Dear Ueno: How do I transition from graphic design to product design?
Dear Ueno is an advice column for people who for some weird reason think we know what we’re doing. Find out more, or read our old advice.
From A.J. in Fresno, California:
“Hi there, I’m looking to transition from graphic design. I just wanted to ask, what do you all look for in a product designer?”
Sasha Lubomirsky, Head of Product Design at Ueno, joyfully replies:
Hey AJ,
Transition to product design, eh? Cool beans. What sparked your interest in that transition? And what aspect of graphic design have you focused on to date?
//Waits patiently for your reply
Okay, so, turns out Medium isn’t a chat room, which I probably should have learned in the three years working there. Buuut, if it was, and I could hear your reply, I would probably be able to answer your question just a little bit better.
Product design is a little like that: asking a lot of questions, trying to get the bottom of people’s wants and needs, and giving them something that is both useful and delightful to them as a result.
We designer-types have a million different “designs” that overlap with one another, so I’m going to make some assumptions that how you’re defining product design is similar to mine (assumptions are to be avoided in product design as well, but again, *shakes head in dismay,* Medium is not a chat room).
Put simply, product design is user-centered design where the output is a product, or part of one. And, great news, it encompasses a lot of graphic design elements. Typography? Still important. Gestalt principles? Relevant as usual.
However, in addition to these visual elements, there’s a lot of work that happens beneath the surface, before you even get to the visual bit, to understand, who you’re designing for, and — back to the point above — why.
To loop back to your question, this has a couple of implications for what we look for in a product designer here at Ueno. Below is a non-comprehensive list — we can’t reveal all of our secrets after all.
#1 Thoughtful up-front work
As a result of this “beneath the surface” work, one crucial evaluation criteria is what a product designer did in the front-end of the design process.
Did they ask the right questions? Did they understand the user? Did they consider the business needs? Pro-level: did they question the premise itself, helping their product team understand that the problem they were trying to solve in the first place wasn’t even the right problem?
In short: A genuine curiosity, and interest in getting to the bottom of what the design should accomplish.
#2 Clear meta-communication
Because this “beneath the surface” work isn’t clear in the final output, meta-communication about the project is paramount.
A product design portfolio that only shows the visuals at the end only tells half the story. Not only do we not know how you got there, but we don’t know how to evaluate it. After all, if I knew you were designing for literal rocket scientists, I would evaluate it very differently than if it was for a general consumer population. An overly complex UX for a general population just ain’t going to cut, but a little complexity for rocket scientists may be reasonable.
In short: Clear and engaging communication, not just in the design itself, but about the design.
#3 A balance between systems thinking and attention to details
A lot of the above rests on good systems thinking: understanding the big picture needs of a user, their context, what else is happening in their life, and so on.
However, there’s still a huge need to zoom in and mind the details. If the details are wrong — if the product is confusing to use, say, or the visual language falls emotionally flat, then even if you did lots of great up-front work, it may not matter.
This is all good news, A.J., because that means your existing graphic designs are going to come in handy. Attending to even the smallest detail ultimately has an affect on what the product is to a user, and so it matters.
In short: Be comfortable zooming out and in when working on a product design project.
So, there you have it, A.J. From my admittedly limited understanding of your needs, I’ve shared some of the qualities we value in a product design here at Ueno. Have any questions?
Sasha Lubomirsky is Head of Product Design at Ueno. Follow her on Twitter. Or don’t! Do what you want! It’s your life! To submit questions to Dear Ueno, email hi@ueno.co with the subject line “Dear Ueno” or tweet at us with the hashtag #DearUeno. Include your name (fake if you want), location, and profession.
