Product Redesign: Strategy, Trends, and Best Practices
Product redesign is a great opportunity to give your business a new shot at life, fixing long-standing issues, reaching your users in a different way, seeing your metrics improve drastically and many other benefits. By taking the proper steps for preparing for this process, your product can obtain a competitive edge and take its well-deserved place on the market.
For a business that has never dipped its toes in redesigning their existing solution, it may not be as obvious what goes into the process and why you would need it in the first place. Hence why we have put together this useful guide.
Below, you will find out when you should redesign a product, what steps go into the process, general things you can expect along the way, as well as other vital information. Let’s begin our exploration by tackling one topic at a time.
What is product redesign?
Before we can jump into our topic, we should first get on the same page as to what redesign actually means. In simple terms, a product redesign is a process of updating or changing some aspects or completely overhauling the design of existing solutions. Such solutions can include websites, applications, platforms, and other types of digital products.
The purposes of redesigns can vary based on the specific goals and requirements that a business is after. With that being said the general desire to revamp a design can stem from outdated decisions in the realm of user interfaces or user experiences which can ultimately stop the product from reaching its full potential.
The question of how to redesign a product can present itself differently depending on the scope of work that needs to be done. Which can be as simple as reimagining the visual elements to introducing new features and functionalities. To get comprehensive answers regarding this topic, we shall go over a few of the most vital points, starting with the reasons why you would seek out redesigns.
When do you need a redesign?
With the definition of the term out of the way we can shift our focus to some of the most common reasons why businesses are seeking to revamp the look and feel of their products. If any of the points are resonating with you then it could be the time to consider redesign product ideas.
Refresh the user interface
One of the most widespread causes of looking to redesign an existing product is that the visual design becomes dated or otherwise not pleasing to the eye. For many digital products, the aesthetics are a major appeal that can initially attract users to engage and use the solution. And when the user interface is no longer doing its job it is time to switch things up.
If, after an audit you find that the UI is the culprit, it is good news — updating and refreshing the visual design is not as complicated and time-consuming as tackling other aspects of redesigning products.
Improve user experience
The user experience (UX) of your product is a cornerstone of how successful and popular it would be with the audiences so if you find that this area is lacking and needs to be redesigned you are in for a handful of work. Updating product’s UX can encompass revisiting your information architecture to introduce a more intuitive navigation, creating new prototypes to test with users, and much more.
Product redesigning focused on user experience obligates you to find the root cause of what needs to be improved and continuously iterate until you reach the most optimal solution. Your goal should be to deliver an experience that users truly enjoy and are satisfied enough to keep coming back.
Adapt to new trends and market demands
No matter which industry your business resides in it is obvious to the naked eye that the market trends and consumer demands are evolving rapidly. As the niche is being filled with new, often more enjoyable offers business owners have no choice but to adapt to the new realities.
By getting to the bottom of market research, you can uncover what kind of competitive advantage other businesses have over you and which gaps you can fill that are otherwise absent. This could be introducing a new feature, changing the fonts and color schemes to what is more on-trend now, and many other nuances.
Fix technical or metric issues
Sometimes you may find that redesign product examples are not exactly correlating with your needs because the reasons that are bothering you are poor metrics. Things like acquisition, conversion and retention rates can be deeply intertwined with the overall design of the product and it can become troublesome to figure out what you have to change.
The same goes for technical issues in the design which are certainly a call to action to fix them right away. Performing a product audit can help get to the bottom of these issues and point towards areas that could use redesign, whether it will be a partial or complete overhaul.
Give a new identity to your brand
It is not new to anyone that at some point many brands feel like their identity does not properly represent them anymore or sense that it is time to update how they position themselves to the world. However, rebranding is a much more comprehensive scope of work than simply changing the interface, so redesign becomes only one part of the process.
If you choose a path to rebranding you will be creating a whole new identity that includes changing your stylistic decisions, marketing efforts, and more. You can create a logo to reflect your new identity and complement your rebranding efforts. All of which can be considered a part of the redesign process.
Stages of the product redesign process
Depending on the reasons behind why you are looking to reinvent your current design of a product you may be undergoing somewhat different steps during this process. With that being said, we can help you get a fuller picture of how this process unfolds by overviewing the major stages you can expect to go through when dabbling in redesigns. Let’s go over them one at a time.
Document requirements and goals
Just like we have mentioned before you should identify concrete reasons why you want to redesign a solution to be able to accurately address problems and find a way to fix them through the design. When you are on a solid ground of your reasoning, you should begin the process by documenting all of your expectations, goals and requirements for what is about to happen next.
You can look through the product redesign examples to see which cases fit your situation the most and what was done to overcome those similar challenges. By documenting your plan you have a better shot of getting things right and communicating your objectives to the design team.
Ideate and conceptualize solutions
To help you wrap your head around what is currently in demand and what users want to see you have to take your time with market research. Analyzing what your primary and secondary competitors are doing that attracts the attention of the audiences can reveal pitfalls in your present design.
With this knowledge, you can move forward with creating concepts for the redesign that encompass your ideas and amplify your strengths. This can include redefining your value proposition, how you want to communicate it within the visual aspects, how you can build a better user experience, etc.
Redesign the product
When a plan is fully intact and agreed upon, you can begin to redesign product with a selected professional team. A well-rounded plan made in the beginning will enable a smoother communication process and mitigate the risks of the specialists getting your ideas wrong.
During this stage, you can create prototypes that later can be tested and validated with real users before jumping the gun to immediately implement them. Still, based on your goals and objectives, like simple user interface changes, you are free to design, develop and introduce these changes without further testing.
Test redesign results with users
At some point, you are likely to have a finished prototype on your hands that has yet to be implemented into your product. This is a great time in the process of redesigning products to assemble a group of users that would like to participate in user and usability testing to validate how your new design will actually perform with real people.
There is a significant variety of tests that can be conducted to receive various feedback in regard to many areas, such as how straightforward the navigation is, whether there is any confusion when using a product, etc. With loads of empirical and practical data you can figure out if the product is ready for relaunch or if it still needs some tweaking.
Iterate and improve the design
As a concluding stage of a product redesign process there more often than not arises a need for iteration. Going off the data you obtain from testing your concepts and prototypes with users you can unveil some areas that could still benefit from further improvement to reach a satisfactory result.
Iterations are not something to be scared of; they are a natural part of designing from scratch or reinventing existing solutions that help you find the ground that works the best. Sometimes several sprints of iteration are needed and once they are complete, you can hand over the result you are fully confident in to the development team and finally implement and rerelease your product.
Challenges in the product redesign
Being fully aware of the motivations behind businesses to redesign their solutions and the typical process of how it unfolds, it is only reasonable that we touch on the common challenges you can face along the way. However, we can also explore a few of the valuable trends that brands can adopt while they are breathing a new life into their products.
Let’s stop to discuss each point in more detail.
When you redesign product, here is what you should be aware of:
- Getting to the root of the problem and fixing it. The success of your reinvention lies in adequately understanding what is causing issues in the first place. Even if it’s an aesthetical modification in the UI, you need to grasp why you are redesigning it and what you can expect to change.
- Keeping customers aware of the redesign. Depending on the type of product you own, it can be a good idea to release a disclaimer to warn your customers there will be future changes soon. Otherwise you can risk users simply not recognizing your product or being confused as to what has happened.
- Transitioning users to the new design. In case you are having major overhauls in your UX, it can be better to introduce tips and pop-ups that explain how to use your product in a new way, ultimately avoiding confusion and frustration.
Product redesign requires a delicate balance between user expectations and business goals — if you do it wrong, you will lose not only the customers that used to be loyal to you but also those that you are trying to attract.
Sometimes, technical complexity is not even half as much of a problem as the misuse of resources and lack of user research that gets projects derailed. Legacy systems and technical debts may often come up during a project, thus unexpectedly prolonging the timelines and increasing the costs.
The key to success is to look at a redesign as a strategic investment instead of a cosmetic facelift. Plan comprehensively, validate very harshly, and realize that the most effective redesigns address actual problems rather than ones that are only perceived.
Product redesign trends to follow
Knowing what stands for the tendencies that are worth your attention and efforts will increase your chances for success. Searching for product redesign ideas, you can consider the following trends our experts defined as essential for businesses.
User-centricity
Putting the user first is always a great strategy whether you are designing a new product or redesigning an existing one. Focus on building an experience that delivers on the expectations and solves the pain points of your audience.
User centricity is becoming more prominent because the data makes it clear that it is a revenue driver, customers want easy and personalised options, and artificial intelligence has made it possible to have super-personalised experiences in large quantities.
Personalization
If your product allows for personalization during use then you should lean into it. Customers are more likely to engage with a solution if it caters to their specific needs, like tailored notifications, dashboards, and others.
The era of static experiences is long gone, as products now tend to be tailored to individual users increasingly, and this can be seen in the case of learning software interfaces, which pick up your preferences, fitness applications that adjust the workout schedule to the user, and streaming platforms that personalize the content list according to the user’s taste.
The philosophy behind all this is that the product should adapt itself to the user instead of vice versa.
Accessibility and sustainability
Products that are accessible for people with different physical needs are more likely to reach a wider audience so be sure to implement practices that cater to those demographics. In addition, environmental consciousness is one of the top trends meaning you should consider sustainability being part of your value proposition.
Keeping up with trends is important for a number of reasons that are all connected and at the same time it should be mentioned that the way you get involved with tendencies is as vital as whether you do at all.
Defining which trends to follow and not falling into each of them will be the most profitable strategy, so ensure to spend time selecting the proper one aligning them with your needs and capabilities.
Looking to redesign a product?
To draw a conclusion from our exploration of what does redesign mean exactly and how it affects the state of the product and business, we can clearly see that this process is covering a large spectrum of needs. If you choose to go through with the redesign, you have to follow predefined steps for achieving the best possible result.
Hopefully, with our guide you are now fully aware of the product redesign definition, when you should consider doing it, and how to plan this journey ahead of time. We also touched on the different challenges that you may encounter along the way as well as overall trends that can aid you in making your product stand out.
If you want to partner with a reliable redesign company, don’t hesitate to contact Limeup. Our seasoned design experts are ready to help you and extend an offer for a profitable collaboration.
FAQ
What does product redesign actually involve?
Product redesign involves considering anew the paths and journeys of the users, refreshing the visual interfaces, reorganizing the information architecture and improving the basic functionality.
It is not just a matter of changing the appearance — it is about recognizing and solving basic usability problems, making features correspond to the newly developed user requirements and upgrading the technological basis to the current standards.
How do you know if your product needs a redesign?
The warning indicators consist of a decrease in engagement metrics, an increase in support tickets, a decrease in user satisfaction, a drop in conversion rates. It is necessary to take action if your competitors provide a superior experience or if users leave important functionalities. The facts are there — let analytics determine the choice.
Can product redesign improve user experience and metrics?
Without a doubt, through implementing design strategies, companies were able to drive their conversion rates up, minimize customer turnover, and enhance user satisfaction. Dealing with identified pain points instead of guesses, firms are telling 200–400% growth in major metrics after the redesigns.
How long does a typical product redesign process take?
The extent of the project determines how long it takes. A less extensive revamping of the interface may be completed in 4–8 weeks, while a more extensive one takes 3–6 months. 20–30% of the total duration is spent on discovering and researching — hardly any time is allocated to this stage, which is a guarantee of expensive rework in the future.
