Becoming a Product Designer

In 2020, I found my perfect role: Product Designer.

I realised it was the role I had been working towards, unknowingly, since 2015.

I first became infatuated with graphic design as a teenager. My first 'job' was selling graphic designs on Shutterstock. Learning Photoshop and Illustrator through YouTube tutorials.

I kept this deep love and curiosity for design throughout the rest of high school and into university.

I studied BSc Management Science at UCL. Despite the obscure title, the course essentially revolved around three core modules: data analytics, applied maths, and design thinking. Design thinking is the process of applying systems thinking, first principles, and user empathy to any human-centred problem.

My degree also allowed for elective modules in a broad range of disciplines across the Faculty of Engineering. I chose Intelligent Systems and Computer Science.

All throughout university, I kept the flame of my love for design alive. Primarily through side projects with classmates, I was starting to explore how design could move beyond simple visuals to solving real-life problems.

Thanks to Radu Mazilu, I learned about Y Combinator in my second year of university. I began reading Paul Graham's essays. I had always been interested in the idea of startups – small teams working hard to achieve incredible feats – but the content I started consuming from this point on turned that interest into action. I knew I wanted to be involved in technology. I knew I wanted to work on hard problems with small teams. It just took a little longer to get started.

After graduating, I followed the well-trodden path and joined JPMorgan, though as a Product Manager, rather than an Investment Banking Analyst. Within a few weeks, I knew this was not the career I desired, and decided to turn my full attention to immersing myself in the world of startups.

Still, up to this point, I had never properly discovered the role of a Product Designer. I attribute my discovery of the role to Jordan Singer, my first true inspiration in the field. I came across his profile on X (still Twitter at this point), and was blown away by the creativity. It felt truly empowering seeing someone brainstorm creative concepts and then implement them end-to-end in code.

Finding Jordan Singer led me to discover a whole thriving ecosystem of product designers on X/Twitter. This is when I first saw the title being used by people I admired, and wondered if it was the right fit for me…

So what does a Product Designer actually do?

Product design is the practice of identifying user problems and designing useful, usable, and effective solutions that achieve both user and business goals.

The title emerged gradually in the late 2000s to early 2010s as software companies moved away from separating “web designer,” “UI designer,” “UX designer,” and “interaction designer” into completely distinct jobs. The title already had deep roots in physical design. Facebook was one of the companies that turned "Product Designer" into the canonical software design job title.

Uncapped creativity through software + direct business impact = my ideal role.

As the role advances and adapts to new technologies, the premise of applying human creativity to real user problems will remain.

I have found my role. I aim to contribute, in whatever way I can.