A broken UI isn’t always the fault of bad design. Sometimes, it’s the result of skipping a step that should never be optional: the product design process. In our cooperation with clients, we see that using a structured design system significantly improves efficiency and reduces development time. Our observations are reflected in industry research, which shows that the product design process can cut development time by up to 37% and lower costs by 30–35%.

At Synergy Codes, we specialize in diagramming products. That means we don’t guess. We plan. From customizable dashboards to workflow builders, the products we help shape require more than good-looking UI. They need usability, clarity, and structure – all delivered through a proven, repeatable product design process.

The cost of skipping this step? Missed requirements, lack of standardized diagram logic, months of rework, frustrated teams, and a product that clients don’t really want to use.

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What is the product design process – and why does it matter more in diagram-based tools

Whether you're building a product from scratch, enhancing an existing tool with a diagramming module, or fixing usability issues in a live platform, you should consider involving the design process stage.

The product design process is a framework that aligns business goals, user needs, and technical feasibility before development starts. It’s where ideas meet reality.

It’s easy to assume it’s just about wireframes, but it goes far deeper. The digital product design process involves solving for real complexity – user flows across nodes, connections, dynamic layouts, real-time interactions, and advanced use cases. A drag-and-drop canvas might look simple. Making it intuitive, scalable, and editable? That takes a system.

That’s why Synergy Code’s teams always include more than designers. Our product design process brings together UX and UI specialists, front-end developers, business analysts, and project managers. On the client side, we involve decision-makers and actual users whenever possible. This multidisciplinary setup uncovers blind spots early and ensures each product design process step reflects real-world usage and constraints.

Why the product design process isn’t optional – especially in scaling products

A large portion of our clients already have a product. But they come to us with symptoms that are easy to recognize:

• The UI is inconsistent or hard to scale,
• Users drop off because diagrams are confusing,
• Design decisions made by developers don’t support usability,
• New features break old interactions,
• No one knows what the roadmap looks like anymore.

That’s where the product design process brings clarity. During discovery and prototyping, we expose inaccurate assumptions, validate key ideas, and define interaction patterns that support scale. We also estimate risks and tech limitations early – not after three months of sunk costs.

When done right, product design process speeds up development. Based on our internal research and delivery metrics, we've observed that proper planning upfront prevents costly rework - fewer critical bugs, less refactoring, and shorter QA cycles.

We don’t stop at “this looks good.” We stop at “this works, and it scales.”

Breaking down the product design process steps – from idea to blueprint

While every project is different, the product design process flowchart at Synergy Codes follows a repeatable logic. Each step brings clarity and creates alignment between design, business, and technology.

Below, I’ll walk you through the product design process steps we use when working with diagram-based tools. Whether we’re fixing an underperforming platform or building a new one from scratch.

1. Discovery phase: laying the foundation

Every product design process starts with a discovery phase – and for a reason. This is where assumptions are challenged, and the right questions are asked. We sit down with business owners, product managers, and technical leads to uncover what the tool should actually do. Together, we map user roles, primary goals, technical constraints, and future scalability needs.

To design a product that meets user needs, we rely on user research and behavioral insights. Most often, the client provides us with their data. However, if the information is not available but time and access allow, we run user interviews to explore behavior, pain points, and priorities. This is especially valuable in complex systems where visual interactions (e.g., connecting nodes or editing diagrams) drive the user experience.

Next, we thoroughly analyze business rules, technical constraints, and edge cases. We align this with the user input to finalize the structure and define what’s essential for an MVP stage and what can wait.

The result? A clearly defined scope of work for the first viable version, list of features for product development, realistic requirements, and accurate cost estimation – all grounded in research and analysis to set the project up for success.

2. Prototyping – from concept to interaction

This is where the user experience becomes tangible. We create low- and mid-fidelity prototypes that simulate user flows, system behaviors, and interaction logic – long before any visual styling is applied.

Think of it as the product’s blueprint: clickable, testable, and grounded in how people actually use the tool.

In products involving diagrams, prototyping means defining how nodes are added, connected, edited, and rearranged. We explore drag-and-drop behaviors, interaction states, and navigation flows – ensuring they’re intuitive, consistent, and scalable.

This step is often a turning point: teams finally see how their product will behave, where the friction points lie, and how users move through complex scenarios – all without writing a single line of code.

3. UI design

Once the UX is validated, we move into UI. This is where visual consistency becomes non-negotiable, especially in diagram-based interfaces, where multiple components must coexist in a dense, interactive space. We know that visual clarity impacts usability and task performance, so we create designs that are practical, yet eye-pleasing.

We build or expand a diagram design system based on atomic design principles. It includes reusable components, scalable styles, and documentation. This ensures visual and functional consistency and speeds up front-end development radically.

Our design system service is specifically tailored to diagramming tools, solving common issues like inconsistent node styling or broken layout alignment.

4. Technical feasibility assessment

While we validate technical feasibility throughout the entire product design process, the final step focuses on conducting a thorough analysis and making definitive decisions.

From early discovery to prototyping, we involve developers to assess integration points, performance requirements, and the capabilities of key libraries (e.g., GoJS, React Flow). This ongoing alignment ensures that what we design can actually be built.

Once the solution is validated, we document it comprehensively, including example features, wireframes, components, and estimates. We also deliver a clear roadmap with defined phases and responsibilities – a detailed implementation guide ready for immediate action.

ROI of the product design process – real outcomes, lasting impact

Design without direction is just decoration. That’s why the product design process exists – to make sure what you build doesn’t just look good but solves real problems and performs under pressure. In this final part, we’ll share examples of what happens when companies embrace the full process of product design, especially in tools involving complex interactions like diagrams and dashboards.

According to the report, investing in a design system can deliver a 120% return, saving nearly $100,000 per developer annually. In products with reusable UI elements like nodes, links, and dynamic panels, those savings scale fast.

Product design process with example – what success looks like

One of our clients came to us with a seemingly finished healthcare platform. The idea behind the platform was solid: transform static PDF guidelines into an interactive digital workflow. Although the client had already completed the UI design internally, the execution revealed gaps. The interface lacked clarity, and the diagram logic didn’t support real use cases. In practice, the product was functional but not usable.

That’s when we introduced our digital product design process. Through a structured process of product design, we conducted a discovery phase, rethought the user experience, and reworked the UI to match real-world workflows.

As a result, the redesigned tool was easier to use, better aligned with users’ expectations, and ready for further development. It’s a strong product design process with an example that illustrates how skipping the design phase can lead to usability issues.

The compound effect of getting design right from the start

Many clients underestimate how much future costs stem from poor early planning. Rebuilding features. Rewriting code. Redesigning entire components because the flow wasn’t mapped out. Each of these could have been avoided with a proper product design process.

When the product design process steps are followed, you unlock multiple layers of value:

• Faster time to market: no backtracking during development,
• Lower technical debt: fewer ad hoc design decisions in code,
• Consistent UX: thanks to integrated design systems,
• Scalable architecture: seamlessly growing with the app,
• Clear roadmap: every team member knows what’s next.

Your product design process for excellent software development

Our job at Synergy Codes isn’t just to design for you. It’s to design with you. Every product design process we run is shaped around your business, users, and technical context. You leave not only with prototypes and components, but with a deep understanding of what you're building – and why it works.

Because most of our clients stay with us for implementation, we know what happens post-hand-off. We design for scale, reuse, and performance from day one.

Ready to get started?

If your platform includes diagrams, data visualization, or any kind of complex user flow, this process isn’t optional. It’s foundational. Explore the full product design process.