We often take the objects around us for granted. From food cans at the grocery store to our favorite pair of sneakers, it is easy to get caught up in the functional aspect of objects without considering where they came from.
But the reality is that every object came from somewhere. Every object has a story and design behind it, and designers work hard at crafting the end product we interact with.
How does this process work? What are the steps involved? What kind of designers are involved? If you want to know all about product design from concept through production, keep reading for more information.
What Exactly Is Product Design?
Product design is the complete process of taking a product to the market. This process is long and can span multiple steps, including ideation, product roadmap, manufacturing, production, and launch.
Product designers are responsible for coming up with new products or different versions of existing ones. Knowledge of engineering, aesthetics, and manufacturing is needed for this process. In addition, the process requires a lot of research and analysis as well.
The entire process is called the lifecycle of the product. Below, we break down the main steps involved in every product’s lifecycle.
Idea and Research
This is one of the essential elements of the product development process. It involves ideating the product that eventually hits the market.
The main task involved is brainstorming the perfect idea, which can take many days and lots of research to finalize.
This is because lots of factors need to be taken into account. These include user demographics, such as user age, needs, and interests. In addition, research is conducted on pricing, market readiness, competition, and more.
All of this information collected helps decide the product that needs to be manufactured and the best way to do so.
Planning
The next stage is the planning stage. This is the stage where ideas come to life in the form of a physical object.
Designers will start to build their prototypes to explore different product variations. These can differ in material, dimensions, make, and more.
However, to do this, lots of planning needs to be done on procuring the materials or parts. Designers typically start with hand-drawn sketches and then list the different components.
They then reach out to different manufacturers and developers to seek help bringing the product to life. Keep in mind that the product is not finalized at this stage. Instead, the designers are exploring different iterations to gain clarity on the next steps.
Prototyping
As the iterations for a product keep developing, we move into the prototyping phase.
It is unlikely that the very first prototype will be the finished product. Instead, it is a process that requires minor improvements and eliminations until the designer is happy with the product.
If an entrepreneur designs a product for their business, they usually work with a third-party vendor. Such services can help product development for objects like toys, accessories, electronics, and much more.
Sourcing
Designing products is made more efficient with the right vendors.
Sourcing is a process that is part of building a supply chain. It involves finalizing vendors, activities, and resources to create the product. These services are crucial to getting the final product needed for the market.
It can also involve figuring out storage, shipping, and warehousing information for the product.
Finding a good supplier is critical, as they can be a make or break in finalizing your product. A good supplier will offer excellent quality control options and will follow your instructions and needs to safeguard your business.
At this stage, you will also need to decide whether it’s best to go about production locally or internationally. While both have pros and cons, it is often best to go with a manufacturer in China, as the production there is fully set up with all kinds of finished goods and raw materials.
Cost Analysis
Of course, you want your product to make financial sense for your business! Using materials or suppliers that are too expensive can cause your bottom line to go up.
To prevent losses down the line, you will need to do a costing analysis. This involves adding up the cost of goods sold, as this will help you determine how much the product can be sold for.
You will need to run some numbers on if this makes monetary sense. Shipping, import fees, duties, etc., all need to factor in at this stage.
Launch
We now come to the end of the product design lifecycle, and the product is ready for the market and launch.
After this, it’s all about finding ways to sell it. This is typically done through advertisements, influencer marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, and other strategies.
All these efforts need to be in line with the ethos of the product and the value of the brand.
Design the Perfect Product for Your Customers Today
Product design is an incredible discipline.
But it’s more than just pretty products sitting on a shelf. Instead, the product design process is layered, with many approaches, strategies, and research.
In addition, product design is all about understanding the end-user and solving real-world problems.
If you’re in the business of manufacturing products, you need to check out China 2 West. We can make all your manufacturing needs a breeze – from product development to sourcing and quality control.
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