Have you ever needed to get a physical product engineered, designed and developed like this DevaCurl Universal Hair Diffuser? I had this experience several times in my career and worked with an expert in product design, Tony Rogers from Creative Mechanism. You can see a portfolio of products he and his firm designed here. The following represents some of Tony’s insightful wisdom about product development and the journey to take an idea and turn it into something real.
Who is in Control?
When selecting a product development firm to work with it is very important to evaluate your role and experience in the development process. Understanding how much control you want to have over the design is crucial before selecting the design or engineering firm that is the right fit for your project.
Some firms are built for producing exactly what you give them while others can develop a product from a verbal idea. You want to find a firm that can deliver what you need while making sure you are spending your budget appropriately.
- If you are going to be doing a lot of the work yourself, you can use a firm that creates parts right from your files or detailed specifications.
- If you are looking for someone who can take your idea and develop new solutions to a problem you present, then you are looking for a different category of company.
- Making the right selection can save you time, money and prevent undue frustration.
What’s Your Specialty?
Companies specialize in different areas. Most companies tend to offer a broad array of services, but they still tend to specialize in certain areas. All companies tend to evolve as the times, marketplaces, technology, and circumstances around them change. Most product development companies offer a blend of services that also evolve.
The size of the company is also a large factor in terms of the services that are offered but the talent of individuals who perform those services is always the key to success. It is very important, if possible, to meet the individuals that you will be working with to assess whether their skills and competency are a match for your project.
“If I must give one piece of advice to someone developing a new product, it would be to put extra effort into the very early stages.
Explore all options and consider all the alternative ways you can address the problem you are trying to solve. Spending extra time making sure you are pursuing the correct concept is critical. Further along in the development process, it becomes too late or too costly to change direction.”
Tony Rogers
Three Product Development Types
There are three types of product development companies; Service Bureau, Industrial Design Company, and an Engineering Firm. There certainly can be a lot of blending of these categories and some firms will say that they are all three.
It is hard for a company to be all things to all people. You will be much better served with a company that knows its strengths and weaknesses and is open and honest about it.
- A Service Bureau is a company that prints parts from a file you provide or fabricates a model from prints you provide. These companies typically have rapid prototyping equipment like SLA machines, FDM machines, or SLS machines and they print parts on those machines from your files as-is. Some service bureaus may offer other services including some design or engineering support and finishing or assembly work, but the focus of a service bureau is to make parts from your design. If you are taking on most of the design work, yourself this can be a good fit.
- Industrial design firms tend to be focused on product development but from more of a styling, research, human interaction, and ergonomic vantage point. When product design work moved offshore, many of the larger Industrial Design Firms transformed into consulting firms that help businesses find the voice of the customer and help them change their business, facility, or product to make a better customer experience.
- A product engineering firm also develops the product from an initial idea but focuses more on solving mechanical problems, design for manufacturing or design for assembly. There can be a lot of crossover between an industrial design firm and an engineering firm. Both can develop a product for you without much being required from your part except a project brief or description, and input and interaction along the way. You need to consider the needs of the project to determine the right fit.
Creative Mechanism
Tony’s company Creative Mechanism began in 1985 as a model shop. This was the old school service bureau. He would make a prototype of a provided design per the client’s blueprints, but he did it by hand without today’s modern equipment.
As he grew, he added a design department and offered industrial design services, but his focus was more on the prototype building side. When this type of work moved offshore, he started focusing on design for manufacturing.
Eventually, Tony’s business evolved into today’s engineering firm where his specialty is mechanical problem-solving.
He uses FDM and CNC machines, but rarely print from other people’s files. He prototypes what he engineers or client files that he has modified to add value. Creative Mechanism does have Industrial designers on staff and offers those related services but most of our customers today come to him for mechanical solutions.
As you can see companies do change and evolve in this industry. What a company specialized in at one time they might not even do at this point. You really need to match up your current project needs with the current specialty of the companies that you are looking to work with to find the right fit for your project.
What’s your experience been working with product design and development firms?
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Photo courtesy of Creative Mechanism
