The product design world in 2025 is fundamentally rewritten by Gen Z. This generation, born into a world of smartphones, streaming, and social activism, is not content to passively consume products. Instead, they are shaping the very DNA of how products are conceived, designed, and iterated.

Here are five profound ways Gen Z is changing the playbook for product design, drawing on real trends, industry insights, and the pulse of this year’s news.

1. Figma and the Rise of Collaborative Design

Gone are the days when design was a closed-door process. Gen Z expects to be invited in, not just as testers but as co-creators.

Platforms like Figma have become the epicentre of this movement, enabling real-time collaboration and community-driven feedback loops.

At Config 2024, Linktree’s CPO Jiaona Zhang emphasised that for Gen Z, products must feel like they are “emanated from the community”—not from a boardroom. 

Figma’s approach, with its open workshops and initiatives like Friends of Figma, actively empowers young designers to shape features and aesthetics, making collaboration not just a feature but a foundational philosophy. 

This isn’t only PR; it’s smart business. When users feel ownership, they become the product’s most passionate advocates.

2. TikTok-Style UI Testing

Gen Z’s attention span has been shaped by platforms like TikTok, where content is delivered instantly, and feedback is immediate.

This has forced product teams to rethink user onboarding and interface design. If your product doesn’t deliver value in seconds, you’ve already lost them. 

TikTok’s UI, which drops users straight into content, is now the gold standard for frictionless engagement. Product designers are increasingly running rapid UI tests on social platforms, using TikTok and Instagram stories to A/B test features and interfaces in real time, collecting feedback at the speed of culture.

This approach is morely about respecting Gen Z’s time and need for instant gratification.

3. Authenticity Over Aesthetics

It’s tempting to think that winning Gen Z is about bold colours and maximalist visuals.

While it’s true that Gen Z gravitates toward expressive, vibrant palettes; think the resurgence of retro-futurism and anime-inspired branding - what matters is authenticity. 

This generation has a radar for anything that feels unnatural. They want brands and products that are genuine, transparent, and aligned with their values.

Nike’s success on Instagram, for example, isn’t just about slick visuals; it’s about creating a sense of belonging and trust through inclusive, mobile-first experiences. 

The lesson for designers: chase trends but build products that feel honest and relatable, and let the visuals follow.

4. Eco-Conscious Design as a Core Requirement

For Gen Z, sustainability is a baseline expectation. They want products that are not just beautiful and functional, but also ethical and repairable.

In 2025, we’re seeing more products designed with modularity and repairability in mind, driven by Gen Z’s insistence on environmental responsibility. 

This shift is visible in everything from packaging (with a move away from plastics to paper and pulp alternatives) to the materials used in the products themselves.

Brands that fail to take the full lifecycle of their products seriously risk being left behind. Gen Z’s eco-consciousness is pushing companies to innovate not just in design, but in supply chain and afterlife considerations.

5. Community as the Product

Perhaps the most radical shift is the idea that the community is an audience, but an extension of the product itself.

Gen Z want to use product, and also want to shape, remix, and advocate for them. Figma’s community-driven model is a masterclass in this approach, with users actively participating in feature development, bug reporting, and even marketing. 

This results into a sense of collective pride and ownership that turns users into the product’s most effective champions.

This model is spreading across industries, as brands realise that empowering their users is the key to sustained relevance and growth.

Gen Z Is a Transformation

The influence of Gen Z on product design is not a passing phase. It’s a structural shift as one demands openness, speed, authenticity, sustainability, and community at every stage of the product lifecycle.

As 2025’s headlines make clear, brands that listen, adapt, and invite Gen Z into the process are surviving and thriving. The future of product design is collaborative, real, and deeply intertwined with the values of its youngest creators and consumers.

If you’re not building with Gen Z, you’re building for the past.

The smartest companies are already handing over the keys and watching their products become better and alive.

Edited by Annette George