Product Development: From Concept to Market Launch – Part 1

That moment of inspiration when an idea or concept for a new innovative product comes to you is an amazing thing.

And then comes the realisation that turning your idea or vision into a real product is going to be a long and complex process.

For anyone new to that process, making the leap from initial idea to a workable plan can often seem like the hardest step to take. Here at CDT, we’ve helped countless clients to make the journey, taking a gem of an idea and turning it first into a fully-fledged design, to a prototype and finally realising a product ready to take to market.    

In this 2-part article we’ll break that journey down into a series of small, actionable steps, presenting a detailed guide to creating a product design concept.

After the light bulb moment

Whether it involved jumping out of your bath shouting ‘Eureka’ or sitting at a desk staring at a blank piece of paper for hours, your original light bulb moment can only lead to a successful product design concept if it is then followed by some fairly serious questioning.

Your idea may seem fantastic to you, but ask yourself honestly whether it solves a real world problem. More importantly, does a similar product already exist that solves the same problem?

Doing your Research: Product, Market and Competitor Analysis

You want to be certain that the finished product will, at the very least, boast a unique selling proposition capable of attracting customers.   

Answering these questions fully will involve comprehensive competitor research.  Do any competitors exist? And if so, how have they approached the same problem your product is meant to solve? Are there issues of standardization to bear in mind? This means questioning whether your product idea must meet specified standards, and licensing.  

As well as fully understanding your product and competitors, you also need to have a clear picture of your target market. Undertaking market research is crucial to the launch of any successful new product or service.

You must decide who you think is going to find your product useful, and why.

Research of this kind can be conducted among existing customers or by creating target customer personas. You could create an online survey, and research the wider market for similar products using Google Trends. Whatever form your market research takes, it should provide honest, unbiased opinions on the idea and the potential for the product design concept to be a success.  

You may well find that the market your product is intended to reach is already saturated. Evidence of strong competition should encourage you to hone your idea to make it superior. How is your idea different? Does it provide added value and solve your audience’s problems better than your competitors?

Turning the concept into a vision

Having decided your idea is worth pursuing, the next stage is to create a visual representation. At this stage you don’t have to be thinking about 3D computer visuals or even particularly good pencil drawings – all you need is a rough sketch to give you – and any designers you work with – an idea of how the product design concept will appear in the real world.

The sketch should feature, as well as a visual representation, labels explaining what the various parts are and how they will function.  

The design brief

When you work with a product design company such as Cambridge Design Technology, the more information you can provide on your intentions for your design, the better. And a sketch – even a rough sketch – is just one part of that. In addition, you need to create a brief that takes the idea in your head and sets it out in concrete detail. This brief should include –information such as:

• What the product is, who will use it and how it will be used
• How it will perform the task it is intended to perform
• Measurements, including the size and weight of the finished product design concept
• An idea of the aesthetics of the finished product
• How usable the design is intended to be and a description of the user interface
• Any competitor products

This can then be used to create a set of rules applying to the design which, with a degree of flexibility, will apply as the design and prototyping process moves forward.

You may have a firm idea of what materials the product will be manufactured from but if not, the design brief could help to guide you in the right direction.

Product Designers will then take your initial sketch, combined with the design brief, and use these to create a detailed 3D plan of the product using CAD software.

A plan of this kind is vital to ascertain not only what the product design concept will look like, but also whether it will be practical to manufacture in its current form. Manufacturing feasibility looks at how possible it is to make, and whether it would be affordable in its current form. It’s better to find out that a design is unfeasible or too expensive earlier, than after manufacturing has been signed off.   

In our next article we’ll look at how to create a prototype to test, and finally how to take your product to market.

Do you have a concept you want to take to market?

Whether you’ve had a moment of inspiration and don’t know what’s next, or you’ve created a detailed design brief and want to make it a reality, contact our expert product design team at CDT for guidance and support on your next steps.