Has product design lost its way? Reinventing its future

Product design was once hailed as the magic wand for user experience headaches. But recently, it seems to be at a crossroads. Some large organisations, including high-profile tech giants, spent years building in-house design capabilities. Yet the grand pay-off never fully arrived. Many design teams found themselves neck-deep in rules, checklists, and procedural frameworks that distanced them from the spark of creative thinking.

What’s more, design departments often juggle everything from user path mapping to wireframes—activities that can be beneficial for understanding users but that sometimes become mechanical chores. The result? Designers can feel as though they’re ticking boxes instead of breathing life into bold new concepts. Product releases end up delayed while designers chase minor tweaks, and original ideas get watered down into generic features.

In many cases, designers lack real authority to challenge big decisions. They may propose brilliant solutions but rarely hold the power to implement them. That’s how we end up with uniform digital products that feel almost interchangeable, rather than ground-breaking.