Product design is the process of conceptualizing and building a product that solves a problem or addresses a specific customer need. Product design techniques can also be applied to existing products in order to improve functionality, reduce costs, and add new features.
The product design process involves identifying customer problems, researching competitors and markets, developing ideas, designing solutions, and launching the product into the market. Designers iterate by performing product testing and listening to customer feedback. In order to remain on-trend throughout the entire product life-cycle, a product designer must also keep their ear to the ground and stay in touch with ever-changing consumer markets.
If you’re a creative person with a passion for design, this article will help you choose the right course to kickstart your career. You’ll also gain valuable insight into the many product design career options out there.
Launch Your Product Design Career
Learn how to design smarter websites from industry professionals, 100% online, with the security of a career guarantee when you graduate.
Product Design Courses
If you want to learn core product design skills and stand out from the crowd, online learning platforms are a great way to kickstart your career. We have put together a list of courses to get you started:
Thinkful’s UX/UI Design Bootcamp New Product Development Program
This online program has been designed to give you a holistic introduction to UX design. You’ll learn to plan out the flow of a website or app using wireframes, collaborate with others on your design team, and turn your artistic vision into a beautiful and functional website.
Throughout this UX design course, you’ll partner with a personal mentor who’s experienced in UX design. The curriculum is paired with career coaching, interview prep and resume assistance. You’ll graduate with an impressive portfolio that demonstrates your full range of design skills.
Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat
Ideal for those curious about design, you’ll learn the tools and techniques used to create innovative products in this course from the University of Sydney. This online curriculum will train you how to use design as a way of thinking. Taught by industry leaders, you’ll explore, apply, and practice the fundamental design process: think, make, break, and repeat.
Thinkful’s Product Management Bootcamp
The product management bootcamp has been developed by leading industry professionals and will teach you everything you need to get started in this space. Learn how to manage product life-cycles, think and speak like a product manager, and build amazing products from start to finish.
If you’re a creative individual with a keen interest in design, this course is perfect for you. No previous experience is required and you’ll be assigned a personal mentor that’ll support you throughout the study program.
Online Course: Culture Sensitive Design
An online course offered by TU Delft, Cultural sensitivity and understanding is a hot topic in modern product design. This program is great for professionals that want to gain insight into the relevance of culture in their work. You’ll learn how to study, examine, and apply cultural aspects to your designs.
Online Course: Vision in Product Design
If you want to learn how to incorporate your personal vision for the future into your product, this interactive course from TU Delft is perfect. The course combines short lectures from industry experts, practical exercises, webinars, and individualized feedback.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to deconstruct an existing product or service on three levels: product, interaction, and context, and you’ll be able to create a future design context for products.
Your Future Career in Product Design
That concludes our list of product design courses. We hope this article helped you in your future career direction. Remember that as a product designer, you must manage the design process every step of the way. From market research and idea generation to specification and concept development. By doing so, you have the chance to improve the lives of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people that use your product. It can be immensely rewarding and few other jobs bring as much satisfaction.
To learn more about product design and management, check out our blog. You might be interested in Who Should Pursue A Product Management Career?, where our industry expert shares his perspective and provides real insight into the world of product design. And if you’re curious about the differences between product design and UX design, we’ve got answers.
Whether you choose to focus on UX design, product management or even software engineering, you’ve got a future in tech.
FAQs:
What’s the best online product design course?
There are so many product design courses that are now offered virtually, that you need to first narrow down your priorities to choose the right one for you.
Do you need to keep working? Search for a part-time UX or product design course. Do you have budget restraints? Choose one that promises a structured curriculum and career assistance, without piling on debt.
Which product design courses come with a job guarantee?
There are now several bootcamps that promise a job within a year of graduating from the course. Our UX Design bootcamp guarantees to get you hired. If we don’t live up to our promise, you don’t pay a penny for your education.
Are there free product design courses?
If you want to test the waters before shelling out for a degree or course, there are plenty of free online learning resources to learn the basics of product design. But if you know you want to pursue a full-fledged career in this industry, then you’re going to need a structured curriculum and the support of professional mentors – and you’ll more than likely have to pay for that type of program.
What’s the difference between a product design course and a UX design course?
While you might decide you want to specialize down the line, when you’re getting an education, product design courses and UX design courses are often very similar or identical. The job descriptions of a product designer and a UX designer often have a lot of overlap.
So don’t let the specific title of the course change your decision of whether to enroll: either a UX design or a product design course are equally likely to get you hired in the field.
How can I learn product design for free?
If you’re still deciding whether the world of product design is an appealing career path for you, then there are plenty of online tutorials, YouTube videos and free webinars that will introduce you to the field.
But free resources probably won’t get you all the way to launching a career if you’re new to the industry. Eventually, you’ll have to pay for a course that offers career guidance and portfolio assistance.
Launch Your Product Design Career
Learn how to design smarter websites from industry professionals, 100% online, with the security of a career guarantee when you graduate.