Who are you? A gadget freak, a technologist, a business owner, a tradesman or a teacher? Tell me you haven’t at least once in your life thought of inventing a product. All of us have that moment, your with the kids, out with friends, at work and suddenly you’ve stumbled on the holy grail of ideas. Today we are inspired to dare more and fulfil our dreams. Now, go make yourself a coffee and let us take you through what’s important. We want to help you turn your ideas into reality.
Ask yourself how you can change an existing product?
Of course you could improve on what’s already out there, you use all sorts of products every day, you’re practically an expert. Look for holes in what’s out there and think how you can improve an existing product with a fresh look, new functionality, new aesthetic? After all Apple didn’t invent the first phone.
Tip:
Ask who the users of the product are? What experience are they after?
Sometimes the user knows best what the next trend is. Use the timeless method of user experience analysis to improve usability. Feel free to ask your customers for feedback. Levi Strauss discovered that his clients were making ripples on his famous jeans so he decided on a new line of torn jeans. Another example, Heinz noticed a that their customers store the ketchup upside down when nearing the last few serves of sauce. Hence they decided to adapt the design of the bottle to the lid down variation we know today.
1+1 = 1
Look for a new design based on combinations of existing products. A combination that will give birth to a new and better product. What is the connection between wheels and a suitcase? Sound too trivial Indeed today we’re already quite familiar with the trolley. However, five decades back in 1970, Bernard Sado, the man who invented the trolley, found it very difficult to market and sell his work. Are you still drinking your coffee there?Taking another selfie?…yea another great example is the combination of a cell phone and a camera. The first cellular camera ever integrated into a mobile device came in 2002 when Nokia announced the release of the 7650. It was the first mobile with an integrated camera that shot VGA. Since then, the cellular camera market has undergone a tremendous revolution and the images of mobile cameras are reaching a higher resolution and better quality than ever.
Hello, you know I love you!
Be open to corporate. Today many companies employ design departments and maintain what is called in house design. We believe this is important but we encourage outsourcing. Outsourcing and collaborating with various people serves an important role in writing design history. To make a difference and a change may be faster for an outsider who is not fixed to an existing organization’s dogma or frame of mind. Joint ventures are the way to go if you want to utilize years of experience in different design projects and work with best people to make and promote your product.
Same Same but different
Think how you design a product differently. Easier said than done The role of the industrial designer is to leave a mark of difference from the competitors. We encourage our customers to think about the product, but sometimes it is important to understand that the industrial designer can guide you best. The industrial designer has the right tools to ensure that the product has style, usability, functionality and readiness for mass production.
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