Product Design in a Post-COVID Era

We’re fast approaching one year since the worldwide shutdown from COVID-19 and everything feels the same, but somehow…everything is different. It’s the same, but different, like good design. Familiar enough that you know and like it, different enough that it’s exciting, enticing.

What have we learned, and what is left to learn in a world that is increasingly about what we see, think and feel?

Over the past few years we’ve seen a slew of new digital products aimed at improving well-being emerge, from meditation and wellness helpers like Headspace or Sanvello, to tele-therapy platforms like Talkspace. With nearly half the U.S. population now reporting the Covid-19 pandemic affecting their mental health, it’s not surprising there has been a spike in demand for these digital products. With vulnerable people in our communities disproportionately affected we see an opportunity to democratize these tools for a larger positive impact on the mental health of the population as a whole.

Designers will wear more hats

It used to be that knowing one area to a deep but narrow level of expertise was the key to career success, but in a world in which your interaction with colleagues is entirely online-only, other, softer skills such as project management and communication are vital to continued success in the workplace.

We’ll need to listen more and talk less

User experience designers are going to have to get more and more comfortable speaking directly to their users to understand what the needs and expectations are in a more discerning market. Study and learning are still important but with more urgency and less time to succeed in an economically damaged world real-life experience is going to mean on the job training takes a front seat.

Minimalism is going to be more important than it used to be

In an environment where everybody lists out the 20 or 30 skills they have, or products they offer, or services they sell, minimalist design is going to stand out to a huge degree. If you do one or two things really well, demonstrate that in your user experience.

Value is the priority

Users are savvier than ever and they know when they’re not getting any value. Even the greatest user experience ever can’t make up for a lack of it. What is value in 2021 and beyond, though? Perhaps it is less about problem solving now — everyone has already solved their problems — and more about giving them a better version of themselves.

Take risks with your design

There are so many different types of designers and different styles of design, whether you’re in-house or agency, and right now if the absolute best time to get experimental with your style whilst you have the time to do so, but also understand that deadlines remain, and you should still trust your intuition when it comes down to it.

Remember to start with why and not how when it comes to design, and that there are many people solving the same problems as you who might have different motivations for solving it.

Understanding this might just be a game-changer for your User Experience in 2021 and beyond.