When looking at new product design it’s important to have an initial plan. Having a detailed and structured plan in place can mean the difference between a project delivered on time and on budget to something that runs away from you.
Most products start with a problem, one that needs solving and so the first part of product design is really understanding the following:
• What the product is for?
• Who is it for?
• What it needs to look like?
• Will it be mass market?
• Why is it needed?
• Can the problem be solved in another way?
• What is already on the market?
• What is likely to be on the market?
• Who are our customers likely to be whether internal or external?
Once you have an idea of the answers to these questions and no doubt any more that are specific to your project, you can start thinking about design itself. Once you define what the product actually is you can start with initial sketches and ideas, which then grow into specific drawings. We use CAD drawings alongside our experience and knowledge and are able to offer advice throughout the entire process. Once you are happy with the drawings you can move onto the next step.
How Prototyping can help
It is at this stage that you will want to consider prototyping. A prototype of a product can help you to see issues and improvements much more easily than from drawings. Prototyping also lets you experiment with different elements as seeing and touching something in real life is very different to seeing it on a screen. A prototype is a valuable tool in the product design process and can help reduce overall project costs by helping to make sure that by the time you get to the production stage, the product is exactly what you need.
Once you have a prototype, you can test and then go on to change anything that isn’t quite right or try out different variations to see what works best for you. Once you have a prototype that you are very happy with you can look at moving forwards to the production of your new product.
By having a detailed process and plan in place you can stay focused on the end goal and end up with a product that matches, if not exceeds your initial expectations. At Thompson Precision we can help you throughout using our knowledge and expertise. We are well known for solving problems quickly and uniquely and love the challenge, as well as being able to produce results quickly. We understand how important it is to our clients to get things done on time and really care about making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
