We're drowning in products nobody wants, built by people who never asked if they should.
Every day, thousands of new apps, websites, and digital products launch. Most will be forgotten within six months—not because they don't work, but because nobody needed them in the first place.
Introducing...
Products People Actually Want
A practical guide to building digital products that solve real problems instead of adding to the noise. Based on 25+ years of experience consulting for companies like IKEA, Herman Miller, Loom, Google, and Spotify, this book covers everything from user research and stakeholder communication to design systems and team leadership.
Learn how to focus on what users actually need, communicate design decisions effectively, and build products people genuinely want to use.
This book cuts through the noise
Most design books talk in circles about theory and best practices. This one addresses the work as it is: messy trade-offs, pressure to ship, the challenge of balancing business goals with real user needs.
You'll learn:
- ✓Why "everyone is a designer" and how to leverage diverse perspectives in your team
- ✓The complete product design process that works in the real world, not just in case studies
- ✓How to communicate design decisions and influence stakeholders who "prefer the other option because it looks more modern"
- ✓Practical frameworks for user research that reveal what people actually need (not what they say they want)
- ✓How to design for anyone without falling into the "design for everyone" trap
This isn't another book about making things pretty.
It's about understanding humans well enough to build products people actually want.
Everything in the book
Part 1: Understanding product design
- What product design actually means
- Why everyone makes design decisions
- Product design as a problem solver
- Beyond the screen
Part 2: Building your practice
- The reality of product design work
- Being the only designer
- Leading without losing your craft
- User research and stakeholder interviews
- Creating a UX strategy
Part 3: The craft
- The product design process
- Design principles
- Creating meaningful design systems
Part 4: Communication & influence
- Why designers need to write
- Using writing to think through problems
- How to sell design
- Why designers need to speak business
Part 5: Designing for humans
- Building emotional relationships with users
- Designing for anyone
- Going beyond good enough
What readers say about the book
"This book captures what most product design resources miss: the human relationships that make or break building great products."
This book captures what most product design resources miss: the human relationships that make or break building great products.
Anton's practical approach to everything from user research to internal communication reads like advice from a trusted mentor. I wish I'd had this book earlier in my career.
"If you're tired of design books that talk in circles, this one actually addresses the work as it is."
Products People Actually Want is the rare design book that cuts through the noise and gets to the heart of what matters: designing for real people.
Anton Sten is direct about the realities of product design: the messy trade-offs, the pressure to ship, the challenge of balancing business goals with actual user needs.
There's a practical honesty here, especially in the way the book calls out feature bloat and the tendency to confuse activity with progress. If you're tired of design books that talk in circles, this one actually addresses the work as it is.
"Anton's nailed it — this is the guide every Product Designer wishes they had."
Anton's nailed it — this is the guide every Product Designer wishes they had. It's practical, super relevant for 2025 and honestly the stuff UX schools should have been teaching us all along!
"A design mentor in book-form"
What I like about this book is that it's an easy read that talks about design in a holistic way.
It's a book I wish I read at the beginning of my career, because it really shows the many facets that make up design and underlines it with personal stories, concrete examples and practical tips.
Now reading this book further into my career it still is insightful - but also just very relatable and reassuring. Truly a design mentor in book-form.
"This book is sharp, grounded, and unflinching - a reminder that success isn't about features, it's about outcomes that matter."
Most design books are written from the sidelines. This one is written from the arena. Anton's Products People Actually Want is built on hard-won lessons from real projects where the stakes were high and the consequences of getting it wrong were huge.
What makes this book stand out is its honesty. It doesn't dress design up in theory or shiny frameworks. It lays bare the real, messy, human work of building products people care about. I've worked with Anton on high-stakes projects for major brands, and I've seen firsthand how he moves seamlessly from detail to strategy without ever losing sight of the human at the center.
This book is sharp, grounded, and unflinching - a reminder that success isn't about features, it's about outcomes that matter. Every designer, PM, and founder who reads it will come away changed.
Ready to build products people actually want?
I'm not here to oversell you or make you second-guess with a dozen different options and add-ons. There are just two choices: the book ($29), or the book plus access to an AMA session ($99). The sessions are limited to 10 people each.
Book + AMA Session
✓ Book in PDF and ePub format
✓ Access to Slack community
✓ Exclusive AMA session with Anton
✓ Limited to 10 people per session
About Anton Sten
With over 25 years of experience, Anton has consulted for IKEA, Herman Miller, Loom, Google, Spotify, and is Head of Design at Summer Health.
His writing is featured across the design community, and he's a regular speaker at conferences and design schools worldwide.
Based in Sweden, Anton divides his time between designing products that matter, writing about the craft of design, and long walks with his dog Taylor.
See what the book is about
No catch. Just good content (chapters 1 and 4) to help you build better products.