Starting a StartUp?
Its suddenly hit you! You get a jolt of excitement as you think it through and do a quick google search, there is nothing like it out there, could this be the big one? What if there was a product that could…….
Where do you begin?
The next step is the most important part. Do you pursue your groundbreaking idea? are you ready for it? Do you, dare i say, START your #STARTUP? As an industrial Designer with a decade of experience under my belt i have helped countless people achieve their dreams. I have sat on my hands for way too long, dreaming of a startup of my own, and recently I finally pulled the trigger. I have my very own product in development, an in house range of designs which you’ll have to tune back in to read about after an official release, SORRY!!
After taking the first few steps in that process, I can personally say the rewarding part is the journey.
My Personal Startup Journey:
In the past plenty of ideas have crossed my mind, from apps to consumer products, medical devices, agricultural tools and high end devices. Hey, I know I’m not unique. Everyone has ideas, dreams and aspirations for a startup. The very first step to any startup is pretty simple, you don’t need me or any industrial designer for it…. START!! Start somewhere. If it exists, make it better. Apple didn’t even invent the phone, but they made it one thousand times better than anything else out there at the time. Yes they were an established company, but that specific product was somewhat of a startup endeavour of theirs.
Good And Bad design choices:
Once you’ve seen a potential hole in the market, or an opportunity to improve on an existing product, find yourself an Industrial designer. I have had countless clients who have come to me after having already tried to do things the cheap way like going directly to a manufacturer in china. Chinese “in house designers” who work for manufacturers make products “manufacturable”, they don’t design; they’re not concerned about the functionality, usability, ergonomics or aesthetics of a product. Another roundabout approach people take is developing a concept with a student or a designer sourced from a freelancing website, who 99% of the time are not experienced enough to provide you with a concise manufacturable product that ticks all the boxes. These avenues only waste time and deter you from he inevitable truth that, you need a designer to design your product. Get a consultation about your product idea. At Forem Design Studio, our doors are always open, whether its an idea for a new toothpick design or an MRI machine.
Real Industrial Design:
A professional industrial design studio differs in a number of ways when approached by a startup venture. When I step back and look at the industrial design profession, it appears in many ways to be the most pure and basic form of marketing. A product that functions well, feels good, is easy to use and has style is far easier to market for than one that lacks in those areas. This goes for all areas of products. Even a basic utility product will be received better by its market if it covers these bases. An IV drip stand for example that makes hospital staff’s jobs easier through optimisation of hanging heights and #ergonomic rubber grip points; an ease of movement and safe wheel break system patients to move around; pivot points for the liquids to rotate around so the IV tubes don’t tangle, and an overall unobtrusive and warm aesthetic is a better executed product than a simple steel pole on desk chair style wheels. This is why choosing the right designer for a new product is essential to a successful #startup.
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