What is product development?

Product development is the collective actions and procedures of creating a new product and bringing it to an intended audience. Product development captures the entire timeline of the product ideation, forming its reason for usage, testing and analyzing the product, and delivering it within budget and on schedule to customers. to bring a new product from idea to final product. Product development is used in many industries, from software and hardware products to consumer goods products. Product development is an evolving industry, one that moves faster in the software field. Think of the digital products you use that are constantly being improved to improve the customer experience.

Why is it valuable to learn product development?

Learning how to turn an idea into a final product can be very rewarding to a person interested in knowing how products go to market. In learning product development, you will gain a deeper understanding of the necessary steps involved in the process. These steps include bringing new value to customers, helping your company continue to generate sales and profit, and ultimately, improving society in some way. You will also learn how products go through a series of steps like market segmentation, growth potential, and competitive analysis before going to market as well as how they can be analyzed and improved after consumer feedback.

What are typical careers that use product development?

Careers that typically use product development include product engineering roles, product development and brand manager roles, quality engineer roles, data product manager roles, and similar product-related jobs. These types of roles are available in many industries, including financial, software and IT, consumer goods, equipment manufacturing, and engineering. Working as a product developer means you might keep continual tabs on your product throughout the course of your workday or week. A product development manager will use deep data insights about customers’ experiences to tweak products to make a successful work environment for all involved.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn product development?

Learning about product development from online courses on Coursera can help you gain a key understanding of the mechanics of product development, which includes the product pipeline, product testing and analysis, market competition, design and production, and more. Taking online courses on product development can also provide richer knowledge about product improvement processes, like mapping the customer journey, learning how and why customers are using certain features in a product, and how to respond accordingly.

What are the benefits of taking an online Product Development course?

Online Product Development courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Product Development skills. Choose from a wide range of Product Development courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Product Development courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Product Development, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Best Product Development Courses & Certificates [2025]

Explore the Product Development Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
Olay
Cosmetic Product Development
Skills you'll gain: Product Development, Packaging and Labeling, Prototyping, New Product Development, Product Design, Customer Analysis, Production Process, Sustainable Design, Product Testing, Manufacturing Processes, Product Quality (QA/QC), Consumer Behaviour, Market Research, Innovation, Chemistry, Regulatory Compliance, Market Trend
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
68 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Product Manager
Skills you'll gain: Usability Testing, New Product Development, Product Management, Product Lifecycle Management, Agile Software Development, Product Development, Innovation, Product Roadmaps, Agile Methodology, Kanban Principles, Product Planning, Product Strategy, Product Testing, Agile Project Management, Project Management Life Cycle, User Story, Stakeholder Engagement, Sprint Retrospectives, Agile Product Development, Leadership
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
4K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Product Development for Technical Managers
Skills you'll gain: New Product Development, Product Development, Product Strategy, Product Design, Design Thinking, Product Planning, Product Management, Persona Development, Innovation, Prototyping, Agile Product Development, Market Research, Sustainable Business, Team Management, Product Roadmaps, Marketing, Market Opportunities, Sustainable Design, Ideation, Product Lifecycle Management
Build toward a degree
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
34 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Maryland, College Park
Product Ideation, Design, and Management
Skills you'll gain: Stakeholder Management, Product Management, Product Development, New Product Development, Wireframing, Financial Statements, Product Design, User Experience Design, Team Leadership, Prototyping, Competitive Analysis, Commercialization, Product Lifecycle Management, Financial Modeling, Value Propositions, Proposal Writing, Innovation, Target Market, Market Opportunities, Ideation
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
698 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Preview
Simplilearn
Generative AI in Product Development Training
Skills you'll gain: AI Product Strategy, Generative AI, New Product Development, Product Development, Product Lifecycle Management, Marketing Materials, Product Roadmaps, Go To Market Strategy, ChatGPT, Product Improvement, Technology Roadmaps, User Feedback, Competitive Analysis, Market Research, Strategic Thinking, Market Intelligence
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Strategic Product Development
Skills you'll gain: New Product Development, Product Strategy, Product Development, Product Management, Product Planning, Innovation, Agile Product Development, Team Management, Product Roadmaps, Market Opportunities, Technology Roadmaps, Portfolio Management, Technology Strategies, Business Strategy, Business Modeling
Build toward a degree
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
17 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado Boulder
Managing the New Product Development Process
Skills you'll gain: New Product Development, Product Development, Product Design, Design Thinking, Persona Development, Innovation, Prototyping, Market Research, Ideation, Target Market, Product Requirements, Wireframing, Customer Insights
Build toward a degree
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Microsoft AI Product Manager
Skills you'll gain: Competitive Analysis, Market Research, User Story, User Interface (UI), Product Roadmaps, Competitive Intelligence, AI Product Strategy, Usability, Persona Development, Product Development, Market Analysis, Product Management, Product Lifecycle Management, Customer Analysis, Market Intelligence, Design Thinking, User Interface (UI) Design, Quality Assurance and Control, Product Strategy, Data Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
205 reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM AI Product Manager
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, AI Product Strategy, Prompt Patterns, Generative AI, New Product Development, Product Management, Product Lifecycle Management, Generative Model Architectures, Product Development, Innovation, Product Roadmaps, Usability Testing, Product Planning, Commercialization, Artificial Intelligence, Product Strategy, Project Management Life Cycle, OpenAI, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
31K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of California San Diego
Drug Development Product Management
Skills you'll gain: Drug Development, Clinical Trials, Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Research, Commercialization, Pre-Clinical Development, Good Clinical Practices (GCP), Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacology, Regulatory Affairs, Intellectual Property, Sales Strategy, Biotechnology, Portfolio Management, Bioinformatics, Precision Medicine, Strategic Partnership, Regulatory Compliance, Marketing, Marketing Strategies
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
6.4K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Alberta
Software Product Management
Skills you'll gain: Requirements Analysis, Agile Software Development, Agile Methodology, Kanban Principles, Project Planning, Requirements Elicitation, Sprint Retrospectives, Requirements Management, Functional Requirement, Business Requirements, Sprint Planning, Software Development Methodologies, Software Development Life Cycle, Scrum (Software Development), Product Requirements, Software Technical Review, Backlogs, Risk Management Framework, Product Management, Project Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
12K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Preview
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
New Product Development - develop your own new product
Skills you'll gain: New Product Development, Budget Management, Risk Management, Resource Management, Project Management, Product Management, Project Planning, Agile Product Development, Scheduling, Innovation, Business Strategy, Technology Strategies, Simulation and Simulation Software
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
138 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months