What is Product Design? 4 Stages of Product Design Framework at Lollypop

What is a Product? Fundamentally, it can be a tangible or intangible object created to meet the needs or desires of target users!

Products come in various forms, including physical goods (clothes, books, etc.), services (haircuts, consulting, education, etc.), and digital products (mobile apps, websites, etc.). Additionally, there are hybrid products that combine both physical and digital elements, such as smartphones, laptops, or desktop computers.

In today’s highly competitive market, investing in product design and development is crucial. It not only helps businesses maintain a competitive edge but also enhances value for users and society as a whole.

In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the concept of “Product Design,” explore the key elements that define a quality product design, and take a look at the product design process at Lollypop Design Studio.

Note: While products exist in various forms, Lollypop is proud to be the leading unit in digital product design and development. Therefore, the focus of this article will be on this category of products.

What is Product Design?

Product Design is an iterative process of continuously improving products to satisfy user needs while meeting the long-term business goals of the enterprise.

A successful digital product is a combination of 4 factors:

• User Interface (UI): The UI design must be structurally harmonious, aesthetically pleasing and consistent with user expectations.

• User Experience (UX): The design solution must focus on user behavior and psychology, while ensuring usability and accessibility.

• Business Value: The product must bring practical value to the business as well as make a positive contribution to society.

• Technical Feasibility: The design solution must be able to be realized by the development team without encountering technical limitations.

Product Design Process at Lollypop Design Studio

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to product design — each business has its own unique needs, challenges, and goals. 

At Lollypop Design Studio, we follow a flexible yet structured design process that has been refined from Design Thinking, through years of experience across industries. While every project is different, our approach can serve as a valuable reference point, which you can adapt and tailor to fit your own product and business needs.

Stage 1. Discover & Define

At Lollypop, the “Discover & Define” phase is the foundation of our product design process — a critical step that ensures the final product aligns with both business objectives and user needs.

This phase begins with the research team, including UX Researchers and Business Analysts (BAs), gathering business requirements to understand the client’s vision, goals, and business context. To gain a well-rounded view, primary and secondary research can be conducted to explore the market landscape, study competitors, and analyze user behaviors.

Based on these findings, the team identifies essential features for the product (Product Feature List) and uncovers key customer insights. 

From there, several important documents are created, including:

• Product Requirement Document (PRD): Outlines all necessary product features and functionalities to guide the Development and QA/QC teams.
• User Story: Describe product features from the end-user’s perspective, illustrating the value each feature delivers.

At the same time, other documents such as User personas or User journey maps will also be implemented to to help the design team empathize with the target audience and pinpoint opportunities to enhance user experience throughout the product journey.

Note: Since a large number of user stories can emerge during this phase, the research team evaluates and prioritizes them to determine which ones should be addressed first. This prioritization helps streamline the Knowledge Transfer (KT) process to the product and design team, ensuring everyone is aligned before moving into the next stage.

Stage 2. Design

2.1. Conduct UI/UX Implementation:

After receiving the documents from the research team, the product & design team will start their work. 

First, UX Designers will perform a number of deliverables including:

• Information Architecture (IA): A logical organization of content and features to ensure users can navigate, search, and access information easily and intuitively.
• User Flow: A diagram that maps out the path a user takes to complete a specific goal within the product (e.g., signing up, making a purchase).
• Task Flow: A more linear and detailed version of User Flow, breaking down each individual step a user performs to complete a task — without alternate branches.

At the same time, the UI Design team works on establishing the visual direction of the product, based on the business requirements:

• Design Direction: A guiding document that sets the creative tone for the entire design process. It includes moodboards and visual references, serving as a “north star” to maintain consistency across the product.
• UI Style Guide: A comprehensive set of design standards (e.g., color, font, spacing, layout, visual effects, icons) shared with key stakeholders (e.g., UI Designers, Developers, Marketing teams). This ensures consistent implementation of the visual language defined in the Design Direction.

Once the UX team completes deliverables such as the Information Architecture, User Flow, and Task Flow, they move on to creating Wireframes. These Wireframes are then handed over to the UI Design team, who begin crafting the User Interface (UI) Screens. 

Simultaneously, a Prototype or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is developed to simulate the user experience and prepare for the upcoming Business Review with stakeholders.

Note: Throughout the design process, the UI Screens and Prototypes will be linked to the corresponding User Stories. This is to ensure that all requests from the customer side have been considered and resolved.

2.2. Business Review

Once the design deliverables are complete, a Business Review session is conducted. During this phase, the client reviews all design outputs and provides feedback on areas that may require refinement. The design team then gathers this feedback and iteratively makes the necessary adjustments—creating a continuous improvement loop until the product meets expectations and quality standards.

After all design assets are approved, the Product Design team proceeds with the Knowledge Transfer (KT), handing over key materials such as User Stories, UI Screens, Prototypes, and Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) to the Development team. Additionally, UX Annotations are included to ensure no critical design intent is lost during development.

Note: To avoid prolonged feedback loops and costly revisions, it’s crucial to involve the Development team early in the design process. Their insights into technical feasibility help ensure design solutions are practical and buildable—saving both time and resources down the line.

Stage 3. Development

After the design deliverables are handed over, the Backend team begins developing the core functionalities and logic — forming the backbone of the product. Simultaneously, the Frontend team works on integrating the user interface with the system, ensuring alignment with the approved design specifications.

Next, the Quality Control (QC) team performs comprehensive testing, guided by the User Stories and UX Annotations. They create detailed Test Cases to identify potential bugs or inconsistencies, which are then addressed and resolved by the Frontend and Backend developers.

Once the testing is completed, the Product Designers carry out a Design QC to verify that the final product remains faithful to the original design intent. This ensures every detail is implemented accurately and the user experience meets expectations.

Stage 4. Deployment

When the product is finalized, the process moves into the Deployment phase, where the Lollypop team delivers the completed product to the client with precision and professionalism.

To officially launch the product, a Demo Session is organized with the client. All key members of the product team join this session to walk through the final product and answer any questions.

Additionally, Lollypop sets up a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment — a simulated space that mirrors real-world usage. This allows the client to experience the product as end users would, identify any remaining issues, and provide final feedback.

Based on that input, the product team promptly applies necessary refinements. Once everything is approved, the product is ready for a successful and high-quality launch.

Final thought

In this article, Lollypop shared key concepts and essential elements for creating impactful product designs. We also introduced the product design process we’ve developed and refined through numerous successful projects.

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all process — every business has its own unique context and objectives, requiring a tailored approach to maximize design effectiveness. Still, the process at Lollypop Design Studio can serve as a solid reference, adaptable to your specific goals.

If you’re looking for a product design agency​ that specializes in website design, enterprise application design or saas product design​, our team of product designers is here to help! As a leading product design company​ based the USA, India, Dubai & Vietnam, Lollypop Design Studio offers end-to-end services, from UX Research, UI/UX Design to AI Product Design and Development.

Reach out to Lollypop today for a Free consultation — and let’s bring your ideas to life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are differences between product design vs ux design​?

Product design is a broader concept that involves shaping the overall product strategy, user experience, user interface, and even the business model. UX design, by contrast, focuses specifically on how users interact with the product — ensuring it is usable, accessible, and satisfying. While UX Designers often focus on tasks like user research, wireframes, and usability flows, Product Designers typically handle those responsibilities as well but also work closely with stakeholders to define features, prioritize roadmaps, and implementation planning.

2. What are main types of product design?

The main types of product design include industrial design (physical products like furniture or electronics), digital product design (apps, websites, and software), and service design (designing systems of interactions, such as customer service flows). Each type addresses different user needs and environments but shares a common goal, which is to create a product that are functional, desirable, and effective.

3. How does product design benefit your users and business?

An effective product design improves user satisfaction by creating intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable  product experiences. For businesses, it increases customer loyalty, reduces development costs by catching usability issues early, and boosts overall product success in the market. A thoughtfully designed product also strengthens brand identity and creates a competitive advantage, ultimately leading to better user adoption and sustainable growth.

4. What are common challenges in product design?

There are various product design challenges that designers often face, such as balancing user needs with business objectives, working within technical constraints, managing cross-functional collaboration, and iterating based on real-world feedback.