Writing
Redefining Product Design in the Age of AI
To stay relevant, design must move upstream—toward strategy, value creation, and discernment.
Tags
AI
Digital Craft
Design Strategy
Read Time
4–5 mins
An illustration inspired by Frank Gillette’s 1970 essay Loop De Loop, this piece reflects on our evolving relationship with media, technology, and nature. Gillette argues that humanity’s survival depends not just on managing the environment—but on reimagining how we process and share information. By embracing decentralized, experimental media systems, we can break free from outdated paradigms and foster a more balanced future. It’s a call to rethink our tools, our values, and the stories we tell.
Definitions are Powerful.
They help us distinguish one thing from another, providing clarity in a complex world. What separates a well-designed product from a forgettable one isn’t aesthetics. It’s clarity. Clarity of purpose, of value, and of problem-solving.
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, he didn’t just launch a new product—he redefined the role of design in technology. My parents, like many others, understood that the key difference between the iPhone and the leading phones of the time—the Razr, BlackBerry Curve, and Nokia N95—was design. Not just in its physical form, but in its interaction model—the seamless, touch-driven experience that made every other phone instantly feel obsolete.
But product design isn’t just interaction design. While interaction design focuses on how humans and computers communicate, product design centers on value creation—defining what should be built, why it matters, and how it drives meaningful impact.
The best definition of interaction design I’ve encountered comes from Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA:
«Whether openly and actively, or in subtle, subliminal ways, things talk to us, and designers write the initial script that will let us develop and improvise the dialogue.»
This is a complete definition of interaction design. But nowhere does it mention value creation—the central concern of product design.
If design is to keep its central role in the emergence of new technologies, we must anchor it in value creation. Otherwise, designers risk being relegated to decoration—aesthetic enhancements without strategic influence. The evolution of product design as a discipline depends on demonstrating its role in creating, delivering, and capturing value.
A Strategic Definition of Product Design
Product design is the multidisciplinary practice of creating products and services that fulfill human needs that, in turn, drive business value. It integrates research, strategy, and design to ensure that products are useful, usable, feasible, and above all, valuable.
Designers also leverage principles from the arts and sciences to craft experiences that compel people to exchange value—whether time, attention, or money—for meaningful interactions.
At Etsy, product development is the practice of discovering and delivering value. It’s built on what Marty Cagan calls «the fundamental principle of all modern product development»: Does this solve a customer problem?
The logic is simple: if we identify a real customer problem and deliver a solution that customers find valuable, they will exchange value in return.
This is where product design differs from other design disciplines. While formal design practices focus on crafting elegant solutions, product design focuses on identifying and solving the right customer problems. A beautifully designed solution is meaningless if it doesn’t create value.
The Foundations of Product Design
Good product design begins with listening. It grounds itself in the needs, frustrations, and goals of real people—and translates those into opportunities for meaningful, measurable change.
To be successful, product design must balance four competing forces:
Desirability (Do users want it?)
Viability (Does it support the business?)
Feasibility (Can it be built?)
Usability (Is it intuitive to use?)
This work is not purely analytical or artistic—it’s integrative. It requires insight, empathy, systems thinking, and collaboration.
This isn’t guesswork. It’s deliberate experimentation—testing hypotheses in real-world settings, rolling back what doesn’t work, and building on what does.
But tools and techniques alone don’t define the discipline. What truly sets product design apart is how it exchanges value—between users, businesses, and the systems that connect them.
Digital Craft and Value Exchange
When I was young, my first exposure to great product design was Kozo Ohsone’s Sony Walkman—an object that sparked my fascination with well-crafted products. It was the first thing I purchased with money from my first job at a nursery and garden center. I chose it not just because I loved music, but because I was drawn to the object itself.
Even as a kid, I could tell there was something special about it. The clarity of its interface, the satisfying weight in my hand, the tactility of its buttons—everything felt intentional. It was the first time I recognized that design could communicate care. That someone, somewhere, had made a series of choices not just to make it work, but to make it feel right.
That experience taught me that design is more than decoration—it’s a way of thinking and making that communicates purpose, values, and promise.
Today, digital product designers shape the systems that billions of people rely on every day. And yet, many of the most visible digital products lack the care, intentionality, and clarity of their analog ancestors.
When we focus solely on metrics or aesthetics, we risk losing the deeper purpose of our work: to improve the human experience and deliver value.
The Future of Product Design
Before the Digital Age, craftsmanship meant shaping materials with our hands—throwing a pot, weaving a rug, or carving wood. While digital craft is immaterial, it requires just as much mastery. But as generative AI reshapes how we work, even this kind of craft is shifting under our feet.
Tools like Figma’s AI features and large language models from companies like Anthropic are rapidly transforming digital product work. Many of the tasks that once required a designer’s hand—iterating on UI variations, writing accessible markup, assembling boilerplate components, and even handing off designs to engineering—are now being automated or accelerated by machines.
That doesn’t make design irrelevant. It makes the strategic, human parts of design more essential than ever.
Because AI still can’t—and may never be able to—
Reframe ambiguous problems
Identify which customer needs are worth solving
Navigate competing priorities and stakeholder dynamics
Interpret nuance, ethics, and long-term human impact
The most important product design work today isn’t about pushing pixels. It’s about discernment: knowing what to build, why it matters, and how it creates value. That’s the part of the design process I’ve always been most drawn to—and where I’ve seen I can have the greatest impact.
To stay relevant in an AI-augmented world, designers need to evolve our practice. That means building around:
Clear, strategic thinking: seeing the system and the story, not just the screen
AI-accelerated speed: embracing tools that let us move faster, without losing intention
Human discernment: making sense of ambiguity, values, and tradeoffs
Measurable outcomes: tying great design to real results
Craft is still essential. But the material has changed. Our tools are faster now, our scope wider, and the stakes higher. What defines us isn’t how beautifully we push pixels—but how wisely we help shape the future.
Closing Thought
Defining product design isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s a strategic imperative. In an age where AI can replicate the speed and fidelity of execution, what makes design valuable is not how we make, but how we choose.
A strong definition of product design—centered in value creation and human discernment—protects the discipline from being misunderstood or marginalized. It ensures that designers remain not just contributors, but decision-makers, guiding how technology shapes human life.
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