Product Designer: Career Path

Design is one of the most popular majors in the world. Right at the top of the pyramid – Product Design. The highly analytical and yet creative career is highly in demand.

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What does the Product Designer career path entail?

Product Designer

Every year, thousands of students graduate from a design degree. Yet, only a minority of them will ever work in a design-related field. Not so in product design. The cross-disciplinary field of work combined creativity, design, product analytics and business thinking to generate a career that's highly in demand.

And the growth of the product designer is not looking to slow down. As UI and UX work becomes more important, so is the role of the product designer.

Best books to explore the Product Design career path

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us? Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded i…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

In Change by Design, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, the celebrated innovation and design firm, shows how the techniques and strategies of design belong at every level of business. Change by Design is not a book by designers for designers; this is a book for creative leaders who seek to infuse design th…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Laws of Simplicity

The Laws of Simplicity

Ten laws of simplicity for business, technology, and design that teach us how to need less but get more. Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "re…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design

Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design

As a cultivated form of invention, product design is a deeply human phenomenon that enables us to shape, modify and alter the world around us – for better or worse. The recent emergence of the sustainability imperative in product design compels us to recalibrate the parameters of good design in …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Art of Product Design: Changing How Things Get Made

The Art of Product Design: Changing How Things Get Made

Embrace Open Engineering and accelerate the design and manufacturing processes. Product development is a team sport, but most companies don't practice it that way. Organizations should be drawing on the creativity of engaged customers and outsiders, but instead they rely on the same small group …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition

The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition

Design doesn't have to complicated, which is why this guide to human-centered design shows that usability is just as important as aesthetics. Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

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Courses to deepen your Product Design skills

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

Learning SOLIDWORKS : For Students, Engineers, and Designers

For Basic and Intermediate Users

Available on udemy.com

How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Learn how to design experiences users love. Uncover the secrets of businesses able to keep users coming back.

Available on udemy.com

Complete Product Design From Home Course

At Home Engineering The Course has helped thousands of people worldwide to learn CAD and product design. This is the course to learn CAD, product design, and engineering fundamentals. I have over 8 years of experience designing and building in industry and research, and I have a Masters of Scien…

Available on udemy.com

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RIT Design Thinking Capstone

The capstone course, part of the Design Thinking MicroMasters program, will be a cumulative experience incorporating all aspects of the design thinking process, from end to end. In this course, you will be asked to solve a problem using the design thinking process. You will demonstrate your unde…

Available on edx.org

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Learning through online courses can be challenging. Get 1:1 guidance from an experienced mentor who can help you stay accountable and answer your questions along the way.

Getting Started with Agile and Design Thinking Course - Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Get an introduction to agile product development and design thinking so you can build better digital products. Discover how to create useful digital products using agile and design thinking. Despite everyone’s good intentions, hard work and solid ideas, too many projects end up creating unneeded…

Available on futurelearn.com

Product Ideation, Design, and Management Specialization

This Specialization is designed for aspiring and active product leaders seeking to pursue careers in product management, product design, and related roles. Through five practical courses, you will learn the fundamentals for designing and managing products. Upon completion, you will have created …

Available on coursera.org

Get the guidance you need on the Product Designer career path

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Accelerate your Product Designer career with professional consulting

Already working in the Product Designer field? Our Product Design consultants can help you and your team overcome challenges, implement best practices, and achieve your professional goals faster.

Connect with Product Design Consultants

Growing into a Senior Product Designer role pays off – $33,000 up to per year

Not only is the progression from individual Product Designer to a Senior role a natural progression, it also makes all the difference in your average salary.

On a global average, Senior Product Designer receive a $33,000 salary hike over entry-level Product Designers when they go from individual contributor to senior personnel.

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