The Conscious Design™ Blog

2 Tools you Should use with Your Developer

When working with a product developer, there are two types of programs you should be familiar with. While there are many options for each one, these two types of programs will help with communication between you and your developer. The first one is one you probably don’t have unless you work with people in 3D often, the other is common, but I’ve run into clients who didn’t use or were unfamiliar with them as well, mostly old school small businesses. 3D viewer You will need this for pretty much any physical product development anymore. While we might start out with sketches and PDFs, which you can make a 3D PDF too now, we quickly move into 3D now. Being able to view your developer’s 3D model from every angle, cross-sectioned, and hiding parts is essential to the review process. Many mid to high-end CAD packages have viewers that work with their software. It is also sometimes a good idea to ask your developer about simple CAD packages that are free/cheap that can open CAD files for you to review. We use SolidWorks primarily, and eDrawings is its free viewer. BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet File-Sharing Most people think of getting files from the developer, but it’s really a two-way street. You will want to send your initial documents to your developer, as well as feedback and other information in an easy way. Often these files are much larger than what an email can handle, so a file-sharing tool or service best meets these needs. There are many options here, far more than for the 3D viewers, so there is something for everyone. Setting up a shared “folder” with your developer where all files go to will keep things easy and straightforward for both of you and avoid losing any emails with files that you can’t find anymore. For this, we use Google Drive and Dropbox primarily. Talk with your developer, see what programs they use, and make sure everything is compatible. Good developers will set up file sharing through their preferred service, they pay for larger storage and more features than you would probably want to pay for. These tools, in addition to all the other programs and services we all use on an average day, will ensure you and your developer are able to communicate effectively. Your Next Steps Developing Smart Products What do you bring to a developer? Develop a Smart Product Modern Tools Tools of the Design World: Blender Blender Related Conscious Design BLOG Posts Author Mr. Peterman View all posts

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What is Design for Manufacturability?

Logically, you could figure out what Design for Manufacturability means in a broad sense. What does it really mean for you and your product? Design for Manufacturability, or DFM for short, is where Design meets Production. The DFM process takes a design and produces a final design that can be manufactured properly, and at the desired cost. This step is often skipped by those developing their first product. They end up costing more. Investing more on time and money than it should. We’ll go over some of what DFM does for your product and why it is a very key component to developing a great product. Manufacturability This is the first step in DFM. An engineer or designer takes a design and reviews it to ensure the product can be manufactured as efficiently and effectively as possible. Draft angles for injection molded parts, machinable areas for CNC, stacking tolerances, fit checks, and many more items are part of this DFM checklist. BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet Costing This is where things can get interesting, such as actually increasing part count, decreasing reusable parts, etc may be required to put a product into a certain price window. Costing looks at every cost of a product, from hardware selections, country of production, materials, and how each part needs to be made. A Sourcing Agent is closely tied into this part of the process, and works with the designer through this process. Part Count BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet How many parts does it take to make your product? I’ve worked on products ranging from just one to the thousands. A part count is a balancing act, sometimes you can make 4 parts into 1, but the cost would be 10 times greater. The part count is an easy way to estimate product complexity, assembly costs, et. Usually more is more expensive, and so a lot of work can be done to decrease the part count, make assembly easier, and take less time. Reuse and Replacement For those businesses who are sustainably minded, which every business should be, designing a product for reuse is something that happens in the DFM stage. Which components can be reused, which need to be replaced, even what parts can be recycled or not are also influence in the DFM process. Material and Finish blank Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet DFM also looks at what materials and finishes are used in a product. Sometimes a material might be chosen that doesn’t work well with a certain manufacturing process or is extra expensive. Changing a material, or finish can change the perceived quality, actual quality, and the cost of a product drastically. Lead time is also influenced by finishes as they add extra time to production. Lead Time A lead time of a product determines how quickly a business can turn its manufacturing investment into a profit. If it takes 10 weeks to produce a product, that means a business is going to wait at least 10 weeks before it gets paid. Decreasing lead time also falls within the DFM process. Shorter lead times mean quicker product turnaround, as well as usually less costly. Through selecting processes, materials, and finishes, the DFM process can save businesses from having long costly lead times on their products. Your Next Steps manufacturing Products Kickstarters and Manufacturing: What to Pay Attention to manufacturability Conscious Design Choosing a Manufacturer choose a manufacturer Related Conscious Design BLOG Posts Author Mr. Peterman View all posts

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5 Tips to Creating Your Product Launch Plan

NASA isn’t the only place that should have a launch plan! After all of your time and money spent polishing your product the launch is a crucial step between your investment and your profits- NOT something you want to wing. It may feel like the end of a development process but it’s also the beginning of your next phase of business. At the Peterman Firm we support you through this stage, because creating a product launch plan can make or break a product in the market. We’ve seen many products flop because they didn’t have a plan at all. These are things you’ll need to be thinking of whether we help you or you launch on your own. Run the numbers When you have a final design that has been prototyped and you are looking to manufacture, you should be getting quotes from manufacturers for full production. Look at every cost you might have and give yourself an idea of what it is going to take to buy the first 100, 1,000, or even 10,000 units of your product. Knowing your numbers will help if you need to get financial help with the launching of your product. Have backup suppliers As any good developer or sourcing agent should tell you, you need backup suppliers. I’ve see production lines go down because a company didn’t get a backup supplier for a single bolt. Without the bolt, the product wasn’t made. Having primary, secondary, and even tertiary suppliers is important to make sure your products are made in time and you are able to deliver. We work with our clients to ensure multiple sources are provided for projects. Sourcing is a very important part of developing your product. Decide your launch platform This doesn’t just mean crowdfunding. Is your product going into large box stores, online marketplace, your own website, or some type of crowdfunding/launching platform? This can help decide what quantities you will be ordering in, and your marketing strategy. Are you going to use Amazon or another ecommerce site not run by you? If you are using a crowdfunding platform, there are definite differences and you need to research similar products and which is best for your industry and market. Set realistic goals It’s a good rule in general, but make sure that your goals are measurable and achievable. Especially while you are going through the process of launching an entire new product, keeping focus and having success happen is important. have a marketing strategy You need to know the who, where, and how of your marketing. There are lots of templates and website dedicated to discussing marketing. Who are you marketing to? It may be someone other than the user (such as baby toys). Where are you marketing? Online, radio, TV, billboards, etc. How are you marketing? Paying someone else, friends, or doing it all yourself? It doesn’t matter, just know what you are doing. BONUS: Keep your product launch plan flexible Don’t forget to create the actual plan! Just kidding, I’m sure you remember that. A quick note on plans, though. They never survive contact with the real world, so keep it flexible. Especially if you are a bootstrapping startup. Keep these things in mind as you create your product launch plan. This part of your project is something you want to start on as early as possible. As a last tip, make sure you have the right partnerships. They can bring you down or raise you up, and are largely outside of your direct control. As a full development firm instead of just a freelancer, we link our clients with the best possible partners for every stage of the process. Your Next Steps Struggling to create your own plan? Sign up for our free tutorial and learn about our course 4 Weeks to Launch + free tutorial Impressive Products Why Product Demos Must Go Beyond Impressions better product demos Related Conscious Design BLOG Posts Author Mr. Peterman View all posts

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How to Pick a Crowdfunding Platform – Or Not?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking at your launching options.

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3 Reasons you Should use a Firm and Not Just a Freelancer

A firm (like the Peterman Firm) can grow with you because it will have a team.

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3 Reasons to Hire a Sourcing Agent

You might be wondering what sourcing is and why you should hire a sourcing agent instead of doing it yourself. Sourcing is the process of finding and identifying the correct vendors and suppliers for a project. This includes things like prototyping, manufacturing, materials, hardware, and services such as engineering. Depending on your project, one or more of these will probably be needed. Unless you’ve spent the time researching all of these it can be a daunting task to find the right vendor. Keep in mind, a sourcing agent is not the same as a manufacturing broker as they will go find new suppliers for you rather than just having a set list they work with. Knowing good vs bad vendors Those who have worked as a sourcing agent, or buyer, have worked with enough vendors to know and see red flags that might pop up. It’s not that they are mystical beings of ultimate knowledge, these sourcing agents just have industry experience giving them a great gut feeling when working with new vendors as to how things will turn out. BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet More experience than you’d want to have Sourcing agents have spent years researching vendors of many different types. That experience brings with them a list of preferred vendors they’ve worked with before, or have high recommendations about. It also brings negotiation experience in getting the best prices and delivery times from vendors. List of known vendors BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet While no sourcing agent has an all-inclusive list of the best vendors for every single thing, they do have a network of vendors they’ve worked with and know. This saves you time and gives you access to vendors that are known to be good. When you hire a sourcing agent it saves you time and money and greatly reduces the possibility of working with a terrible vendor that will take advantage of you intentionally or unintentionally. This means you can let an expert find the best vendors for your projects and save you the frustration. Your Next Steps Developing Smart Products What does it take to develop a smart product? Develop a Smart Product The Peterman Method™ Learn about the Peterman Method and download your own copy Peterman Method™ Related Conscious Design BLOG Posts Author Mr. Peterman View all posts

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7 Questions to Ask Before Starting a “Rush” Job

Are you in a rush? There are key advantages to paying for expedited service in the product development world, but overusing the magical term “it’s a rush job” won’t do you any good if you can’t back it up. When you tell your developer or designer that you have a rush job for them, you should know a few things about the process, and how it will impact your project. Some developers love them, some don’t do them. Knowing what it means for your developer when you say your project is a rush job, will help make sure things go smoothly, and everything gets delivered on time and to spec. Here are some answers you need to rush your project successfully: Is it really a rush job? It’s important to know when a job is really a rush job or not. Everyone has their own definition. Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet Make sure this is really a rush job for you. What are the driving factors that are making you want to set your project as a rush job? Talk with your developer, and make sure deadlines are understood. It might be that you thought it would be a rush job, and it isn’t. Don’t just call it a rush job if you are afraid your project won’t be taken seriously or done on time. Great developers always deliver on time or keep you apprised of any delays. In my firm, “rush” means drop everything and rush to get the project complete, and we charge accordingly. Are you available for quick and frequent communication? You are asking that your developer drop what they are doing and rush to take care of you. When you do that, the most frustrating thing you can do is take forever to respond or give edits, or be unresponsive at all. If you are not available to respond as quickly as possible to your developer, you are going to slow the project down, and show your developer that you do not actually view the project as a priority. Do you have a scope of work? BLANK Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet This is absolutely necessary when working with rush jobs. Because the project is being rushed, you don’t want to waste your time or your developers. Making sure you have a list of changes, edits, and/or deliverables before you even mention the word rush to your developer is very important. During any job and (especially with rush jobs) if it isn’t in writing it’s not going to happen. Do you have all materials ready to give to your developer? If you are in a rush, make sure you have everything you need to share with your designer / developer. Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet Make sure you have more than everything you think your developer might need. You should do this with any project, but when it is a rush job time matters even more and your developer will be impressed and appreciative if you can produce everything they ask for quickly. Using a file sharing service is often a great idea as you can put everything they might need in one “folder” and share it with them. Does your developer do rush jobs? An important question that you might not necessarily think of asking. Some developers I’ve worked with don’t do rush jobs at all, for which there are many reasons. Sometimes it’s a matter of schedule, or maybe they have a rush job already this week and are busy, even though they’d love to do it. It’s very important to make sure they really can squeeze your project in on your timeline. Especially with less experienced developers, their eyes can be larger than their stomach so to speak. Are you committed to your project? If you tell people it’s a rush job and get people to move quickly, regardless of whether you paid more, make sure it’s actually a rush job. Hurry up and wait is frustrating for everyone, don’t do it. Ian Peterman, CEO Tweet With any rush job, you are setting a high level of expectation and commitment from your developer. You should match them. If you loose focus, start to change the project, or give other signs that you aren’t committed, those are red flags to your developer that it isn’t really a rush job, and they might not take it as seriously as you want them to. Getting your design services expedited will no doubt help you capture revenue opportunities. In order for your rush to be a success make sure you are as committed and prepared as your developer/ design team. Your Next Steps 4 Things your Scope of Work needs Learn about the top 4 things your scope needs. Scope of Work product developers 5 Ways to Maximize Your Developer’s Potential Effective Product Developer Related Conscious Design BLOG Posts Author Mr. Peterman View all posts

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