Product Design Introduction: A From-Zero-to-One Thinking Framework

Product design is not about drawing interfaces, but about solving problems. Good product design begins with a deep understanding of user needs and culminates in the delivery of sustainable value.

What is Product Design

Product design is an interdisciplinary field of practice that integrates user research, interaction design, visual design, and business strategy. Unlike pure UI design, product design focuses on the end-to-end user experience—the complete journey from users discovering a product, to using it, and then to sustained retention.

A product designer needs to answer three core questions:

1. Who are we designing for? (Who are the users, what are their pain points)
2. What are we designing? (What solution will solve the users' problems)
3. How do we validate? (How do we know if the design is effective)

Five Core Stages of Product Design

1. Discover

The goal of the discovery phase is to understand the problem space. Common methods include:

• User Interviews: In-depth one-on-one conversations with target users to understand their behaviors, motivations, and pain points
• Competitor Analysis: Researching the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions in the market
• Data Analysis: Discovering user behavior patterns through quantitative data
• Contextual Observation: Observing how users complete tasks in real environments

In this stage, the most important principle is to maintain an open mind and avoid drawing conclusions too early.

2. Define

Refine the information collected in the discovery phase into a clear problem statement:

我們的目標用戶是 [用戶畫像]，
他們在 [使用場景] 中遇到了 [核心痛點]，
因爲 [根本原因]，
所以他們需要 [價值主張]。

Common tools:
- Persona
- Journey Map
- Problem Statement
- "How Might We" Questioning Method

3. Ideate

This is the creative divergence stage, aiming to generate as many solutions as possible:

• Brainstorming: Rapidly generating a large number of ideas without judgment
• Design Sprint: A 5-day rapid validation framework proposed by Google
• Storyboard: Describing solutions using a narrative approach
• Information Architecture: Organizing the product's content structure and navigation logic

4. Prototype

Transform ideas into interactive prototypes to validate hypotheses at the lowest cost:

Key principles of prototyping:

• Rapid iteration, not pursuing perfection
• Focus on core flows, not full functionality
• Maintain "good enough" fidelity, matching validation goals

5. Test

Validate your design with real users:

• Usability Testing: Observing whether users can successfully complete key tasks
• A/B Testing: Comparing the effectiveness of different design solutions
• Quantitative Metrics: Conversion rate, completion rate, task duration, etc.
• Qualitative Feedback: Users' subjective feelings and suggestions

Product Designer Core Competency Model

                    ┌──────────────┐
                    │   商業思維    │
                    │  Business    │
                    └──────┬───────┘
                           │
              ┌────────────┼────────────┐
              │            │            │
     ┌────────┴───────┐    │   ┌────────┴───────┐
     │   用戶研究      │    │   │   技術理解      │
     │  Research      │    │   │  Technology    │
     └────────────────┘    │   └────────────────┘
                           │
                    ┌──────┴───────┐
                    │   設計執行    │
                    │   Design     │
                    └──────────────┘

An excellent product designer should develop balanced skills across the following four dimensions:

• User Research: The ability to understand users, including interview skills, data analysis, and empathy
• Design Execution: The ability to turn ideas into reality, including interaction design, visual design, and prototyping
• Business Acumen: Understanding business goals and constraints, balancing user value with business value
• Technical Understanding: Knowing technical boundaries and possibilities, collaborating efficiently with development teams

Recommended Learning Path

Beginner Stage

1. Read "The Design of Everyday Things" (Don Norman) — understand the basic principles of design
2. Learn Figma basics — master mainstream design tools
3. Complete a full design project — from user research to prototype output

Intermediate Stage

1. Learn how to build a Design System
2. Delve into user research methodologies
3. Understand Data-Informed Design

Advanced Stage

1. Product Strategy and Business Model Design
2. Design Management and Team Collaboration
3. Application of Design Thinking in Non-Design Fields

Final Thoughts

Product design is a practical discipline. No amount of theoretical knowledge is as effective as working on a real project. It's recommended to start with small problems around you, use the product design thinking framework to analyze and solve them, and gradually build your design intuition.

Remember: Good design is invisible design—what users feel is not a beautiful interface, but the pleasure of effortlessly completing tasks.