We have worked with many companies that develop their own product for manufacturing in China or Vietnam. They have spent months (or longer) on product design & development. But they completely overlooked why packaging is important, and merely plan to get to it at the last moment. Oh, but wait... they still want custom printing. That often means a 3 weeks lead time, AFTER a packaging material & type has been confirmed, AFTER the printing supplier has been qualified (a step … [Read more...]
From New Product Design to Production: What Is on the Customer’s Plate?
Many people contact us with an idea for a new product they want to develop... and nothing else. We usually explain that they are not ready for talking to China-based manufacturers until they have done more 'homework'. Over the weekend, I listened to an episode of the Predictable Design Podcast (The Importance of Defining Project Milestones), which covered the main steps every new company that wants to manufacture a new physical product has to go through. It is a great listen. It inspired … [Read more...]
Incubator VS Accelerator VS Go It Alone: The Startup’s Conundrum
If you are a startup at a very early stage with growing your business and getting products to market, you have a few choices in order to get on the right path. Do you go with Startup Incubator VS Accelerator, or dispense with them and just go it alone? Here are the options in more detail (we'll focus more on hardware startups, rather than purely software startups, as working with them is where most of our experience lies): … [Read more...]
New Product Concept Brief: 5 Things Your Industrial Designer Needs To Know
If you have a new product concept in mind, don't go straight to talk to a manufacturer (your concept is still too immature). Instead, you need to start working on 2 axes at the same time: Market demand confirmation - will a sufficient number of people want to buy your product? Industrial design - what will it look like? (I am assuming you are designing an electro-mechanical product.) To illustrate your product concept effectively, you'll be providing your industrial designer with a … [Read more...]
6 Tips To Nail Your Hardware Product’s Concept BEFORE Engaging A Design House
Many people have an idea for a new hardware product and call us, and in many cases, it is too early, and going to a design house now may also be too early! They need to work with an industrial designer. (I am thinking of electro-mechanical products here.) The logical steps are in this sequence: a. Concept > b. Aesthetic Design > c. CAD Design > d. Proof-of-concept Prototype > e. Work-alike & Look-alike Prototype So, getting the concept right is important. Here are 6 ways to … [Read more...]
Bringing an IoT Product from Concept to Market: Case Study
We've been fortunate to help Ahera develop their OSIA IoT smart band from concept to prototype and to get them prepared to take the next steps (tooling, certification, preparation, production). It is actually a great case study for entrepreneurs planning to develop their own product and manufacture it in China, so I thought it would make for an interesting article. Ahera is in the middle of an Indiegogo campaign these days. I went to interview their founder, Rudy Bottin, about what it took to … [Read more...]