Yet another post about 2022 product design trends
My personal list of tendencies in the digital product development and design field for 2022.
Happy holidays everyone, and welcome to all my new subscribers who joined this month. It’s been a while since I posted something here, as I took a little time off from writing. I hope you didn’t miss too much😄
In this short post, I wanted to share some tendencies in the digital product development field for 2022 that I noticed in the small bubble around me. They are not backed by extensive research and mainly stem from my observations, work, and insights in my current job domain.
Size doesn’t matter
I’m talking about small tools and apps that serve one goal very well. This tendency is probably not new for many people. But I discovered a lot of such tools that brought immense efficiency to my routines and changed how I approach work.
For example, Condens ‘supercharged’ how my team conducts research by digitizing and automating thematic analysis. They made thematic analysis so simple and convenient that it 10x-ed the speed I generate insights from qualitative data. By the way, you can check out my approach to thematic analysis before Condens here:
Mobbin changed the way I do competitive research and how I seek inspiration. The idea is super basic, just a library of mobile app screenshots, but it provides real-life references and saves me many hours a week.
Another example is the Diagram company that makes small but robust tools for Figma. Prototyper is the one that I haven’t tried yet, but eager to bring it to my design routine.
A product that took this idea to another level is Setapp. They have hundreds of small apps that focus on one task. Their slogan even says, ‘Think tasks, not apps.’ I used it for simple GIF generation, video, and PDF edits.
The recipe seems simple. You focus on one single problem or tedious process and automate it. With a growing trend of solopreneurship, bootstrapped businesses, and small indie companies, we will see the rise of many more tools like this.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, this post is not sponsored by any of the apps mentioned above.
Generative AI
Midjourney, Bloom, OpenAI with its ChatGPT, GPT-3, Dall-e, and many other products are already revolutionizing how we interact with computers. When ChatGPT was publicly released, professionals from different industries got their hands on it. Designers are not the exception, and many started searching for new AI use cases. In addition, numerous tools have already begun to leverage Generative AI, like Magician, that helps you generate icons, images, and copy.
People should start finding ways how to supplement their work with AI. Those who fail to do it will have difficulty finding their place in a new AI-driven workforce. Prompt designer or engineer is one of many professions that will emerge in the nearest future. Because even today, Generative AI can produce incredible results with a skilfully crafted prompt.
AI is not the only way
Artificial Intelligence will easily infiltrate into our lives in the future. And it will be pretty convenient. But the connection with real people plays a huge role in many domains that require accountability and trust, like therapy, health, personal development, etc. So products that combine AI capabilities and human participation in their product have a great prospect of succeeding.
Anti-social social apps
Popular social networks like TikTok and Instagram are a drug-like plague to the normal development of human society. They fuel social comparison, make fake ‘influencers,’ and spread tons of shiny but soulless content. They take all of your free time if you don’t use them wisely or don’t stop using them at all. Many conscious people are tired of that, or at least they know they need to change their internet habits. The world is becoming more regionalized, so people’s internet social circle is becoming smaller. The rise of apps like BeReal is proof of that. People will prioritize crappy and unpolished but authentic personal content and interaction within small social circles. Apps that leverage that might strive in the future. Needless to say, monetization is another challenge such companies have to face, but I’m sure smart people will figure it out.
Unfortunately, some global things affect our lives more than some technological trends…
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Even if it is a professional blog, I must bring this up. I’m a Ukrainian, and Russia’s invasion affected all aspects of my life, from personal to my career and the lives of millions of Ukrainians. I got lucky because my company relocated me and my teammates out of Ukraine before the war started. I can’t be grateful enough to my company for supporting us in such difficult times. But people in Ukraine are suffering and fighting for their freedom. I know Ukraine will win soon, and the sky will be peaceful again in my motherland. And you can help Ukrainians win by sending donations to verified and official charities. For example, the Ukrainian Freedom Project and Kolo UA are two charities run by my friends and people I know and trust.
So these were some product design and development insights in 2022 that I decided to bring up at the end of the year. It’s my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.
On a second note, for me, career-wise, this year was insightful too. I understood that although I’m captivated by design and I love creating new things, a deep understanding of product is what makes me a good product designer. So I decided to transition into product management. And this decision will, in some way, affect the content of this newsletter. I see product design as an integral part of product management, and there are many overlapping activities. Therefore in the next year, I will write a lot about design and research. Although I haven’t made up my mind yet, the primary focus of this newsletter would be topics related to the transition process from design to management. Thus if you are interested in this topic and have some questions and post suggestions, feel free to comment or reply to this email.