In today’s fast-paced digital era, the role of design in delivering exceptional digital products cannot be emphasised enough. While physical products like breakfast cereals and bicycles are still relevant, the introduction of digital tools is pivotal for organisations to stay ahead.
As a matter of fact, Netflix, one of the digital age giants, attributes a lot of its success to creative excellence in design. As Reed Hastings, its founder, states: “In all creative roles, the best is easily ten times better than average.” Design is instrumental in elevating the effectiveness, usability, and value of modern digital products.
Becoming a Digital Product Organisation
The business realm is increasingly going digital, not just in terms of using software or hardware, but by digitising daily processes across the spectrum. This transformation involves:
- Harnessing company data for intelligent analytics.
- Leveraging automation, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI).
- Transitioning to cloud-based systems for enhanced agility.
The term “digital product” encompasses a broad spectrum, from renowned platforms like Netflix to simple online tools. These digital products, powered by robust back-end systems, APIs, and more, can either be modified off-the-shelf solutions or bespoke creations.
Collaborating with Digital Product Design Consultancies
Digital product designers are much like industrial designers but operate in the digital space. Their skill set puts them in high demand, especially in the UK after a post-Brexit and post-COVID world, making hiring talent a challenge for many organisations. Partnering with digital product consultancies can offer:
- Comprehensive design skills and capabilities.
- Access to seasoned professionals who bring invaluable expertise.
- An external perspective to challenge and refine in-house approaches.
Prioritising Users and Business, Ensuring Stellar Customer Experience
An adept designer isn’t just about aesthetics but plays a pivotal role in strategising for digital products. They balance creativity with a pragmatic approach, ensuring products resonate with users and align with market or business needs.
Customer Experience (CX) has emerged as a non-negotiable element for organisations. An experienced product designer understands the heightened demands of today’s customers and works towards ensuring delightful, consistent engagements across channels.
Mastering UI and UX Design
An outstanding digital product designer is proficient in both user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. They meticulously research, understand user personas, map out user journeys, and design intuitive brand experiences.
Case Study: Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain, a social fitness app, leveraged Elsewhen, a digital product consultancy, to transform its app. Challenged with an initial low user retention rate and lacklustre design, they embarked on a systematic overhaul:
- Comprehensive research to understand user experiences.
- Adopted Agile methodology for phased design and development.
- Refined and revamped the user experience and interface.
The result? An improved app design boosted user retention and heightened investor attention.
Harnessing the potential of digital product design is key for organisations in the modern era. To delve deeper into this realm, download our free guide on achieving product design excellence.
By Matt Flynn, Design Director at Elsewhen.com, a digital consulting agency based in London.
