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When did (digital) product design become solely about shifting product metrics?

I will be using my direct experience to illustrate this concept. As found in “The Myth of Normal”, when people speak from direct experience, they tend to come to the same conclusions as scientist, or experts, using scientific knowledge or observation. I say this not to validate myself, which it can do, but to make it clear to the reader that there is a value that we can perceive and understand in each of our direct experiences.

When a product becomes heavily metric-focused, it can lead to a shift away from design principles that prioritize user experience and usability. This consequently leads to a lack of true innovation and creativity in the space.

A focus on metrics can lead to a narrow focus on short-term gains, rather than long-term success. This means that products may be optimized for metrics that are easily measured, such as clicks or conversions, while ignoring more important metrics, such as product/service sustainability, user & community sentiment/impact, and retention.

The most successful products are those that strike a balance between product metrics and design principles. Metrics can provide valuable insights into how users are interacting with a product, but they should be used as a tool to inform design decisions, rather than dictate them.

Design-focused product development on the other hand, prioritizes the user experience above all else. It involves a deep understanding of user needs and desires, as well as an iterative design process that allows for experimentation and creativity to naturally flourish.

Many companies do not embody this methodology out of fear that it will not return profits. This is a flawed mindset.

Flawed for two reasons. There are many companies who are design driven that consistently return a profit. Secondly, equating good design to a monetary value is not an inclusive or sustainable mindset. Many companies have a quarterly goals of economic growth in one way or another. In a world of finite resources, infinite economic growth is just not possible.

Why would we want to gate-keep good design? When ChatGPT added a subscription plan, I lost faith in their vision.

I am proposing for a shift in this industry. Maybe the industry is too deep into the weeds of product metrics to turn back now. Maybe it’s not.

Here are a few steps that can help shift a product-driven mindset to a design-driven mindset.

1. Define a clear vision and mission: A design-driven mindset requires a clear vision and mission that puts the user experience at the forefront. This means defining goals that focus on solving user problems and creating products that are intuitive and easy to use.
2. Invest in design talent: Design-driven companies require a talented design team that can lead the charge in creating user-centric products. There are a lot of talented junior designers out there who are overlooked for their lack of experience. “I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.” — Stephen Jay Gould
3. Prioritize user research: Design-driven companies need to understand their users deeply, which means conducting user research on a regular basis. This research can inform design decisions and ensure that products are meeting user needs.
4. Incorporate design thinking into the product development process: Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that puts the user at the center of the process. Incorporating design thinking into the product development process can help ensure that the user experience is always top-of-mind.
5. Create a culture of design: Design-driven companies need a culture that prioritizes design and values the user experience. This means encouraging cross-functional collaboration, empowering designers to make design decisions, and celebrating design successes.
6. Measure success through design metrics: Design-driven companies should measure success through design metrics that focus on the user experience. This means tracking metrics such as user satisfaction, engagement, and retention. Even these metrics however must be analyzed carefully. Persuasive design, which primarily utilizes the aid of dopamine hits to keep a person hooked on a product, can skew these metrics in a detrimental fashion.

Making the shift from a product-driven to a design-driven mindset takes time and effort, but it can lead to products that are successful in the eyes of the people using the products. By putting the user experience at the forefront and investing in design talent and research, companies can create products that truly make a difference in people’s lives. Currently many companies are not doing this. There is no incentive to truly innovate, or positively impact people’s lives, when shipping terrible experiences returns an instant profit.

I’m not aligning with this current mentality. Where did all of the other designers go?