INVENTORS COMPANION PAPER
Before beginning a project, a project we typically perform some initial background research. For
example, if you are planning on designing new children's wearable, we look at what types of wearable's
are currently in demand. We also may also think about what the predicted future forecast is for
products within this niche. We strive to uncover information, to take it into consideration when planning
the design of the new product.
Once we have an idea in mind, then we look into creation and production possibilities. This usually
involves researching different material options for production, the costs of those materials and
manufacturing techniques and / or new components. Performing this research is essential for producing
the highest quality product at the lowest cost.
The next step in the process is to create some rough draft illustrations on the intended product.
Following the inventors "Companion section" we typically create these illustrations on paper at first.
Afterward, we use a CAD program to create a photo realistic image of the product. Throughout this
process, we often modify and tweak the design until we come up with the most manufactureable
option.
Think of us as a the good, old-fashioned chalkboard; we’re the place where ideas are assessed, worked,
reworked, and at times, entirely redefined. When the renderings are on hand, we create a "video pitch"
to an "on line focus group" to tell users about the idea.
As soon as your "video pitch" is posted, you’ll start getting responses and messages from real consumers
and business professionals. Once your video has a 100 responses, we evaluate the responses for a final
tweak on the design.
The final phase of product development involves assisting with all the details of manufacturing. For
example, we help the client with the process of creating a graphics or CAD files for product packaging.
Once we and our manufacturer agree on all the details, the actual manufacturing process will begin.
In this section we explain what you need to know to tell us about your product for us to take your idea
and create a top of the line design
Design Mentality
The first step is to decide the what design mentality you want us to use.
Do we design first, and then make engineering fit that design, or do we get the engineering down first,
and then make the industrial design fit the guts of the product?
Design-first
The classic example of the design-first mentality is Apple. Apple is well known for their emphasis on
design, and there are boundless stories of the industrial-design department driving engineering
requirements, allowing little pushback from engineering. This practice has resulted in some gorgeous
products, and Apple (almost singlehandedly) has created a huge consumer appreciation for good design.
Engineering-first
The opposite point of view is the engineering-first mentality that a product should be engineered to
work first, and then incorporate industrial design after. The engineering team will create a “black box”
(the size, shape, dimensions and other constraints) that the industrial design team has to work around.
Product Definition, Benefits and Attributes
Attributes: Reside in the product; tend to be concrete, but they can also be abstract; also referred to as
product features; Characteristics by which products are identified and differentiated. Product attributes
usually comprise features, functions, benefits, and uses.
Tangible Attributes
Tangible attributes can include such product characteristics as size, color, weight, volume, smell, taste,
touch, quantity, or material composition.
For example, when you want to buy a car, you might consider tangible attributes such as its size, color,
and material composition. If you are looking for a 4-door, white sedan car with a leather interior, you
are searching for a product based on its tangible attributes.
Intangible Attributes
Intangible attributes may include such characteristics as price, quality, reliability, beauty or aesthetics.
If you are looking to buy a new car, you might also consider intangible attributes such as price, quality,
and safety test scores. If you want a new car that is relatively inexpensive but has garnered good marks
on performance tests, then you are searching for a product based on its intangible attributes.
Benefits: Reside in the customer; are always abstract; often the result of a cluster of product attributes;
What the customer receives from products or services; a product attribute expressed in terms of what
the user gets from the product rather than its physical characteristics or features; a benefit is what that
feature means; four principal levels: features, advantages, benefits and motives.
Sample benefits from great products:
• Delivers good value
• Simple, intuitive
• Exceeds expectations.
• Emotionally resonates.
Task Analysis
As the term implies, involves the examination of what in particular the design requires from an operator
or user, for its maintenance, use and retirement.
Task Criticality:
Is important for the designers to understand what we call "Task Difficulty" for example, to turn
something on & off Difficulty should be 1 to 2; to change a battery from 1 to 3;
difficulty to see the on light 0 to 1; to generate a report..2 to 5 and so on.
Task Duration
Sometimes criticality is better interpreted when you link it to real time from 0.5 to 3 minutes....
Product design Wish List
This is the list of requirements that are important to you as an inventor, not as a product user. For
example when I move this lever, I want some feedback click....or when I close this I want to slow down
speed just before it closes.
ACTION STEPS:
Review the section below, you'll find tables to fill up and elements to inspire you.
Do as much as you can, we've included guidelines and tables to make this process fun.
INVENTION SECTION
Product Idea general description
Explain your invention in few words
Type here...
Provide pictures or hand sketches if you have any.
Copy paste here
Provide links to competitors on the market, if you know them.
Type here...
Provide a patent number or a patent research if you have it.
Type here...
Provide the lists of names you have in mind for your product.
Type here...
FILL UP THIS TABLES
DESIGN FIRST
ENGINEER FIRST
ATTRIBUTES
1
2
3
4
BENEFITS
5
6
7
8
9
10
USER TASKS
MAINTENANCE
PACKAGE
RETIREMENT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
INVENTORS WISH LIST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Some help here to define your product:
(some new words has been added, if you don't understand them, ignore)
Appealing
Artistic
Athletic
Attractive
Bae
Bold
Breathtaking
Bright
Business-like
Busy
Dazzling
Delicate
Delightful
Detailed
Dipset
Dramatic
Dry
Dynamic
Earthy
Eccentric
Fun
Functional
Futuristic
Glamorous
Graceful
Hip
Historic
Honorable
Hundo P
Impressive
One-of-a-kind
Organic
P
Perf
Phubbing
Playful
Pleasant
Powerful
Predictable
Professional
Smart
Soothing
Sophisticated
Stable
Stimulating
Striking
Strong
Stunning
Stylish
Swanky
Calm
Capable
Caring
Casual
Charming
Cheerful
Chic
Classic
Clever
Collaborative
Colorful
Comfortable
Conservative
Contemporary
Convenient
Cool
Creative
Custom
Efficient
Elegant
Elevated
Enchanting
Endearing
Energetic
Ethereal
Excellent
Exciting
Exuberant
Fabulous
Familiar
Fancy
Fantastic
Fashionable
Festive
Fierce
Flirty
Industrial
Informal
Innovative
Inspiring
Intense
Inviting
Low Maintenance
Lively
Lush
Majestic
Mupload
Modern
Natural
Nautical
Nifty
Noisy
No-nonsense
Nostalgic
Quaint
Quirky
Radiant
Rebellious
Relaxing
Reliable
Resonates
Retro
Revolutionary
Ritzy
Romantic
Royal
Rustic
Scholarly
Secure
Selfie
Serious
Silly
TBH
Tasteful
The struggle is real
Tranquil
Trustworthy
Unconventional
Unique
Upbeat
Urban
V
Versatile
Vintage
Whimsical
Wild
Witty
Wistful
Youthful