What Is a Product Designer? Salaries, Skills, and More

Leer en español. (Read in Spanish.)

A product designer is somebody who oversees the design process of a product from start to finish or the improvement of an existing product. A product designer might brainstorm solutions to current pain points, take input from stakeholders, act as a liaison between designers, engineers, and researchers, and help compose mock-ups through wireframes and prototypes. They have an understanding of the bigger goals of the product while being mindful of the details needed to achieve them.

Learn more about what a product designer is, what they do, and the steps you can take to start your career as one.

What is product design?

Product design is the process of creating a digital or physical good. The process is generally grounded in research and involves keeping the user’s experience in mind.

Product design has, in recent years, become associated with digital products like software or apps. Product design can also refer to the design of physical products, like furniture, electronics, and other manufactured goods. This latter type of design is also called industrial design.

What does a product designer do?

A product designer’s job typically includes a few key tasks. These can include: 

• Designing: As a product designer, you might wear many hats, but your principal task is still to design. You would use your knowledge of color, typography, detail, and other design elements to create a product.

• Thinking of the user: Product designers typically fold UX principles into their designs. This doesn’t mean just making a product user-friendly. Employers may expect you to conduct A/B testing, email surveys, and other UX research or know how to build wireframes, prototypes, and journey maps.

• Collaborating across teams: As a person who takes a holistic view of designing a product, you might collaborate with designers, researchers, and business teams. This helps to ensure the finished product aligns with a company’s goals and folds in all the processes necessary to make the product user-friendly and well-designed.

Product designer vs UX designer: The differences explained

A UX designer usually focuses on a portion of the design process, making sure a product is optimally designed for user experience. A product designer might focus on the entirety of the process, including ensuring a product fits a company’s business needs. UX designers might also work more heavily in the initial design stage of the product, while product designers often work to improve existing products.

A product designer often works with UX designers and is generally expected to have a good understanding of UX principles. 

Product designer salary

A product designer in the US makes an average base salary of $94,515, according to Glassdoor [1]. Average additional pay, such as bonuses, commission, and profit sharing, amounts to $34,429, bringing the average total pay for a product designer in the US to $128,944. Compare this with the average total pay for user experience (UX) designers, who earn $123,189, and product managers, who make $196,856, respectively [2, 3].

How to become a product designer

You may become a product designer in many ways. Discover some of your options, ranging from gaining skills to starting in entry-level roles. 

Gain relevant skills.

• UX/UI: Understanding what a user wants to accomplish, what their pain points are, and how a product makes them feel is a core component of design. Technical skills to learn can include wireframing and prototyping, conducting research, and testing product features. Prototyping tools can include Framer, Principle, or Figma.

• Visual design tools: A product that’s pleasing to the eye can delight customers and make for a pleasant user experience. Job descriptions often request you have a sense of aesthetics, and some knowledge of the tools used in visual design. These can include Figma, Sketch, or Adobe Creative Suite.

• Project management or leadership experience: Having some practice seeing the bigger picture of a process, being able to strategize, and knowing how to execute a vision can come in handy as a product designer. You don’t have to have worked as a project manager, but some experience in creating, overseeing, or implementing a project can be useful.

Build a portfolio. 

A portfolio can show employers your past projects, your aesthetic, and how you incorporate business needs into design. A portfolio as a product designer can have an “About me” section to describe your background and strengths. You can build a portfolio through website builders like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or Webflow. 

If you don’t have enough projects to fill out a website, don’t worry. You can start by uploading your projects onto your LinkedIn profile and constructing a full portfolio somewhere down the line. These may include past work projects, personal projects you’ve created, or work from courses you’ve taken.

Start in related roles. 

You may gain related experience by working in roles that expose you to different aspects of product design.

Depending on your skill set, you might try starting out in UX design, graphic design, copywriting, or information architect roles.

Take courses.

Regardless of whether you’ve worked in a related role before or are starting from scratch, courses can polish the skills that you have yet to master. See where the gaps in your arsenal of skills are. Discover the courses and resources below to find one that suits your needs.

Become a product designer with Coursera

As a product designer, you may find yourself involved in various parts of the design and creation process for any number of products, websites, or technology. 

Build the skills you'll need to become a product designer with Coursera's top-rated courses:

Read some articles. Gain a better understanding of product design with these resources:

• Product Designer vs. UX Designer: The Difference Explained

• UX Design Books, Blogs, and Podcasts: A Resource List

Learn how to manage digital products. The University of Virginia's Digital Product Management is a one-month deep dive into product design, hypothesis-driven development, and Agile methods. These skills may benefit any aspiring product designer.

Build a foundation in UX design. For those who are serious about becoming product designers, Google's UX Design Professional Certificate may be a smart choice. This Professional Certificate is designed to teach you the necessary design thinking skills and develop a professional portfolio.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)