What Is Product Design?
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README.md
Hi, I'm Flo. I'm a designer who builds. v0 got me hooked on crafting
personal projects, which led me to
Vercel's Design Engineering team in New York. Now, I'm joining
Ramp as a design engineer.
So, what is product design?
Product design: deciding what a product should do for people, how it works, and how it looks and feels.
- Understand: talk to people, observe what they do, find the problem.
- Explore: sketch options, map flows, make prototypes.
- Refine: work on layout, words, interactions, and accessibility.
- Ship & learn: build with engineers, test, improve.
Throughout: balance people's needs, business goals, and what you can build.
UX, UI, and the fields around product design
- UX: the overall experience of using something.
- UI / visual design: type, color, layout, hierarchy.
- Interaction design: flows, behavior, feedback, motion.
- Research / HCI: understanding people and their use of technology.
- Content design: words, labels, instructions.
- Brand: identity and personality.
- Service design: the experience across screens, people, and places.
- Design engineering: designing through code. Start here.
Career paths: generalist or specialist; in-house, studio, or independent. Grow through hands-on design or team management.
Train your eye by noticing the details
Browse People I Admire. Pick one detail. Figure out why it works.
- Type sizes, line breaks, spacing.
- Hover states, menus, transitions.
- What changes on a small screen.
- Whether you can use it with a keyboard.
Save it with a one-sentence observation. Try recreating it.
Portfolios I love, and what to look for
These are portfolios I love :) Each designer takes a different approach here.
For each project, ask: what did they decide, and why?
More portfolios can be found here.
Where to find design internships
Search terms: product design intern, UX design intern, interaction design intern, UX research intern.
Seekable Jobs: UX/UI internships
Boardsweep: US design internships; some paid features
Cofolios Jobs: design jobs; no internships listed when checked Nov. 2, 2026
Also check your school's career portal. Confirm eligibility and deadlines on the employer's page.
Start small. Pick something you wish worked better. Make a rough version, let a friend try it, and see what you'd change. That's a project worth talking about.
How I landed my first internship
This was filmed quite a few years ago! Some tools and career advice may have changed since then.
My conversation on Dive Club
Design is design is design
My path into design hasn't been traditional. A lot of what I've learned has come from following my curiosity and making things.
I've focused on software here, but the same principles apply to physical products, services, and experiences. Understanding people, noticing details, and testing your ideas are skills you can take from one medium to another. Design is very transferable.
Find me on X @floguo. I'd love to see what you're making!