Design concepts are a way to bridge the gap between an idea and a finished product. They define what you want the final product to look like, how it will work, and who your stakeholders are. In essence, they serve as a blueprint for what needs to be done next in order to turn an idea into reality.

In a company, this concept would start out as just that: an idea. In order to get from point A (initial idea) to point B (actual product), there are many steps in between that need to be completed by many different people. Design concepts nudge those people in the right direction by setting a standard for what needs to be done, as well as how it should be done.

In product management, design concepts are called that because they offer "designers" (statistically speaking, this means anyone involved in the process that isn't an engineer) their first opportunity to begin putting pen to paper.

At this stage of the game, no one knows precisely what the final product will look like or how it will work. A design concept can't be too specific, because it would render itself useless if the idea on which it's based were to change dramatically. Instead, a design concept should give general guidance for where you want to head, but be malleable enough to change as the project evolves.

At this point, it is important for all parties involved (e.g., management, investors, designers) that everyone has a single source of truth regarding what they're trying to achieve and how they plan on doing so. By defining your product's design concept upfront, you'll set the tone for all conversations that follow it and avoid confusion as to what is considered "good" or "bad".

Design concepts can take many different shapes depending on what kind of product you're trying to build. For example:

• If you're an engineer working on a new hardware product, your design concept could include drawings of the device itself and the components that will be used to power it.
• If you're a data scientist working on an AI-powered chatbot, your design concept could include how the user will interact with it (e.g., through text-based messages or voice commands) and what tasks the chatbot is able to complete.
• If you're a marketer working on revamping your company's website, your design concept could include mood boards to better convey the website's aesthetic and user flows for navigating through sections of the site.

A design concept doesn't have to be limited to just visuals, either. You can also include non-visual components in your design concept, such as:

• An idea for a new product type (e.g., AR glasses)
• A list of product requirements (e.g., must be water-resistant)
• A list of features that are non-negotiable (e.g., GPS tracking)
• An initial estimate for what the final product will cost to produce

If you were to describe a design concept in layman's terms, it would probably sound something like this: "The overarching idea of what our product will look like and how it will work."

Design concepts are typically created by the people closest to the project itself, primarily managers assigned to oversee the project's various departments. Once a design concept has been established, you can begin building your final product. You'll have direction on where to go moving forward, and everyone will be on the same page.

When you have support from your company's management, it's much easier to achieve success in product development. Creating a design concept is just one of countless tasks that are required for building a solid product, but it's an essential one.

‍