Digital transformation empowering Nigerian tech space, not replacing jobs, says Lagos-based product designer

A Lagos-based product designer, Fasasi Tariq, has highlighted how digital transformation is reshaping Nigeria’s design industry, positioning technology as an enabler rather than a threat to jobs.

Speaking on the evolving landscape of product design, Tariq emphasized that digital tools are enhancing creativity, efficiency, and accessibility rather than replacing human expertise.

“Technology is just another tool in our arsenal. It’s like going from using a pencil to using Figma – the tools change, but the thought process behind great design remains the same,” he said.

He explained how digital solutions are being integrated into Nigerian product design to tackle challenges such as market research, payment systems, and language accessibility.

Sharing practical examples, Tariq recounted a project where data analytics streamlined market research for a fintech client.

“We leveraged digital tools to make sense of feedback from traders in Alaba International Market and Balogun Market. It helped us identify patterns we might have missed manually,” he said.

Another project involved designing a payment system tailored to both tech-savvy users in Yaba and cash-reliant traders in Trade Fair.

Despite these advancements, he acknowledged the infrastructural challenges Nigerian designers face, such as power outages and costly internet. “Let’s talk about the elephants in the room,” he said, pointing out network instability during client presentations and the need to develop apps that function offline due to expensive data.

Tariq also stressed the importance of cultural context in creating effective digital products. For instance, designing an app for a Nigerian bank required addressing language barriers and user behaviors. “Technology helped us test different language versions, but truly understanding cultural nuances came from direct conversations with users across Lagos,” he noted.

He urged young Nigerian designers to embrace their local knowledge as a competitive advantage. “Your understanding of how Nigerians think and behave is your biggest edge,” he advised, encouraging designers to prioritize practical solutions like offline usability, USSD fallback options, and designs optimized for budget Android devices.

Concluding, Tariq emphasized that while digital transformation won’t fix infrastructure gaps like power shortages and high data costs, it can enable designers to build solutions that work despite these challenges. “If you can make a product work in Lagos, you can make it work anywhere,” he said, urging designers to merge global technology with local insights to create impactful innovations.