Products vs tools

We call ourselves product designers, but what is a “product” exactly?

When I talk to prospective clients, I often tell them I’m a designer who turns tools into real products.

What makes a product different from just a tool?

Products have onboarding - if people don’t understand what the tool is and how to use it, you need to show them

Products close the loop - tools do one thing, but products take their user past a single result and all the way to impact

Products create an experience - The product is more than the physical thing in the box: it’s the box, it’s how you found the box, it’s the instruction manual, it’s the store you bought it from.