Once you have built a prototype, it is a good idea to subject it to functional tests (phase 5.4). This is what we cover in this part of our series on new product development. Wikipedia defines a physical test as: ‘a qualitative or quantitative procedure that consists of the determination of one or more characteristics of a given product, process or service according to a specified procedure. Often this is part of an experiment’. Basically, once you have produced your working prototype … [Read more...]

One key milestone in a new product development cycle is phase 5.3, making a prototype. (Remember, you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). What is a prototype? A prototype is a representation of a design produced before the final solution exists. It allows you and potentially your future customers to understand the product. Prototype models are often used for photo shoots, trade shows and exhibitions, customer feedback, and design verification purposes. What are … [Read more...]

When it comes to developing hard goods, there are often mechanical parts. They need to be designed before prototypes start to be made, and this is what's covered here in phase 5.2. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). Mechanical parts can refer to internal mechanisms to drive trains and cases, and everything in between. In other words, all the components of a product that have a physical presence and are not part of the electronics … [Read more...]

In post number 6 we continue to focus on new product development. This sub-step, phase 5.1, is dedicated to products that contain electronics. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). If your product requires a printed circuit board (PCB), this falls under the ‘hardware design’ element of this phase. We will not go into too much detail of how to design a PCB, but will however go over the basic steps behind best practices (Source: National … [Read more...]

This is the fifth in the series of articles helping you through the New Product Development process. Now we're moving on to phase 5: In this post, we'll briefly go over the objectives of this phase. During the product development phase, the product is designed, built, tested and finalized ready for mass production. The main tasks in order to achieve this are listed below (obviously this is an example that needs to be adapted to your product): PCB / hardware design … [Read more...]

This is the 4th in the series of 19 articles helping you through the New Product Development process. We will be moving on to the third phase now: Phase Objectives Concept testing is carried out after the idea screening. The objective of this phase is to determine the following: Gain an understanding of what potential buyers and customers think of the product concept Determine if the market is ‘ready’ for the new product (i.e. can the product sell?) Understand what changes … [Read more...]

This is the second in the series of articles helping you through the New Product Development process. Phase 1 (idea generation) was described here. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). Here we will be focusing on the next process step, phase 2: The goal is to identify one or two solid potential ideas that can move into Phase 3 and eventually made in China and sold in your target market. Idea Screening Once all the viable ideas are … [Read more...]

One popular method to follow when developing your new product is to apply a phased step process as developed by Robert G Cooper. The different phases are shown in the diagram below. We are kicking off a series of articles that will take us through each phase and highlight the key aspects and what you should be doing to ensure your product successfully gets to market. We will be providing different examples throughout the series which we hope will help you in your product development and … [Read more...]