Product Design vs. Design Thinking

Product Design vs Design Thinking: How do they compare?

Mindset

Product design tends to jump between business thinking and creative thinking, but design thinking blends them together.

Business thinking: left brain, rational, fixed.

Design thinking: blends analysis and synthesis

Creative thinking: right brain, intuitive, open

Skillset

Product design relies on the designer to be a skilled expert to reconcile user requirements with (usually) a predetermined solution. It optimizes for efficiency and production.

Design thinking relies on the designer to be a skilled facilitator to bring out others’ expertise, frame the problem properly, and form the basis for an emerging solution. It optimizes for finding problems and solving with empathy.

Both use research, prototyping, and testing. But design thinking involves people from all parts of the system—users, services, support—so that everyone involved with the product is involved in the design of the product.

Process

Product design and design thinking share many of the same steps, but there are important differences. Product design usually involves some research, but it tends to be about validating an existing point of view on the solution. Design thinking cycles by finding the right problem to solve, and then creating, prototyping, and testing a solution. Once a solution is found that is delightful, viable, and feasible, the product ...