The Secret to Innovative Product Design

If you want your company to be a leader in your industry, it’s essential to have a constant flow of creative ideas that lead to innovative products. Some companies may struggle to come up with new ideas that lead to successful products. There are some ways you can help promote creative thought in your staff and encourage the development of unique product designs. Check out these tips to help you get more from your staff in product development.

Focus on Solutions

One effective way you can generate more ideas for product design is to focus on solutions instead of the final product. Generally, all companies are in the business of providing solutions to various problems for their customers. It’s up to your product design staff members to develop items that solve problems in the form of products or services.

Follow Product Category Trends

Next, it’s important to have a strong understanding of your current industry’s product category trends. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing and perhaps develop more thoughtful solutions. Attend as many industry conferences as you can, and network with other leaders in your field to have a better understanding of the current trends and atmosphere in your line of business.

Try Small Improvements

Another way to generate new ideas is to look for improvements in your current product line. It’s not always necessary to create an entirely new design that is vastly different from your current inventory. Sometimes, the best innovations take what is already in existence and improve it. Use customer feedback and staff suggestions to make something you already have much better.

Study Examples of Product Design

Creativity can also be developed by looking at other innovative product design ideas for inspiration. If you and your team are having trouble brainstorming new product ideas, looking at some of the coolest design examples from the past that can provide you ideas about new ways of thinking. Studying these examples may help inspire your team to create something entirely new and unique.

Partner With Design Firms

In some cases, it may make the most sense to get some outside ideas from product design engineeringpartners. In this situation, you can outsource your product design ideas and get results for your toughest customer problems with a fresh perspective. Partnering with a firm that specializes in engineering design services in your industry to help you jumpstart your own new idea-gathering process as well. With a specialized product design firm, you can focus your creative energy on making decisions about designs instead of getting frustrated with the lack of ideas.

Encourage Creative Thinking

The final tip to help your company be more creative is to encourage more creative thinking. Take more time to brainstorm and encourage any suggestions about new products from your entire staff instead of just a select few. Do more product design team building exercises and non-traditional work to access new ideas from each team member’s creative side. Think outside of the box instead of doing the same thing you’ve always done to get a different result. Creativity is difficult to produce on demand, especially with new product design ideas. Chances are you probably have some staff members who are creative thinkers but just need a push. Your task is to find these diamonds in the rough. Our medical device design division spends 2 hours every Friday morning to brainstorm new ideas. This time is always scheduled, and all employees are welcome. This is generally the best two ours of the week.

How To Design With Digital in Mind

Today’s consumers have higher expectations of products’ capabilities than ever before. With the fast growth of smart technology, everyday appliances can now perform some pretty amazing tasks, making the ease and convenience once relegated to science fiction a reality available to millions.

With new features come new difficulties.Due to their increased complexity, connected devices must be designed differently than their low-tech predecessors. There are several factors that can influence the user experience that a connected device designer should keep in mind.

Does the Interface Match the User’s Abilities?

During product design and development, the primary focus should be on the intended use and the potential users. Is this meant to be operated by someone with specialized knowledge and previous experience with similar devices? Or is this meant to be utilized by anyone, with no or minimal training required?A new product design engineer familiar with a product’s purpose should first seek to understand the intended users’ technological literacy and plan accordingly.

Does the Design Take Mental Models Into Account?

When confronted with a new technology, people generally try to make sense of the novelty by relying on their history with items similar in form or function. For example, users unfamiliar with a touch screen may double tap a word to highlight it based on their experience double clicking with a mouse.

An IoT product designer can also increase ease of use by utilizing organizational methods that most people easily recognize. Familiar ways of arranging information include:

• Lists
• Menus
• Branching systems
• Charts and tables

Users are more likely to be comfortable using a product if they can easily navigate the system provided. Asking consumers to learn new methods of organizing information may be asking too much if they just want to do something as simple as checking today’s forecast.

Does the Design Overwhelm the User?

Just because a product can do a lot doesn’t mean your design needs to showcase it all at once. An interface needs to be clean and concise to help users get the most out of their experience in the simplest way possible. Thoughtful design can facilitate ease of use with even the most complicated devices.

As connected devices become more commonplace, the role of an IoT engineer can prove vital to product design & development companies. These innovations not only promise convenience to the average consumer, but practical solutions to businesses and organizations. A connected device designer can contribute to quality of life by creating quality interfaces that allow both expert users and regular people to access the newest technology.

Launching a Medical Startup? Getting Help for Your Product Growth and Design

Working on a startup business of any kind can hold several daunting challenges, including the need for proper funding and expertise to get things rolling. There are likely to be some bumps along the road. When it comes to medical startups, the need for expertise on your team is much greater. Many of the medical devices in development today are taking advantage of sensor technology, cloud-based data communications and application development. So one of the major obstacles to overcome is a decision on whom should be doing the design and development of your product. It is usually a wise choice to consider hiring a professional that are experienced in launching successful medical devices in recent years for the design and development phases.

Tasks to Complete Before Outsourcing:

There are numerous factors one should fine-tune before outsourcing product development:

1. Do your research. If you are an entrepreneur that is partnered with a Chief Medical Officer, together it’s important to understand the processes involved in the advancement and protection of your technology. Such as patents, non-disclosure agreements, and a short list of potential product design partners.

2. Review the product for proper qualifications. Investigate if there is a legitimate need for your product and see if other products currently on the market provide the same solution as your concept. Is the tech available or is there a need for technology development?

3. Know the terms of agreement. Begin interviewing potential design partners and get all the details of ownership and other rights regarding your product and its design organized. Be sure you’re comfortable with these terms before entering into any partnership.

4. Define your objectives.Presenting refined and distinct goals for your product and business venture is likely to be an imperative step in this process.

Benefits of Outsourcing Product Development

One big concern startup owners have is control and ownership of technology, designs and intellectual property. We recommend not signing over your rights and developing a win - win scenario linked to a successful launch. There can be some clear advantages to involving a professional design firm and / or a Chief Medical Officer, as they often have some experience and insights that you may not have. Although the concept or idea may be unique to you, it is wise to know your limitations and accept the expertise of others once your common goals are aligned.Here are some of the most apparent benefits to contracting the Product Development help you need.

• Save costs in the long and short term
• Rapidly apply new technologies
• You can stay focused on your core business
• Mitigate risk
• Shorter time-to-market
• More efficient development

Working with an outsourcing partner can have its challenges, and the keyword to focus on here is “partner”. It’s important to remember that when you hire a medical device development firm, the company you work with now shares interest in the success of your startup’s endeavors. This is the top reason why getting a professional engineering design services on board is so beneficial.

While you are focused on core business initiatives, legal aspects, funding and product marketing, the medical product design experts are focused on mechanical engineering, technology development, functionality and testing phases. Be careful on selecting potential contractors and what they’re offering before signing on for their help.There are some unsavory types that count on startup entrepreneurs being too busy to read the fine print. We will encourage you to read the fine print and get a patent lawyer on your team when you are ready for that.

Definitive Design offers medical design engineering expertise for doctors, medical technicians and forward-thinking healthcare professionals with an idea that is unique and solves healthcare problems. We encourage entrepreneurs to leverage our experience and skills in the area of medical devices and wearable healthcare technology.

Great Resources for Generating New Product Ideas

Did you know that your most lucrative and sustainable resource for designing new products is right in front of you? The key finding new ideas for a new product is listening to your customers, frustrated consumers and patients that use various medical devices to monitor activity. In today’s world, the traditional wisdom that says product development should only be an internal process is moot. Customers and consumers you interact with are more connected and engaged than ever, and people love to share details about what frustrates them most about a particular product. Often the best ideas come from solving common problems.

But how can you use online research communities to generate new ideas? Inviting your customers to be a part of your product development team can be an eye opening experience. Here’s how you can leverage your customers insights to come up with new consumer product design ideas.

Determine What Problem You Should Solve

The first step to any product development project, whether your goal is to design medical devices or a home improvement tool, is to figure out what your customers value or what problem with an existing product they are challenged with. Your customer base can help you identify what opportunities you should capitalize on or what problem you should solve. Before you attempt to come up with an idea, make sure your direction is relevant to what your customers want.

Your goal should be to get your customers to validate the direction your solutionis providing. If your customers encourage you to solve a specific problem, chances are that others may have similar challenges with that product. You can listen to your customers’ ideas by reading online reviews about a product, conducting research surveys in Facebook or a crowdsourcing app, or interviewing some customers.

Generate, Analyze, and Synthesize an Idea

Many people today are connected digitally with like-minded affinity groups.How big is that pool of people that can benefit from the new idea you are considering?Conduct customer research by strategically formulating your questions and sharing them in a controlled way without giving too much information about your idea away. Ask open ended questions like, “How would you like to see this item perform?” and then digest and evaluate the answers you get back. “What If…” questions help you fine tune your concepts.

Our consumer product design company has been able to help clients flesh out new features to existing product lines just by buying lunch for the employees one day and whiteboarding what comes out of the team’s imagination. A customer’s workforce is a treasure trove of new ideas if you know how to tap into their creativity. The patients of a clinical practice are also a great resource on how you may want to improve the design of medical devices that were used by them. That is a harder audience to tap as a group due to HIPPA and privacy laws but consulting with them one on one with a trusted clinician can be very beneficial. Product design consulting requires us to be open minded when seeking new ideas we may wish to bring to market.

How a Design Process Helps Inventors Succeed

You have an amazing idea for a new product that you know will be a hit, but you are not quite sure how to design it. This is where following a tried and true design process comes in. Following the design process that is common in the product design engineering field can help you to quickly move through the design phases so you can get your product from concept into production and into the hands of buyers faster. Here’s a look at this process.

Create a Design Brief

A design brief is like your blueprint. It explains what your product idea is, including how it is used and how it may look. It can give the new product development company you choose to work with all the information it needs to develop your idea and create the product you have been imagining in your head. It is essential to share every detail you can think of at this stage, so your product comes out closer to what you have envisioned. Any missing information may lead to re-designs and increased costs down the road.

Create the Specifications List

In addition to the brief, you want a list of the specification of the product. This will include three dimensional sizes, materials, potential colors, functionality and even packaging ideas. These details of the product will provide designers a good idea of what this product really should look like and how you anticipate it will be used.

Design the Product

At this point, you and your engineering design firm will begin the actual mechanical design of the product en-route to developing a 3D model or physical prototype of your product. In the hands of a experienced mechanical engineer with the help of the appropriate CAD software, you may start to discover all the intricacies of developing a new product and any physical limitations your original idea may encounter prior to production.Often there will be adjustments to size, materials and functionality done during this phase of development. This is where you will start to see your new product idea comes to life. The first prototype or 3D model is often generated weeks before any testing takes place and it is our experience that you will have to fine tune your design several times along the way. Be patient with the process.

Test the Product

This step is fairly self-explanatory. It involves testing the prototype you have designed to see if it functions as you imagined it would. It allows you to work out any flaws or issues and identify problems that may need fixed long before signing a production agreement with a vendor. Production costs and materials used in the production process need to be re-evaluated during this testing stage. There must be a return on your investment without sacrificing quality. Most buyers are looking for valuable solutions that solve problems rather than just another widget. So it is important your product is viewed as valuable. Consumer testing and focus groups may be part of this testing phase.

Finalize the Design

After testing, you can then work on the final design. Take a hard look at what you discovered during the testing phase and may the necessary adjustments to the final design that will help your product sell at a fair price, be deemed valuable, be sought after by future buyers and have the longevity to withstand future competition. This is going to be the messaging you present when trying to sell your product to investors or end users.

3D Printing a Final Prototype and Test Again

3D printing and additive manufacturing has come a very long way by 2018. Many of the machines being used for 3D printing today can be used to actually manufacture products on demand using synthetic materials that resemble all types of metals, plastics, stone and other mass produced structural products.

We recommend to many clients that have tapped us as their invention designer in PA to consider additive manufacturing when appropriate for the final prototype. This design process above leverages the best practices of product design engineering that a new product development company must follow when they are involved in the early design stages.

IoT Design Take Mobile Apps To A New Level

Smart technology takes home appliances to a whole new level. Smart products that rely on mobile apps for control are changing how consumers interact with products. Appliances that use smart technology have to be concerned about mobile application issues as well as a product’s design. Consumers judge connected appliances that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT) by the quality of their mobile apps, not only by how well the product works. Here are some guidelines for IoT design for manufacturers:

Consider the Person Using the Product

Although you may consider the product’s hardware the center of gravity for use, the consumer looks at the mobile app as the product. The app has to be a focal point of design through the design process. You can’t design the mobile app as an afterthought. Instead, the IoT product design has to integrate user experience of the mobile app as part of the integrated, holistic design throughout the entire process.

Savvy consumers expect a lot out of their mobile apps. Smart product applications have to be easy to install, navigate and update. The aesthetics of the app must give the user a great experience, which means that as a manufacturer, you can’t cut corners on app development.

Investing in the Future

Today’s smart products will continue to add capabilities as the technology becomes available. When you code software for IoT apps, your company will need to anticipate functionality updates that consumers may demand in the future. It might be cheaper to use hybrid codes when developing the program, but custom, native coding may make your app design more flexible and easier to update when your developers are responsible for the coding.

Mobile App Testing

IoT apps must be tested for quality, simplicity, functionality and UX at several stages of the development process. There is a complex interplay between the device, the software, cloud applications and more. As a manufacture, you need to include in your project management several layers of testing. Many manufacturers underestimate the time testing phases takes and the time required for corrections to be completed. It is better to iron out as many design flaws as possible early in the development process

Create Minimum Viability for Data

Many manufacturers want to create the biggest and best mobile app experience, packing in as many new and exciting features that they can into the app. With IoT products, it’s better to aim basic product functionality primarily for the first release. Get to market quickly with the primary features, then collect data based on actual customer usage for future updates.

Although your product might be your “baby,” you can benefit from the expertise of an industrial design firm in PA to be onboard before you start doing any prototypes or application testing. A creative new product design engineer with some skills in IoT design for manufacturers and design for medical products can be invaluable in taking your smart appliance idea to the next level and make it work for consumers.

Designers Bolster Healthcare Advancements

The popularity of healthcare wearables may continue to grow as both consumers and medical practitioners embrace these emerging technologies and the benefits of monitoring health factors in real time. To serve this market, it can be important for the inventor to consult with a wearable device designer to carefully consider strategies for launching new devices that function effectively, connect wirelessly with data receptors, leverage that information via in app analytics and display the data efficiently.

Anticipate Challenges Early

Having been involved in comparable product launches, product design firms may be able to avoid delays caused by reworking product features by anticipating challenges early in the process. Regulatory hurdles may be addressed during the design and prototyping phases. Potential supply chain interruptions may be circumvented so manufacturing expectations can be met. Early marketing studies may reveal unexpected sales channels. Tests can be conducted to validate manufacturing feasibility may expose problems that can be prevented.

Improve Market Appeal

Consumers are more likely to wear a device consistently when it is easy to use and is aesthetically pleasing. Having worked on other products, a wearable technology designer may be able to suggest features that make your wearable medical device more likely to be adopted by consumers. A viable concept, combined with thorough planning and the potential for strong sales, may also drive early investment in the product.

Access Expertise

Start-ups need an invention help company engineer the initial concept and may be able to provide access to the expertise needed to turn the idea into reality. Design firms often have logistics specialists to help coordinate manufacturing and distribution. Artists and illustrators are often needed to enhance the invention’s design to emphasize the product value while making it visually pleasing to the user. Information security experts may address data privacy concerns and how non-public personal and medical information will be kept secure.

Ensure Great Product Design

Emphasizing great product design can make healthcare wearables more successful once it reaches the consumer marketplace. Product design engineering specialists may find creative ways to combine functionality with design elements that make using the device intuitive for the health worker and the patient. They may stay away from the types of trendy features that could overwhelm the product’s intended usefulness.

Launch Health-Focused Technology

Health-focused technology may continue to evolve as healthcare organizations and product design engineering firms find new ways for technology to give doctors and patients better information. Ultimately the goal is to make better diagnoses and decisions, as well as change a patient’s daily behavior for healthier results. A wearable device designer can be critical for helping to get these important medical technology advancements from concept and into the hands of users to help improve health and save lives.

3D Printing Helps Transform How Designers Develop New Products

When you hear the word “invention,” what do you think of? Do you envision a solitary genius working in a shabby laboratory? Perhaps you imagine a pristine white laboratory filled with collage aged engineers testing out their designs in a highly controlled environment. The latest and greatest gizmo, gadget or technological advancement can happen in a number of different ways.

Start-up companies are often formed by a visionary with a grand idea that needs some help turning his/her vision into a workable prototype. Prototyping not too long ago required countless engineering hours at the drawing board, before a CAD technician could build a 3D CAD model electronically and then prototyping could take weeks or even months depending upon the complexity of your model. The time to market today has been dramatically reduced with the increased availability and speed of 3D printers. One of the most intriguing aspects of 3D printing technology is the ability for inventors to create functional prototypes rather inexpensively. Let’s take a look at the ways industrial designers and inventors are using 3D printing to create samples and trial products.

Visual Models

Full-color 3D printing, combined with binder jetting, material jetting and special printing paper, can render a vibrant result that is more than an image. This technology, sometimes referred to as rapid prototyping, makes multi-dimensional models that help designers fix flaws and validate designs to come up with a better end product, all on flat paper.

A company called 3D Systems has been developing the SLA technology which builds product models from CAD design files. The process uses a UV laser to trace cross sections across a vat of liquid polymer, hardening a thin layer of the material for each pass working its way from one cross section at a time.Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is being developed by Stratasys uses a temperature controlled head to extrude and deposit thermoplastic material in cross sections until the complete model is formed. Both of these processes have become standards in the 3D printing technologies used in lower cost systems that are helping inventors engineer their visual models

This multidimensional technology is evolving to meet the needs of designers in many industries, from manufacturers of high-end mobile phone cases to medical applications such as customized orthopedic devices.

Testing Function with Prototypes

Inventors and designers test the functionality of complex designs with trial products rendered through 3D printing technology. These prototypes simulate various materials that offer manufacturers a true look at how the end products will function. Often, businesses need working samples quickly, and this technology is designed to rapidly produce accurate models.

Building Better Tools

During production, as advanced designs move from the conceptual to the manufacturing phase, new 3D printing equipment. For metal parts for example, direct metal deposition (DMD) is a process that uses CNC lasers to fuse layers of metal powder providing often one off finished metal parts made of aluminum or even H13 tool steel.These completely functional prototypes can now be assembled into final components and tested properly for durability.

Invention helps companies in Pennsylvania like Definitive Design provide entrepreneurs and visionaries do much of the engineering, CAD designing and prototyping services for start-up companies. The future is 3D printing services is bright as new technologies are leveraged to make more manufacturing ready prototypes. Most inventors don’t know much about product design engineering but understand that visual models and functional prototypes are very important to the design process, especially if they are seeking investments and seed money.