools and methods in the design process, including prototyping tools like wireframing and collaboration software such as task management apps. 

Ultimately, both roles aim to create seamless interfaces that help users intuitively navigate through products and get the most out of them. 

Product Designers Specifics 

Skills 

As a product designer, one of the essential skills you must possess is strong communication and articulation skills. It is because effective communication, both within teams and with clients, is critical to the success of any product design project. Whether working on the user interface or visual design aspects, communicating your ideas clearly and effectively is key to creating well-designed products that meet your client's needs and expectations.

In addition to excellent communication skills, designers must also be creative, possess strong visual skills, and be proficient in using various digital tools and software applications. 

Additionally, since designing products usually involves working closely with a team of colleagues from different disciplines, collaboration skills are also critical for success as a product designer. 

Finally, being organised and having high work standards are essential qualities for effectively managing projects and delivering results on time. 

Overall, anyone seeking a career as a successful product designer requires a combination of creative thinking abilities, technical knowledge, and collaborative drive.

Duties & Responsibilities 

As product designers, their main responsibility is to create new and innovative product designs that address the needs and wants of consumers. It means: 

• Creating design concepts that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, 
• Testing out different ideas and materials to determine which one will work best for the final design, 
• Effectively communicating the plans and ideas with engineers so that they can efficiently execute them. 
• Additionally, you will also be responsible for staying up-to-date on relevant trends in design so that your products are always evolving to keep up with shifting consumer preferences. 

Overall, being a product designer requires creativity, technical expertise, communication skills, and attention to detail. 

UX Designers Specifics 

Skills

As a UX designer, it is essential to have various skills and abilities to succeed. Effective research and information architecture are crucial for uncovering user needs and designing solutions that resonate with users at the core of any UX design process. In addition, having strong wireframing and prototyping skills can help designers communicate their ideas and test usability before moving on to highly visual elements like user interfaces and interfaces. Other important skills for a UX designer include communicating effectively through verbal and written mediums and collaborating with team members to tackle complex design challenges. Coupled with a strong sense of curiosity and empathy towards others, these skills together make up the essential qualities of a successful UX designer.

Overall, if you have what it takes to be an effective UX designer, you need to have an insatiable desire to learn new things, as well as the ability to adapt to changes in technology and user preferences constantly. 

Duties & Responsibilities 

As UX designers, their primary responsibilities include: 

• Conducting research and analysis to understand user needs and behaviour;
• Identifying and weighing different design alternatives which involve developing user stories, personas, and storyboards to capture the essence of your findings;
• Determining the information architecture and creating sitemaps to guide navigation and content organisation;
• Working closely with developers to create prototypes and wireframes that effectively convey design ideas; 
• Performing usability testing to gather feedback from real users at various stages of the design process.

Ultimately, the goal of a UX designer is to create user-friendly websites, apps, and other digital products that meet the needs of both users and businesses.

Final Thoughts on Product Designer vs UX Designer

As you can see, there are some key differences between the job roles of product designers and UX designers. Product designers focus on the overall design of a product, while UX designers focus on creating an enjoyable user experience for products. While both roles are important, it is important to understand which one is right for you.

Outsource Your Product and UX Design Needs to Rehab Agency

At Rehab, our talented researchers, designers, and developers focus on helping product teams deliver big change quickly. With our expertise in user experience design and Tribes software platform, we can offer your team the support it needs to create high-quality products that truly meet your customers' needs. 

Whether you need help building out your concept or want to get feedback from real users on an existing product or service, Rehab has the skills and resources you need to succeed. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can UX Design Be Outsourced?

The field of user experience, or UX design, is becoming an increasingly vital component of many modern digital products. To create the optimal user experience, it can be necessary to outsource certain aspects of UX design to take full advantage of specialised expertise. 

As companies continue to embrace user-centred design practices, there is a growing demand for skilled user researchers and designers who can create truly user-friendly products. Additionally, because UX design teams often consist of only a few members, workloads may become overwhelming, or some internal capacities may fall short. In these cases, outsourcing specific components of user experience work is often the most efficient and effective solution.

Through careful user testing and iterative prototyping, outsourced UX designers can ensure that products are easy, intuitive, and tailored to user needs and preferences. Companies can successfully meet the demands of today's competitive technological landscape while delivering exceptional user experiences by taking advantage of external resources and addressing areas where internal expertise may be lacking. 

Can You Outsource Product Design?

When it comes to product design, many companies choose to outsource rather than handle the process in-house. This approach has several key benefits, including increased capacity and greater flexibility. 

Because experts in their field outsource, companies can access a much wider range of expertise than they would be working with in-house teams. Furthermore, because offshoring means working with design experts from other parts of the world, companies can often tap into unique perspectives and approaches that broaden their understanding of what consumers want or need. 

In addition, outsourcing makes it easier for companies to adapt rapidly to changing trends and needs and be more responsive to shifting market conditions. Ultimately, outsourcing product design allows companies to produce products that resonate better with their target audiences and increase competitiveness overall.

Is UI UX Design Under Product Design?

For those who work in product design, whether UI UX design falls under the umbrella of product design is an ongoing topic of discussion. Some experts argue that these two aspects of digital product development are closely related and must be managed by one person working within the product design framework. Others contend that UI UX design should be kept separate from product design and require different skill sets and approaches to execute effectively.

Both sides have strengths and weaknesses, each serving a unique function in the overall process of creating successful digital products. 

From a UX perspective, managing all aspects of a user's experience with a product is essential to address any pain points and ensure that all possible needs are accounted for. 

Likewise, strong UI design is necessary to create visually engaging interfaces that draw users into the product and foster positive interactions. 

Ultimately, because no two digital products are exactly alike, it's important to approach each project individually rather than attempting to force one set methodology onto all situations. It requires skilled practitioners with specialised knowledge in UX and UI design, working collaboratively as part of a larger team focused on delivering stellar results for their users.