Product Design vs Product Development in Production Operation

If you think product design and product development are the same and part of the same process, which is product management, then you are partially mistaken. Wondering how? In this detailed blog post on product design vs product development, we will unravel those subtle differences. So, keep reading and exploring.

A] What is Product Design?

Product design is a holistic approach that starts with conceptualising, creating, and planning how a product would look, feel, and function. It involves deep market research to identify customer needs and designing an initial concept of the product that fulfils the needs of the market. It mainly focuses on user experience, aesthetics, and usability by answering the two basic questions of product design, ‘What’ and ‘How’.

B] What is Product Development?

Product development is a tangible stage that brings a product from concept to reality through various subsequent development processes. It involves product design and prototype finalisation, testing, manufacturing, and launch. Product development is basically the next step of product design, allowing stakeholders to bring the product to life.

Learn More: What is product design and development?

C] Product Design vs Product Development: Core Differences

1. Scope of Work

Product design is the initial stage of product development, where a validated concept from thorough market research first comes to the table. This stage involves conceptualisation, wireframing, and usability validation to test how empirical the idea is.

Product development covers the much broader journey. From planning and prototyping to testing and market launch, it involves everything that can be thought of upon product design validation. The product development is what brings the product to life and makes it launch-ready.

2. Skills and Teams Involved

Teams involved in product design should be exceptionally good at user research, ideation, concept development, wireframing, and communication and collaboration. Product design also demands a fully experienced team that has highly skilled UX researchers, interaction designers, and developers. And how can we forget creative thinkers?

On the other hand, product development requires a team of engineers, project managers, and marketing personnel. They should have technical knowledge, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills to fully execute the vision and bring the product to market.

3. Objectives

The objective of the product design is to create intuitive, user-friendly, and appealing products that not only come out clean on the customers’ needs but also bring profitability. It also plays a significant role in validating the business practicality of the concept without going into full-fledged development.
In contrast, product development aims to develop a streamlined process that forwards the validated design wireframe to the next stage. In this stage, design goes through multiple iterations to make the product more feasible, user-friendly, appealing, and cost-effective. Upon improvisation, the product goes for manufacturing and then launching.

4. Output

As we have discussed earlier, product design involves conceptualisation, ideation, and wireframing. The output can be seen in the form of sketches, mockups, or wireframes. However, these outputs are not final and subject to change when required.

Alternatively, the output of product development can be seen as a final and functional product available in the market. After this, any design change is not possible.

5. Timeframe in the Lifecycle

When talking about the timeframe in the lifecycle, product design comes earlier than product development. Because it shapes the vision and planning, and provides a validated ground for proceeding to the product development.
In contrast, product development comes after the product design. This development phase transforms the concept and brings it into reality by creating a tangible products.

6. Focus on Users vs. Market

When exploring product design and development in production management, product design typically focuses on user needs and experiences. However, it also pays gentle attention to market feasibility and potential for profitability.
By creating a systematic development process where the user and market are the centre points, product designs focus on both the user’s needs and business feasibility.

D] Product Design vs Product Development Examples in Practice

Let’s understand the difference between product design and product development through some examples:

Example 1: Smartphone

When manufacturing smartphones, product design determines how a smartphone should look. The designers finalise the look, feel, features, and UI of the device in this phase. For instance, a smartphone that has a sleek body, ideal camera placement, and the most-preferred UI is typically finalised in the product design phase. The rest of the processes, like manufacturing and launching, are followed in the product development process.

Example 2: Medical Device

When it comes to medical device development, product design takes care of the ergonomics, shape, and aesthetics. On the other hand, outsourcing materials, testing durability, and ultimately manufacturing are done in the product development phase.

E] Role of Product Design and Development in Production Management

The role of product design and development in production management is significant. Product design determines what needs to be produced and how it should function. And product development ensures the validated design will proceed further while adhering to predefined requirements. Both stages of product management ensure every need of the customers is met and the product is fully ready to launch in the market.

Conclusion

So, here we are, having explored the subtle differences between product design and product development. During our exploration journey, we understood that both stages are a part of product management with different objectives. We hope that now you will have an understanding of the product design and development.

If you are looking for a trusted and highly effective product design and development company, Criador Labs is here to help you. We have teams of highly skilled designers and engineers who are ready to transform your idea into reality. Contact us now and leave the rest to us.