Product Design Craftmanship

Imagine the thrill of transforming a mere idea into a tangible masterpiece, captivating the hearts of consumers worldwide. Welcome to the enchanting realm of product design! Product design is the act of bringing an idea or product to life by delicately balancing the market demand, aesthetics, functionality, and other factors. It is a critical part of ensuring the success of a business selling one idea or a line of products. Product design is a long, tedious, and expensive process that leads to several setbacks. All of the points in this process must be met with the demands of the market and the consumer, as it can make the difference between a multi-million-dollar idea and a shelved one.

In this blog, we will lightly cover the main steps of product design and explore how this process creates some of the world’s most successful and intuitive products. Take a look at the main steps of this complex process, where imagination meets market magic.

Addressing the Problem and Identifying Competitors

A product, device, or even a service starts with an idea to solve an issue that needs fixing. There is no incentive to create a product and invest money into it if there is no niche it fills.

Finding a problem to solve and analyzing the situation is the first step in product design. What is the market? Is the market big enough for a competitor? If competitors are already in the market, how many are there, and how capable are they? What specific issue do we want to solve with our product, or are we trying to solve a more generalized problem? All are important questions to ask and think about when developing a product. Answering the questions of who, what, and how are the starting points for a successful development phase.

Recognizing the Target Audience

Alongside addressing the problem, correctly identifying the target audience for your product is crucial. Things to consider when selecting what customer base you would like to sell include cost, location, age, and other demographics. For instance, if a clothing product requires more intricate manufacturing and expensive materials, asking for retail space in a store like Nordstrom might be more desirable than Walmart. If you are designing a toy for children, what age group would it target? Failure to accurately identify the target audience can lead to a misunderstanding of the product's purpose and hinder its success.

A great example of target marketing is Nike. A company focusing primarily on athletic sportswear, Nike markets their clothing primarily toward younger, more active adults. Specifically, Nike markets their line of shoes well. By understanding their target audience, they have focused on advertising and designing shoes that are both attractive to the younger eye and endorsed by professional athletes. Deals with athletes such as Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, and Cristiano Ronaldo have led to incredible relationships which link fans of these icons to Nike.

Functionality

Other things to consider when making a product is how it compares in functionality to the competitors in the market. There are also plenty of different measures of functionality. Perhaps your device completes its intended job better than competing products but has a drawback in its complexity. This is where the functionality question comes into play when designing a product; will it do its job in the market? Functionality is a vital part of product development and design, as it is the key driving factor in what the product does for the consumer. It is the building stage for every product, and no idea makes it to market without a well thought-out-plan. Nobody wants to buy a product or a service that does not deliver on its intended purpose.

An incredible invention that debuted in the mid-2010s was the PopSocket. The PopSocket is an attachable accessory for the back of any handheld device, made to provide an easier and more comfortable experience when using your device. Built to expand and contract over 12,000 times, and reattached over 100 times, this product was very successful in its field. The PopSocket used an ingenious, practical design that captured a large target population, young and trendy device users. The PopSocket followed every point we covered so far, and a massively popular product was the result. It was also a highly customizable product, with plenty of options for patterns and images available for the consumer. This ties us to the next critical consideration along the product development process.

Aesthetics

Once you have successfully passed the functionality process of designing a product, you then have to tie in the marketing appeal into your idea. While a product may be the most practical option available, if it is ugly, hard to store or move, or even sold in an unattractive package, it can negatively impact sales. The aesthetics of a product can positively or negatively impact brand perception and consumer preferences. This is where these two processes see the most overlap and complication in product development. Designing a product that is both functional and attractive is not always an easy task. There are, however, small steps that can improve sales of a good product without potentially harming its functionality.

For example, the Coca-Cola Company launched a marketing campaign in the summer of 2014 with a unique label on each of its beverages. Bottles of Coke sold within this period included the sentence “Share a Coke with _____” on its packaging. The blank incorporated some of the most common American names, male and female, attracting customers through a personal tie to the product, boosting sales. The naming campaign was a unique and creative way to tie consumers to Coca-Cola's products.

Takeaways

Product design includes plenty more important factors throughout its processes. Although, these points show the most importance in bringing a successful idea into the competitive American and world markets. Only so many ideas become multi-million-dollar products, and they do so by finding the delicate balance between all points of the product design process.

Do you have a million-dollar idea? If you'd like to share your ideas with us here at Zewski, reach out for a consultation.