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Product Design
Design Thinking
Design Trends
Design Strategy
Design Process
ARTICLE #41
Has product design lost its way? Reinventing its future
Product Design
Design Thinking
Design Trends
Design Strategy
Design Process
Product Design
Design Thinking
Design Trends
Design Strategy
Design Process
Written by:
3 min read
Updated on: July 3rd, 2024
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Once hailed as the saviour of user experience, product design is suddenly facing a wave of skepticism. Critics say that design teams have grown stale, chained to outdated methods that can’t keep up with today’s lightning-fast digital world. Meanwhile, some organisations are shrinking design’s role in product development altogether. Does this mean product design is on its deathbed, or is it simply evolving into something new?
Let's find out what is behind the shift and unpack whether product design really is losing steam, or if it’s just gearing up for a much-needed overhaul. Spoiler alert: there’s more than meets the eye. We’ll go through whether design is still vital to creating standout user experiences, how teams might adapt to remain relevant, and why a dramatic reinvention could be just around the corner. If you are curious about the future of product design in a world that never stops changing, buckle up—things are about to get interesting.
Once hailed as the saviour of user experience, product design is suddenly facing a wave of skepticism. Critics say that design teams have grown stale, chained to outdated methods that can’t keep up with today’s lightning-fast digital world. Meanwhile, some organisations are shrinking design’s role in product development altogether. Does this mean product design is on its deathbed, or is it simply evolving into something new?
Let's find out what is behind the shift and unpack whether product design really is losing steam, or if it’s just gearing up for a much-needed overhaul. Spoiler alert: there’s more than meets the eye. We’ll go through whether design is still vital to creating standout user experiences, how teams might adapt to remain relevant, and why a dramatic reinvention could be just around the corner. If you are curious about the future of product design in a world that never stops changing, buckle up—things are about to get interesting.
The rise and fall of product design
The rise and fall of product design
Product design used to be hailed as the magic bullet for every user experience woe. But somewhere along the way, many design teams found themselves buried under process-heavy checklists and endless frameworks that pulled them away from the creative essence of their work. Even companies like IBM, which invested heavily in nurturing in-house design capabilities, haven’t seen the massive wins they’d hoped for. Instead of letting designers innovate and push the envelope, the focus has often shifted to hitting corporate milestones and micromanaging design tasks, leaving little room for genuine breakthroughs.
From creative craft to checklist chores
In far too many tech outfits, design has been broken down into rigid tasks: user personas here, journey maps there, wireframes in between. Sure, these methods aim to keep designers user-focused, but when businesses demand measurable objectives at every turn, designers can end up feeling more like box-tickers than creative problem-solvers. It’s not that user research or a structured approach is bad—it’s that creativity can get snuffed out when everything becomes about a procedure rather than the actual user experience.
Multitasking overdrive: Designers juggle personas, journey maps, wireframes, and stakeholder meetings, rarely getting uninterrupted time to focus on the core creative spark that made them designers in the first place.
Death by framework: Heavy procedural layers often force design teams into following instructions instead of fostering original thinking.
The perfection trap
Another common pitfall is prioritising perfection over speed. Design teams can spend what feels like forever refining every pixel before launch, only to discover the market’s moved on or the competition has already released their own version. While attention to detail is crucial, a glacial approach often leads to missed opportunities and can dampen a team’s willingness to experiment or iterate.
Delayed launches: By the time a product finally ships, user needs may have evolved—or worse, a competitor has snagged the spotlight.
Paralysis by analysis: Over-optimizing before real-world feedback can leave designers second-guessing themselves, hesitant to push anything live until it’s “just right.”
The lack of real influence
Perhaps the most stifling issue is that design teams often have lots of ideas but very little authority. They might craft gorgeous prototypes and thoughtful flows, but if big decisions are made elsewhere (by executives, dev leads, or product managers with their own agendas), designers are stuck in an advisory role. They can’t really challenge core assumptions or shape strategic direction, so the end result is a cookie-cutter user interface that looks like every other product out there.
Advisory-only status: Design proposals might be heard, but not truly integrated unless they meet some pre-decided corporate target or align with a rigid roadmap.
Uniform and bland: With limited influence, designers often play it safe, leading to products that lack distinctiveness or genuine flair.
The real question is whether design will reclaim the creative latitude it once had or continue to be hemmed in by processes and a lack of decision-making power. As user expectations grow more sophisticated every day, companies that enable designers to truly innovate—not just follow a script—will likely stand out. It’s about rethinking the balance between structure and spontaneity, so designers can experiment, fail fast, and pivot as user feedback pours in. Otherwise, we may see more of the same: fancy prototypes that never reach their potential because the bold ideas got watered down long before launch.
Product design used to be hailed as the magic bullet for every user experience woe. But somewhere along the way, many design teams found themselves buried under process-heavy checklists and endless frameworks that pulled them away from the creative essence of their work. Even companies like IBM, which invested heavily in nurturing in-house design capabilities, haven’t seen the massive wins they’d hoped for. Instead of letting designers innovate and push the envelope, the focus has often shifted to hitting corporate milestones and micromanaging design tasks, leaving little room for genuine breakthroughs.
From creative craft to checklist chores
In far too many tech outfits, design has been broken down into rigid tasks: user personas here, journey maps there, wireframes in between. Sure, these methods aim to keep designers user-focused, but when businesses demand measurable objectives at every turn, designers can end up feeling more like box-tickers than creative problem-solvers. It’s not that user research or a structured approach is bad—it’s that creativity can get snuffed out when everything becomes about a procedure rather than the actual user experience.
Multitasking overdrive: Designers juggle personas, journey maps, wireframes, and stakeholder meetings, rarely getting uninterrupted time to focus on the core creative spark that made them designers in the first place.
Death by framework: Heavy procedural layers often force design teams into following instructions instead of fostering original thinking.
The perfection trap
Another common pitfall is prioritising perfection over speed. Design teams can spend what feels like forever refining every pixel before launch, only to discover the market’s moved on or the competition has already released their own version. While attention to detail is crucial, a glacial approach often leads to missed opportunities and can dampen a team’s willingness to experiment or iterate.
Delayed launches: By the time a product finally ships, user needs may have evolved—or worse, a competitor has snagged the spotlight.
Paralysis by analysis: Over-optimizing before real-world feedback can leave designers second-guessing themselves, hesitant to push anything live until it’s “just right.”
The lack of real influence
Perhaps the most stifling issue is that design teams often have lots of ideas but very little authority. They might craft gorgeous prototypes and thoughtful flows, but if big decisions are made elsewhere (by executives, dev leads, or product managers with their own agendas), designers are stuck in an advisory role. They can’t really challenge core assumptions or shape strategic direction, so the end result is a cookie-cutter user interface that looks like every other product out there.
Advisory-only status: Design proposals might be heard, but not truly integrated unless they meet some pre-decided corporate target or align with a rigid roadmap.
Uniform and bland: With limited influence, designers often play it safe, leading to products that lack distinctiveness or genuine flair.
The real question is whether design will reclaim the creative latitude it once had or continue to be hemmed in by processes and a lack of decision-making power. As user expectations grow more sophisticated every day, companies that enable designers to truly innovate—not just follow a script—will likely stand out. It’s about rethinking the balance between structure and spontaneity, so designers can experiment, fail fast, and pivot as user feedback pours in. Otherwise, we may see more of the same: fancy prototypes that never reach their potential because the bold ideas got watered down long before launch.
The disconnection between design and technology
One of the biggest cracks in modern product design is a reluctance to fully embrace technology. Many designers stick to a narrow set of tools or methods, partly because they worry that leaning too much on tech will erase the human-centered touch. Ironically, this hesitation has ended up pushing design further away from the digital world it was supposed to enrich in the first place.
Where designers get stuck
Plenty of design professionals fear that if they dive too deep into emerging technologies—like advanced prototyping platforms, AI-driven user research, or even just coding basics—they’ll lose that creative spark that sets design apart. As a result, they rely on tried-and-true (but sometimes outdated) tools, turning them into spectators in the fast-paced tech scene rather than active innovators.
Afraid of over-automation: Some designers think an overreliance on software or coding shortcuts could make their work feel too sterile, overlooking the emotional nuance that good design usually brings.
Limited toolchains: Instead of venturing into new territory (like VR prototypes or advanced code-based animations), they stick with old frameworks. That means missing out on faster processes or more interactive final products.
Why tech companies are losing patience
It’s not just designers who are wary—tech companies are also increasingly skeptical about maintaining dedicated design teams that don’t keep up with the digital demands of the modern product landscape. Even appointing a Chief Design Officer can fall flat if the design org isn’t actively collaborating with engineering and staying current with industry shifts.
The “shiny title” problem: A fancy title like “Chief Design Officer” doesn’t magically guarantee that design thinking is deeply integrated across the company. If the team doesn’t speak the same technical language as the devs, it can quickly get sidelined.
Evolving tech, static skills: As digital ecosystems change almost by the quarter, design teams that rely on the same old processes can feel out of sync, costing them credibility and resources.
Contradictory findings: Strong design leadership works
What’s curious is that research from the Design Management Institute shows companies with robust design leadership outperformed their competitors by more than 200%. That means having a high-level champion for design still correlates with solid market performance. Yet despite these promising numbers, we’re seeing a decline in true executive-level design roles.
The disconnect: So why the downward trend in top-level design roles, even when data suggests that strong design leadership boosts returns? Possibly because design’s strategic clout isn’t translating into the daily workflows.
Walking the walk: Some companies put a design leader on the org chart but never fully integrate design priorities into product roadmaps or day-to-day decision-making. Without that integration, the entire design team can turn into an afterthought.
The question, of course, is whether designers will lean into technology at a deeper level—learning new dev-friendly tools, adopting AI-driven workflows, or focusing on code literacy—to avoid getting left in the dust. For businesses, it might mean reevaluating how they structure teams and ensuring design is more than just a checkbox at the end of development.
Collaborative future: To truly thrive, both designers and tech leads need to find a middle ground. Imagine a scenario where design isn’t locked away in its own silo, but actively shaping features alongside engineering in real-time.
Opportunity for reinvention: When design teams use advanced tools effectively and maintain that human-centered perspective, they can be the key to producing intuitive products that also keep up with the breakneck pace of tech.
In the end, the real challenge is bridging this designer-developer divide. If designers continue hesitating to adapt, they risk losing relevance in a space that’s more digital than ever. But if they embrace a slightly geekier side, learn to navigate code, and incorporate fresh approaches, they stand to drive the kind of innovative user experiences that put their companies ahead in a crowded marketplace.
One of the biggest cracks in modern product design is a reluctance to fully embrace technology. Many designers stick to a narrow set of tools or methods, partly because they worry that leaning too much on tech will erase the human-centered touch. Ironically, this hesitation has ended up pushing design further away from the digital world it was supposed to enrich in the first place.
Where designers get stuck
Plenty of design professionals fear that if they dive too deep into emerging technologies—like advanced prototyping platforms, AI-driven user research, or even just coding basics—they’ll lose that creative spark that sets design apart. As a result, they rely on tried-and-true (but sometimes outdated) tools, turning them into spectators in the fast-paced tech scene rather than active innovators.
Afraid of over-automation: Some designers think an overreliance on software or coding shortcuts could make their work feel too sterile, overlooking the emotional nuance that good design usually brings.
Limited toolchains: Instead of venturing into new territory (like VR prototypes or advanced code-based animations), they stick with old frameworks. That means missing out on faster processes or more interactive final products.
Why tech companies are losing patience
It’s not just designers who are wary—tech companies are also increasingly skeptical about maintaining dedicated design teams that don’t keep up with the digital demands of the modern product landscape. Even appointing a Chief Design Officer can fall flat if the design org isn’t actively collaborating with engineering and staying current with industry shifts.
The “shiny title” problem: A fancy title like “Chief Design Officer” doesn’t magically guarantee that design thinking is deeply integrated across the company. If the team doesn’t speak the same technical language as the devs, it can quickly get sidelined.
Evolving tech, static skills: As digital ecosystems change almost by the quarter, design teams that rely on the same old processes can feel out of sync, costing them credibility and resources.
Contradictory findings: Strong design leadership works
What’s curious is that research from the Design Management Institute shows companies with robust design leadership outperformed their competitors by more than 200%. That means having a high-level champion for design still correlates with solid market performance. Yet despite these promising numbers, we’re seeing a decline in true executive-level design roles.
The disconnect: So why the downward trend in top-level design roles, even when data suggests that strong design leadership boosts returns? Possibly because design’s strategic clout isn’t translating into the daily workflows.
Walking the walk: Some companies put a design leader on the org chart but never fully integrate design priorities into product roadmaps or day-to-day decision-making. Without that integration, the entire design team can turn into an afterthought.
The question, of course, is whether designers will lean into technology at a deeper level—learning new dev-friendly tools, adopting AI-driven workflows, or focusing on code literacy—to avoid getting left in the dust. For businesses, it might mean reevaluating how they structure teams and ensuring design is more than just a checkbox at the end of development.
Collaborative future: To truly thrive, both designers and tech leads need to find a middle ground. Imagine a scenario where design isn’t locked away in its own silo, but actively shaping features alongside engineering in real-time.
Opportunity for reinvention: When design teams use advanced tools effectively and maintain that human-centered perspective, they can be the key to producing intuitive products that also keep up with the breakneck pace of tech.
In the end, the real challenge is bridging this designer-developer divide. If designers continue hesitating to adapt, they risk losing relevance in a space that’s more digital than ever. But if they embrace a slightly geekier side, learn to navigate code, and incorporate fresh approaches, they stand to drive the kind of innovative user experiences that put their companies ahead in a crowded marketplace.
Reinventing the future of product design
The future of product design may seem a bit precarious, but it is far from doomed. Designers can take back their seat at the table, but they must break free from the shackles of legacy processes and begin adopting new capabilities. The next chapter in product design is about embracing speed and creativity, not inflexible checklists and infinite iteration loops.
Tech firms, in particular, must keep a balance between structure and creativity in design. All too often, design is boiled down to a function, a list of what needs to happen in order to get a product "usable." Of course, you require rules in order to ensure things are consistent and on-brand, but it's time to unleash the creativity. Designers must do more than simply advise; they must have input in the decision-making process and influence product direction, not merely execute on somebody else's idea.
Those days are gone when designers took months to get each pixel just right before rolling out. In today's high-speed digital world, waiting for perfection is a ticket to nowhere. Consumers today are impatient; they want innovation, and they want it now. Waiting for the product to be "just so" means you are already behind. If you are not evolving, then you are stagnating.
The call for speed is not merely to outpace the competition; it is about responding to feedback quickly, iterating on designs swiftly, and innovating in real-time. The product design must keep up with this new speed, without compromising on quality. Presenting mediocre design because you are in a hurry will not make you popular among customers.
The future of product design may seem a bit precarious, but it is far from doomed. Designers can take back their seat at the table, but they must break free from the shackles of legacy processes and begin adopting new capabilities. The next chapter in product design is about embracing speed and creativity, not inflexible checklists and infinite iteration loops.
Tech firms, in particular, must keep a balance between structure and creativity in design. All too often, design is boiled down to a function, a list of what needs to happen in order to get a product "usable." Of course, you require rules in order to ensure things are consistent and on-brand, but it's time to unleash the creativity. Designers must do more than simply advise; they must have input in the decision-making process and influence product direction, not merely execute on somebody else's idea.
Those days are gone when designers took months to get each pixel just right before rolling out. In today's high-speed digital world, waiting for perfection is a ticket to nowhere. Consumers today are impatient; they want innovation, and they want it now. Waiting for the product to be "just so" means you are already behind. If you are not evolving, then you are stagnating.
The call for speed is not merely to outpace the competition; it is about responding to feedback quickly, iterating on designs swiftly, and innovating in real-time. The product design must keep up with this new speed, without compromising on quality. Presenting mediocre design because you are in a hurry will not make you popular among customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do outdated methods hinder modern product design?
Traditional approaches often rely on rigid processes and excessive gatekeeping. That stifles fresh ideas and blocks timely feedback. Designers need agile methods, open collaboration, and user-centric thinking. Revitalizing product design means challenging these old habits and embracing continuous experimentation and creative risk.
How do user-centric methodologies help reinvent product design?
Deep user involvement keeps teams grounded in real needs, not just personal assumptions or fleeting fads. Observing actual behaviors informs better solutions and fosters empathy. The result is products that resonate with people, streamline tasks, and adapt gracefully to changing demands.
Why might risk-taking be essential for design’s future?
Design thrives on bold experimentation and deliberate rule-breaking. Playing it safe often yields bland outcomes and stifles true innovation. A risk-friendly mindset propels teams to try untested materials, novel aesthetics, or unexpected functionality, sparking breakthroughs that separate memorable products from forgettable ones.
Final Thoughts
Designers must begin thinking as product owners: concentrate on quick iterations, agility, and most critically, quality results. The way of the future in design is making rapid, thoughtful products that are capable of constantly adjusting based on evolving user needs. Rapid doesn't imply sloppiness—it implies nimbleness and adjusting quickly, all the while maintaining the customer's experience paramount.
Ultimately, designers must reclaim their power to imagine and stretch the limits of what can be done. As the digital environment keeps changing, so should the designer's role. It is no longer about prettying up things—it is about building enduring, dynamic experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do outdated methods hinder modern product design?
Traditional approaches often rely on rigid processes and excessive gatekeeping. That stifles fresh ideas and blocks timely feedback. Designers need agile methods, open collaboration, and user-centric thinking. Revitalizing product design means challenging these old habits and embracing continuous experimentation and creative risk.
How do user-centric methodologies help reinvent product design?
Deep user involvement keeps teams grounded in real needs, not just personal assumptions or fleeting fads. Observing actual behaviors informs better solutions and fosters empathy. The result is products that resonate with people, streamline tasks, and adapt gracefully to changing demands.
Why might risk-taking be essential for design’s future?
Design thrives on bold experimentation and deliberate rule-breaking. Playing it safe often yields bland outcomes and stifles true innovation. A risk-friendly mindset propels teams to try untested materials, novel aesthetics, or unexpected functionality, sparking breakthroughs that separate memorable products from forgettable ones.
Final Thoughts
Designers must begin thinking as product owners: concentrate on quick iterations, agility, and most critically, quality results. The way of the future in design is making rapid, thoughtful products that are capable of constantly adjusting based on evolving user needs. Rapid doesn't imply sloppiness—it implies nimbleness and adjusting quickly, all the while maintaining the customer's experience paramount.
Ultimately, designers must reclaim their power to imagine and stretch the limits of what can be done. As the digital environment keeps changing, so should the designer's role. It is no longer about prettying up things—it is about building enduring, dynamic experiences.
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Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
- FOR® Brand. FOR® Future.
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
Helsinki, FIN
info@for.fi
Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
kyiv@for.co
Click to copy
Lagos, NG
lagos@for.ng
Copyright © 2024 FOR®
Work with us
Click to copy
work@for.co
We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
Click to copy
Helsinki, FIN
hel@for.co
Click to copy
New York, NY
ny@for.co
Click to copy
Miami, FL
mia@for.co
Click to copy
Dubai, UAE
uae@for.co
Click to copy
Kyiv, UA
kyiv@for.co
Click to copy
Lagos, NG
lagos@for.ng
Copyright © 2024 FOR®