Designing PDPs at a Global Scale, Without Losing the Plot

Designing Product Detail Pages at HP isn’t just about showcasing a laptop or a printer. It’s about designing a system that works across cultures, markets, and mindsets, without turning into a watered-down, one-size-fits-all experience.

That’s the real challenge: scale without dilution.

When you’re designing PDPs globally, you quickly realise that what works in the UK doesn’t necessarily land in Spain. And what resonates in the US might be completely missed in parts of Asia. It’s not just translation, it’s context. It’s behaviour. It’s an expectation.

Early on, I had to unlearn the idea that there’s a single “best” design.

Instead, I started thinking in layers.

At the core, there’s a strong, consistent foundation: clear hierarchy, sharp storytelling, and frictionless paths to purchase. That’s non-negotiable. It’s what keeps the experience coherent across markets.

But on top of that? Flexibility.

Some users want specs upfront. Others want inspiration. Some scroll, some scan, some compare obsessively before making a decision. A good PDP doesn’t force behaviour, it adapts to it.

So the way I approach it is simple:
Design the system globally, design the experience locally.

That means building components that can stretch, visually, structurally, and even emotionally, depending on the market. A hero section isn’t just a hero section. It’s a storytelling tool that can shift tone depending on who’s looking at it.

Same product. Different narrative.

Working at this scale also forces you to think less like a designer of pages and more like a designer of decisions.

Every module, every interaction, every piece of content has one job: reduce friction and increase confidence. Because at the end of the day, a PDP isn’t just informing, it’s convincing.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

Constraints actually make the work better.

Global guidelines, brand systems, and accessibility standards, they might seem limiting, but they create a framework where creativity becomes more intentional. You’re not designing for the sake of it. You’re designing within a system that has to perform everywhere.

That shift changes how you think about craft.

It’s not just about how things look; it’s about how they scale, how they adapt, and how they hold up under real-world complexity.

Looking back, working on global PDPs has fundamentally reshaped how I design.

I move faster, but with more intent.
I think broadly, but design with precision.
And most importantly, I’ve learned that good design isn’t universal! It’s responsive.

And that’s where it gets exciting.