Product Design Process

by Tiago Franco, Beatriz Costa, Maria Grilo (Illustrator)

The design process matured by the industry and taught by universities It has never been harder to define Product Design. The definition evolved from simply creating a single solution to a specific problem to a practice where we often need many different solutions, platforms, and variations to address the same problem. The design thinking behind product development gave way to multiple paths with the same end-goal. Each leading to multiple areas of knowledge, distinct skill sets, and various techniques. In order to answer the many challenges of designing a web or mobile product, several approaches have been developed and applied in recent years. However, there is no single technique that is sufficient on its own and there is no main technique that should be used to the exclusion of others. With this in mind, Imaginary Cloud developed the Product Design Process (PDP), a collection of existing techniques, matured over time by the industry, and chained together to ensure that the product design team's workflow is as efficient as possible. What began as a design thinking sprint with a vaguely defined objective, resulted in a well-structured and optimized process, only possible by the contributions of many professionals and through the creation of numerous iterations. In the last decade, the structure of the process has achieved stability, signaling that it reached a maturity level suitable for industry adoption. The PDP is taught by leading universities worldwide, as part of the curriculum of Product Design and Digital Innovation courses. Inside the book, you will find a Cheatsheet with all the phases and steps of the Product Design Process. You can also download the digital version at Imaginary Cloud's website, so you can always have it by your side.
The book provides an accessible overview of the design process, the detail of its phases and tasks, making it useful for everyone involved in the design or development of digital products.

142 pages, paperback

Published May 8, 2019

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years ago I decided to shift my career from Multimedia design to UX/UI design. A lot of books were read, a lot of information was gathered, and then I came across this book. Since then, I keep it always at my side while I work. It combines a lot of knowledge and techniques in a practical, clear process. The writing's straight to the point and everything is complemented with visual elements.
I would recommend this book to fellow designers and people who work in the industry since it gives a clear overview of the process without getting into much detail. This is clearly on purpose since at the end of each chapter there are references and further reading, something that I appreciated and found very helpful.

[Inês · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I'm transitioning from graphic design to digital design, I'm required to learn a new set of skills and methodologies. These, however, aren't set and can be flexible depending on the project / company / designer.
PDP was a clear approach to the process and gave me a general ideia of the path to a great digital product, while still contemplating multiple possible changes along the way.
In terms of writing it's very straight forward but still complete, which makes it perfect for juniors and also senior professionals looking for perfecting their own design process.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting to see how complete the book was. The information is organized and easy to follow. Plus, it truly guides the reader on how to go through each step in the design process. Another bonus point for me is that it additionally explains how everything is aligned despite mixing different fields and job roles.
Definitely a must-read for beginners and more experienced professionals who seek to improve efficiency!

[Inês Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am already considering it a design bible! As a marketing specialist, this book helped me understand how the design process works and how it can leverage marketing strategies. Working closely with a design team, I got the chance to realize how this manual is guiding their work efforts on designing outstanding digital products. For those looking for great knowledge in this field - even if you are a junior or senior designer - I vividly recommend reading this book.

[Maria Teixeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

PDP is an outstanding book to understand the fundamentals of the Design Process, where several key concepts are explained with real examples. As a Digital Designer, this book helped me develop a Design thinking path focused on understanding the user, perceiving the problem, and finding solutions. I highly recommend it to everyone interested in digital products and project management- it’s a great handbook to always have by your side as a practical guide to the subject!

[Maria Teixeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

PDP is an outstanding book to understand the fundamentals of the Design Process, where several key concepts are explained with real examples. As a Digital Designer, this book helped me develop a Design thinking path focused on understanding the user, perceiving the problem, and finding solutions. I highly recommend it to everyone interested in digital products and project management- it’s a great handbook to always have by your side as a practical guide to the subject!

[Rute Figueiredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helped me to get a more clear vision of how the process of software design and development should be conducted and planned to get more accuracy when meeting the client's expectations and user needs. It's an easy reading book, with clear and concise information, and visual elements to illustrate examples.

[Guilherme Alves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for anyone that want to get in deep into product design process. The authors have a compreensive approach towards the process and explain it in a very easy to understand so that you can implement in your work.