Product Design
I have lined up a product development team versed in what makes a product design succeed today. Product developers who can balance art and technology; tacticians who can employ information, desirability, and captology in design. Former MIT research scientists, they have already created products for Casio, Raytheon and Amana, to mention just a few.
Roger Dube, CEO of IBM spin-off Gate Technologies, Inc. put it best when he said, “They don’t just solve the immediate problem, and they aren’t simply creative. The system they use often creates products with surprising benefits.” From senior–friendly consumer products which also have mass–market appeal, to consumer electronics, fitness and health equipment, tools and more. You can work with people who have developed over 200 products, received more than 80 patents, formed more than 60 licensing arrangements with 40 patent applications pending approval.
They don’t just solve the immediate problem, and they aren’t simply creative. The system they use often creates products with surprising benefits.
—Roger Dube, CEO of IBM spin–off Gate Technologies, Inc.Most products are the result of the assumptions built into processes and tools. Design transcends the tools, technologies, standards and systems used in construction. Most product designs scream “look at me.” The aim of this process is for users to say “look what I can accomplish.” Cool looks win awards for designers. But in order to be indispensable you also have to deliver unique benefits users can experience and customers want to buy.
In order to create unusual benefits a designed product development effort should:
- A survey might determine four out of five consumers prefer a particular quality in a product more than others. Interaction research can reveal what they really want is something which isn’t even there. Marketing may discover customers want something; interaction design techniques can reveal how customers want something to work.
- Look at the entire value chain to create a technical nutrient; sought after for upcycling after use, when downcycled materials are forced into products they were never designed for.
- Create products which deepen the brand, rather than fill holes in a production centered product line.
- Create an integrated design combining function, desirability, and business viability. Designs with higher desirability reduce marketing and support costs.
The Design Crux: Engineering With Marketable Imagination
These and other principles found on this site are what differentiates design from mere styling. When I call to follow up your inquiry, I’ll try to schedule a convenient few minutes to talk. In those minutes, you can tell me about your business and objectives. Once we determine a course of action, you will get a packet on the background of the experts matched to the needs of your project champion. Email a brief project overview to get the process started.