High School

In high school, take courses in business, shop, computer-aided design, graphic design, marketing, psychology, English, speech, and social studies.

Postsecondary Education

Product designers must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to enter the field. Designers have degrees in industrial design, engineering, human factors/ergonomics, human-computer interaction, or marketing. Most programs require students to complete an internship or other experiential learning opportunity to obtain real-world experience and develop their skills.

Certification

Certificates are offered by colleges and universities, online learning platforms (OLPs), and other providers. Programs typically last six months or one year and are available in in-person, online, or hybrid formats. For example, Carnegie Mellon University offers a product design innovation certificate program and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professional offers a certificate program in design and manufacturing. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Other Education or Training

Product design is a constantly changing field so it’s a good idea to take continuing education classes and webinars to learn about industry developments and acquire new skills. These learning opportunities are provided by professional associations, postsecondary institutions, companies, and OLPs (such as Coursera, Udemy, and edX). For example, the Product Development and Management Association offers workshops and webcasts. One recent workshop was titled Inside the Box Innovation: From Idea Generation to Product Launch.

Certification or Licensing

The Product Development and Management Association offers the certified product manager designation to applicants who have at least two years of professional experience in new product development, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school (or meet additional experience requirements if they do not have a degree), and pass an examination that assesses their knowledge of strategy, new products process, portfolio management, tools and metrics, market research, life cycle management, and culture, organization, teams. Visit https://www.pdma.org/page/certification-central to learn more.

Certification credentials are also available in the related area of user experience. For example, Human Factors International, which bills itself as “the world’s largest company specializing in user experience design,” offers the certified usability analyst credential to those who complete four courses and pass an examination. It offers certification courses in cities throughout the United States and the world. Visit http://www.humanfactors.com for more information. The Nielsen Norman Group offers the certified user experience designation to those who complete at least 30 hours of training and pass five exams. Visit https://www.nngroup.com/ux-certification to learn more.

The completion of an internship or other experiential educational opportunity at a firm that employs product designers is required for entry-level positions. Several years of experience in product design are needed for higher-level positions.

To be successful in this career, product designers must be comfortable using design software and prototyping tools; have knowledge of industrial processes, techniques, and standards; have a user-centric mindset; and be able to conduct research using a computer and by talking to potential users via focus groups. Key soft skills include leadership, project management, and problem solving ability; creativity; flexibility; and a detail-oriented personality. Product designers also need strong interpersonal and communication skills because they often write reports, make presentations to company executives and clients, conduct market research, and act as liaisons between engineers, lower-level designers, executives, researchers, and production workers.