Design Research + Project Strategy.

Our initial design stage develops our understanding of the key areas of the project brief before developing key themes and insights to guide the product development process. The culmination of this process is the creation of the product specification, which sets out the attributes of what the product must/can achieve, and ultimately how this will be tested.

Typically we focus on three main areas of research, which cover everything from your market competitors to customer's opinions and the sustainability of the new product design.

Product Overview – To understand the context of your product in more detail we first define the design goals and project objectives. A review of the operating principles then describes the mechanical or technological methods by which the product aims to provide its intended functions. An evaluation of the competitive landscape looks into current and emerging competitor products and the potential opportunities or risks they represent to the project. Relevant directives and harmonised standards, if applicable, are reviewed and incorporated into the product specification.

Use Specification - By employing a user-centric approach, we aim to understand your target customers and how they will interact with the new product design. User statements are gathered to develop insights about the people and problems we are trying to solve. The anticipated steps involved when using the product are mapped to explore key touchpoints and user interface considerations. An ergonomic assessment defines sizing and strength requirements to enable ease of use across all customer groups. Where specific needs are defined, such as those suffering with impairments, additional design considerations are presented to ensure inclusivity for all abilities.

Life-cycle Design - Key to our development process is the application of sustainable design principles. As part of every early design phase, we conduct a review of your product life-cycle and define the key stages that constitute the creation, use, and disposal of the product. By understanding what and where environmental harm occurs in each cycle our aim is to reduce impacts and enable the re-capture of materials for use in equivalent products.