The Purpose Of An Industrial Design Company Is To Help Inventors

Product development is not as straightforward as a layperson might think. For those who’ve never tried it, it may seem like a simple matter of product conception, design, prototyping, and then, mass production.

It is true that all of these elements are involved, but the process of getting from one to another presents challenges that even experienced engineers might not have imagined.

That is why many inventors and businesses that have product ideas rely on an industrial design company. They may bring them in at the beginning of the process, or they might get stuck somewhere along the way and decide that they need some helping hands. Either way, if you contact an industrial design company, it is much more likely that your vision for a product will eventually come to fruition.

The Emotional Connection

Where many inventors get lost is when it comes to designing a product that will make an emotional connection with the consumer. They may optimize the product to create the best user experience. They may think about function and form, and in that respect, the product may be suitable.

But is the design of the product visually appealing? Will it stand the test of time? Is it ergonomically designed to fit the user? They are going to be living with this product, perhaps using it daily. Can they relate to it in a way that goes beyond function? These are the questions that preoccupy an industrial design company, and they are precisely some of the ones that are neglected by inexperienced designers and innovators.  

Market Research

Markets are consumer-driven, and predicting how consumers are going to behave is part of what industrial design companies do. They can look at prior market research that they have conducted for similar products to whichever one is in question.

If they are dealing with a completely revolutionary product, then they will conduct new market research for each phase of the creation process. They will determine how consumers are likely to react to the look of the product and its packaging, the feel of it, and the functionality.

This is where many inventors go wrong when they don’t bring in design companies to help them. They bring the product to market, then see how it does. If it gets a negative reception, millions of dollars can be lost.  

Industrial design faces many challenges in the year 2019, as faster production cycles mean that competing products can get to market quickly. In these situations, it is the product that has been better designed and better packaged, not to mention better advertised, that is likely to get the desired market penetration.

Businesses that are speeding products to market without the input of an industrial design company are playing with fire. If they view these sorts of relationships as unnecessary, they may learn how wrong they are, to their detriment.

The prior knowledge of an industrial design company is part of what makes partnering with one so vital. It’s something to consider if you have an idea for a new product that you’re ready to bring to life.