As new technologies emerge, new products with increased functionality/performance are developed. It should come as no surprise that emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have a significant impact on how product development is envisioned. You are probably already considering how these technologies will alter the way you work and what this means for future product development.
Product design is primarily influenced by human experience and creativity. It had little to do with technology in a broad sense. However, technological advancements have completely transformed it.
Artificial intelligence inputs, for example, are increasingly important in the design process these days. It outperforms traditional product design methods for accuracy, speed, and efficiency. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) enable product designers to quickly and efficiently create a new generation of durable, sustainable, and user-centric products using digital tools.
Product design has a lot of room for improvement, and technology is helping by streamlining the process, making it more agile, and facilitating customization. It improves product design's function by bringing immersive experiences, intelligent tools, customer insights, increased accuracy, and speed. The future of design will be aided by emerging technology.
What Is Product Design?
Product design is the process of creating and developing a new product, from conceptualization to production.
It involves researching and analyzing consumer needs, creating product specifications, designing and prototyping the product, and testing and refining it until it is ready for production.
Product design aims to create a practical, functional product that meets the intended audience’s needs.
The Role of Emerging Technologies in Product Design
Technology plays a vital role in new product design and development. By utilizing the right technology, designers can improve the quality of their designs.
Modern technology allows for efficient task completion t a reasonable cost.
The success of a product and the overall user experience is much more dependent on usability and interactivity.
Emerging technologies like Augmented and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies assist designers in visualizing physical products at a much earlier stage of the design process.
Besides, various simulation and analysis platforms enable them to evaluate potential designs in real-time. Emerging technologies make user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design more critical than ever.
What are the New Emerging Technologies in Design?
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a form of technology that mimics and stimulates aspects of human intelligence like problem-solving, learning, and decision-making. The use of AI in developing new products is becoming more common.
Because it can generate ideas and simulate real-world behavior, this innovation is an essential tool for a product designer who wants to create successful products.
With artificial intelligence (AI), there are countless opportunities to develop innovative and valuable products. AI alters how we design products and can potentially change the world by producing revolutionary products.
Even if the software has flaws, just like humans, it has the potential to create intricate designs quickly, which would typically take us days, weeks, or even months to complete.
As AI advances, the potential to change the world by developing transformative products rises, opening up an unlimited range of design possibilities. Designers can shape the future in exciting and significant ways because AI is a potent tool in their toolbox.
Artificial intelligence can be used in new product design and development in various ways, including idea generation, testing and simulation, and optimization.
Product designers can explore AI to;
find ideas and create concept designs
to optimize their designs
to analyze data and identify patterns and trends
to create realistic prototypes
to test and simulate their designs in a virtual environment
Some examples of AI tools for Product designers to explore include:
uizard: Ideas for new or improved product/service designs may come from designing a new product with Uizard. This is an AI tool that can be used to generate ideas. It is very fast and easy to navigate.
Attention insight: This tool makes it simple to identify website usability problems and determine the prominently displayed elements. It is an AI-powered design analytics tool for better product performance, higher conversion rates, and user-centric design.
Let’s Enhance: It is an AI-powered tool that can increase image resolution without compromising quality.
Colormind: This tool helps designers generate color palettes by using deep learning.
OpenAI ChatGPT: With the help of OpenAI ChatGPT, designers can prototype ideas, automate design processes, and innovate with a level of speed and agility that is unmatched. From conception to execution, tasks can be automated by designers.
Augmented Reality (AR)
The ability to create apps using image, object and color recognition in augmented reality is a rare opportunity for designers. Similar to how AI uses data to inform decisions, augmented reality relies on identifying virtual objects and points within a given space. Apple’s Animoji, an animated emoji for the iPhone X, is an excellent illustration of how AI and AR can work together flawlessly.
Augmented reality can also be used for knowledge transfer, such as in industrial settings for training. For example, it aids in explaining concepts through the use of in-context video. This paves the way for e-learning designers to create next-generation AR interfaces.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
Virtual reality (VR) immerses into a virtual world, whereas mixed reality (MR) is the combination of natural and virtual worlds. Virtual reality is an innovation that has proven to be applicable outside of the context of gaming and entertainment.
As VR technology has developed, it has become a valuable tool for businesses looking to design products. There is a variety of software designing products and realizing designs in virtual.
· Gravity Sketch: is the most popular, VR-created modeling environment that allows users to design alone or with other collaborators.
· Oculus Medium: is essentially an unlimited VR canvas on which users can digitally sculpt.
· Tvori: offers a 3D environment for animating using keyframe and real-time tools
· Quill: is a software designed specifically for animators with features geared toward painting and drawing.
Virtual reality replaces the blue foam model used by designers when prototyping. In its place is an immersive experience that mimics how it will be in real life. This is especially useful when designing physically large products that are more expensive to create. MR technology blends a person’s physical surroundings with objects from both the physical and digital worlds. It is possible to interact with both digital content and the world around us using this MR technology.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging technology that combines intelligent products with sensors, actuators, and software with network connectivity and the cloud for data collection, monitoring, and exchange.
The product development cycle is changing, with the Internet of Things influencing every step from conception to execution.
The Internet of Things allows designers to simplify processes with elegantly designed physical products greatly. IoT enables products to share information with brands and developers about their use after purchase. Data from the Internet of Things gives companies empirical proof of how well their products are working.
Voice Technology
Voice technology enables a computer to recognize different spoken words. One of the goals of this technology is to provide an alternative data input method for computers to the keyboard. It is also increasingly being used to interact with the general public, as evidenced by the growing use of this technology to replace humans in many customer service operations.
Voice technology is one of the emerging technologies that significantly impact product design and will continue to grow in popularity.
5G
5G is the next-generation cellular system solution that offers improved and enhanced communications. This emerging technology will significantly impact new product design and development. Interestingly, 5G is beginning to appear in cities in the United States.
The advantages of 5G are seemingly endless, significantly increasing the design possibilities for mobile user interfaces. Significant upgrades to 4 G’s infrastructure are represented by 5G, emphasizing faster communication with lower latency and more bandwidth. UI designers will use the 5G’s faster speeds to create websites and applications.
What Is the Future of Product Design With Emerging Technologies?
With emerging technologies, ideas for new or improved product/service designs may come from designing a new product with unique concepts, ultimately leading to a promising future for product design.
In the future, designers will collaborate with other designers to take an integrative approach and with other professionals such as engineers, philosophers, and people who work in care, technology, and AI.
Technology will help designers increase product value by developing new product designs or modifying existing ones to meet market demands better.
These emerging technologies will simplify the process of product design and ultimately influence usability and user experience. However, product design has a lot of room for improvement, and technology is helping by streamlining the process and making it more agile while bringing ease of customization.
What Are the Emerging Issues in Product Design?
Some emerging issues in product design include sustainability and environmental impact, ethical considerations in design, and the need to create products that are accessible and inclusive for all users.
For example, as consumers become more aware of the impact of their purchases on the environment, there is a growing demand for sustainable, eco-friendly products with a minimal carbon footprint. Ethical considerations in design include privacy, data security, and responsible sourcing of materials.
Additionally, there is a need to design products that are accessible and inclusive for users with disabilities, as well as for diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
FAQs
What is a product designer?
So, what does a product designer do?
A product designer is a professional specializing in designing and developing new products. They work with various teams to create new products that meet the needs of their target market.
In other words, a product designer is responsible for designing and developing new products, including researching and analyzing consumer needs, creating product specifications, and working with other teams to produce prototypes and final products.
How to become a product designer?
To become a product designer, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in product design, industrial design, or a related field. You may also need to gain experience through internships or entry-level positions in the field.
What is production design?
Production design is the process of designing the visual aspects of a film, television, or theater production. It includes creating sets, costumes, and props used in . production.
What is the impact of technology on product design?
Technology has significantly impacted product design by making it possible to create new products more quickly and efficiently. It has also enabled designers to create more complex and sophisticated designs that were not possible before.
Final Thoughts
Product design is transformed by the compelling interplay between the inventive use of new technologies and creative approaches to working together. In this evolving world of emerging technology and product development, designers who can make products that are appealing to consumers will be significant and remain relevant.
The BUX platform is your in-house agile squad, providing the specialized expertise required for each project stage while partnering with your team to develop adaptive designs. For example, a typical design squad includes two Project Managers and two UX designers, whereas a development squad includes two Project Managers, two UX designers, and two developers. As a result, we ensure that your project is completed on schedule and within budget.
Book a consultation session with one of our Squad Managers right away to get started on your upcoming projects.