In a world driven by innovation and creativity, product design has emerged as a crucial field influencing everything from consumer products to the digital tools we use daily. But what exactly is product design, and how does it differ from traditional approaches to problem-solving? I had the pleasure of exploring these topics through a conversation with Eli Woolery, a lecturer at Stanford University and co-host of the podcast Design Better, along with his insights on design thinking and the impact of AI on the design process.

Here's what I learned from Eli's journey and insights, from the origins of human-centered design to the future of product design in an AI-driven world.

The Origins and Essence of Product Design

Eli's path into product design wasn’t linear. As a child, he dreamt of becoming a "dinosaur dentist"—inspired by watching paleontologists carefully dig up dinosaur bones using dental tools. Though Eli didn’t end up cleaning T. Rex's teeth, his curiosity about how things work led him to product design, a discipline that blends art and engineering to create solutions that meet human needs.

Product design goes far beyond aesthetics. It's about understanding people—how they use products and what challenges they face—and then designing solutions with empathy at the core. This is where Stanford’s human-centered design approach comes into play. Eli teaches something called design thinking, a method that helps to reframe difficult, often ambiguous problems by putting the human experience at the centre of the process.

As Eli puts it, design thinking "arises when the challenge is more ambiguous... it’s all about framing the right problem."

💡 3 Key Product Design Principles

Here are three important principles Eli shared that are fundamental to understanding product design:

1️⃣ Embrace Curiosity

Curiosity is not just a trait but a superpower in product design. Eli explained how asking questions, observing, and being curious about human behaviour forms the backbone of the process. Whether it's through interviews or simply watching people interact with products in their daily lives, curiosity leads to insights that drive better design.

2️⃣ Reframe the Problem

Sometimes the initial challenge is not the real challenge. Eli shared a powerful case study from Nepal where the design team set out to tackle infant mortality by creating affordable incubators. What they discovered upon visiting Nepal was that the hospitals already had plenty of incubators—the real problem was getting premature babies to the hospital in time. This led to the development of Embrace, a portable option that saved lives.

3️⃣ Prototype and Iterate

One of the biggest takeaways is to test early and often. By creating low-fidelity prototypes (even simple wireframes or paper sketches), designers can quickly get feedback from users. Eli shared anecdotes about how small changes in prototypes—like switching from a thermometer to a binary "too hot/too cold" indicator—can lead to big shifts in the effectiveness of a product.

How AI is Shaping the Future of Product Design

Can AI help with creativity, or is it a looming threat? According to Eli, the answer lies somewhere in between. On the one hand, AI tools are allowing designers to experiment and build things faster than ever before. You can ask a tool like ChatGPT to whip up an app interface or generate interview questions in a matter of seconds. There’s Galileo, a tool that lets you create a basic app or website using text prompts.

But there's a risk. AI can hallucinate—return responses that make no sense in the real world. Moreover, relying too much on AI in the early stages of design could make designers miss smaller, valuable insights that emerge from thinking through problems manually.

Eli highlights that while AI speeds up some tasks, it may also cause people to skip crucial aspects of the design process where real innovation happens. You can learn more about the intersection of humans and AI in this excellent episode.

Could AI Replace Product Designers?

Whenever we discuss AI, the question pops up: will AI eventually replace whole professions? Eli’s take is nuanced. Yes, AI can drastically change product design, but it’s more about enhancing capabilities than replacing them.

He likens it to having an excellent but flawed intern—a tool that can rapidly generate ideas but still requires human oversight. In the short term, AI might remove some mundane tasks from a designer's plate, such as generating interview questions or drafting basic design elements. But for more complex problem-solving and creative thought, human intuition will continue to be invaluable.

Product design is more than crafting sleek objects; it’s about solving real human problems with empathy, curiosity, and creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, understanding these principles will help you excel in today’s dynamic world of design. And in an age where AI tools are speeding up workflows, it’s essential to keep humanity at the core of the design process.

Books and Resources to Boost Your Product Design Skills

If you’re starting your product design journey and want to dive deeper, Eli recommends a few fantastic books:

* Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono – A guide to switching mental modes during the creative problem-solving process.

* Sprint by Jake Knapp – Learn how to tackle problems effectively in just five days. This is an excellent resource for design sprints and quick, effective ideation.

* Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley – A vital read on rediscovering and nurturing creativity, no matter your profession.

If you’re curious about how design thinking can affect your work, check out more resources on creative brainstorming techniques and how to boost innovation over at this episode.

About Eli Woolery

Elijah trained in the Product Design program at Stanford University, where he now teaches as a lecturer. He has a background in photography and filmmaking, as well as product and industrial design. He is formerly the Director of Design Education at InVision, a software design and collaboration platform.After working as a lead design engineer with Light & Motion, a vertically integrated manufacturer of consumer underwater video and photography equipment, he pursued graduate studies in marine biology at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and co-founded the print magazine Wetpixel Quarterly in 2007. He was a founder in the second class of Innovation Endeavor's Runway Program, a venture-backed startup accelerator backed by Eric Schmidt's fund.He also founded Out of the Deep Blue, a design consultancy, where he worked on web and mobile applications for clients like Genentech and Kaiser Permanente. As a life-long worshiper of the ocean, he loves to surf, dive, and kayak.

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What is Product Design? Eli Woolery Stanford D.School Lecturer E158