Our Approach
Let’s be honest; new product development can be a daunting prospect. You’ve got a good idea, but how do go about making it a reality? And where do you even begin? Lots of inventors and companies find themselves in that position, and many good ideas never go any further.
But product development doesn’t need to be scary. In fact, it should be an exciting time. There is immense satisfaction in seeing a good idea come to fruition and huge benefit for your business when you get it right. In a competitive market, having the right product is critical to your company’s success, so effective product design is important. And effective design hinges on an effective design process.
At Design Vision, we follow processes that have been tried, tested and refined for more than 20 years. Our methodology may vary depending on the product, project and budget, but as a general rule, it usually encompasses all (or most) of the following stages.
The Process
The first step, and one of the most crucial, is the development of a design brief. Establishing a clear requirement is crucial, as it forms a road map for the entire development process. This starts with a meeting between the designer and customer. It’s important for us to understand your business, your product idea, your requirements, your aims and your market. Often, there’s an initial research phase to develop and refine the product requirements. Then, based on this information, we prepare a detailed proposal document, for you to review and sign-off before things go any further.
When you’re happy with the brief, it’s time to get started. To begin with, we put pencil to paper, producing a bunch of high-level concepts. This is very much a blue-sky phase and every option is considered and explored. We’ll then meet with you to review the best concepts and pick a direction.
Then, we begin refining the design, considering every aspect of the product in more detail to ensure it ticks all your boxes. 3D modelling software is used to capture and refine the design.
Next, it’s time for another review. One of the most crucial ingredients of an effective design process (and one that’s often overlooked) is good communication. Most clients want to be involved, and they certainly want to know what’s going on. We understand and will include you throughout the process, providing regular updates. It’s your product after all.
Once you’re happy with the design, it’s time to build some prototypes for assessment and testing – always an exciting stage. We’ll then determine if any tweaks are needed.
Then we move into the final design phase. During this stage, we work closely with our network of manufacturers and suppliers to optimise the design and any tooling that may be required for production. This ensures efficient, reliable and cost-effective manufacture.
And finally the paperwork. It’s not exciting, but it is important. This includes the creation of manufacturing drawings and everything else you need to put your new product into production.
Over to you
Need help to develop your new product? If so, we’d love to chat. Simply click the button below to book your free consultation, or get in touch with us at enquiries@designvisionid.com.