Here's how you can apply your previous experience in a different field to excel in product design.

Easy Peazy! Design is all about creating complete and agnostic product requirements, allocating the requirements to various architectures, selecting the best architecture, and implenting a design that fully meets the requirements. This works for communications, medical, automotive, defense, and so on. One approach. Many applications. By the same token, if you don't know how to do one of the steps listed above, go learn it or you'll have trouble designing in all of these industries and more.

Depending on the product requirements, individuals may need additional skills to align with the specific product type. Nevertheless, many skills cultivated through design and product development hold universal importance across various industries and product categories. The iterative application of these skills enhances one's intuitive decision-making capabilities, facilitates the acquisition of pertinent information, and fosters technical proficiency essential for project development.

Bridge the gap with transferable skills. Problem-solving, project management, and communication from your past experience are gold in product design. Customer service experience translates to user empathy, while project management skills streamline development.

As a Product Designer who transitioned from Learning Design, I’ve found that leveraging transferable skills can really give you an edge. In Learning Design, my focus was on creating engaging educational experiences, which honed my user-centric approach, stakeholder management, and visual communication skills. When I moved to Product Design, these skills were gold. I used my knack for understanding user needs and crafting compelling content to design intuitive and visually appealing interfaces. It’s all about spotting those skills that crossover and applying them in new contexts. Recognising and harnessing these connections can make your shift not just seamless but also quite successful.

Unearth hidden gems! Reflect on past experiences to identify transferable skills that benefit product design. Process optimization expertise can translate to crafting smooth user journeys, and data analysis strengthens your ability to make data-driven design decisions.

Embrace lifelong learning. Product design is ever-evolving. Pursue online courses, workshops, and industry resources to stay current on trends, tools, and design principles. This continuous learning ensures you bring fresh ideas and expertise to the table.

Embrace empathy to excel in product design by understanding customers' wants and needs. I've seen that designers who rely too much on theory and frameworks often struggle. But, those who prioritize customer discovery tend to succeed. Designers transitioning from support roles often excel because they have firsthand knowledge of customer pain points. However, it's crucial to remember that as a product designer, your role isn't just about advocating for users like a UX designer might. You also need to balance and meet business needs. Your main goal should be to understand both users and the business, aiming to create solutions that provide a win-win scenario for both sides.