Why Work with a Design Consultancy?

We keep describing ourselves at Interwoven Design as a design consultancy that specializes in soft goods and wearable technology, but what is a design consultancy, and why would you work with one in the first place? In this article we explain the many benefits of working with a design consultancy, and under what circumstances it might be the right choice for you.

What are the benefits of working with a design consultancy?

Let’s say you have an idea, and you’re interested in developing it. Regardless of how vague or refined the concept might be at the start, research and development is not a straight line. It’s a convoluted, long-term process that can take months or years to complete successfully. It takes a special combination of knowledge and skills to do efficiently and effectively, and these are completely different skills from those needed to manufacture, promote, and sell existing products. While some companies have the resources to do this on their own, it is far more likely that the development is outsourced to another kind of company, one that specializes in bringing ideas to life. This is the design consultancy. 

The development of a new product ideally involves a team with customized skills for that specific industry and product category.

While any given company is an expert on their slice of the market to some degree, it is less likely that they are also experts in trends, marketing, a new area of the market for their brand, ergonomics, behavioral psychology, research, testing, prototyping, and all manner of skills needed to create innovative products that can succeed. Diverse teams are more creative, and these teams need diversity not only in gender and background but in skills, experience, and knowledge, both professional and personal. Design consultancies come in a wide variety of flavors, which means that a company can identify the specific array of skills that are needed for their particular project and have access to those skills in a convenient package.

When is the right time to work with a design consultancy?

a designer references a sketch of a buckle while prototyping
Many companies choose to work with a design consultancy to develop a new brand or product line, expand an existing product line, or enter a new space in the market.

Giant corporations (think Estée Lauder or Proctor & Gamble), who need to constantly diversify and expand their own innumerable product lines—as well as those of their child corporations— are likely to have a dedicated R&D department, or even multiple R&D departments. They are generating so many products for existing and reliable distribution channels that it is logical and economical to develop projects internally. Many companies don’t need R&D at all times, they need it at specific times to accomplish specific goals for their growth and development.

Big companies known for their dedication to innovation (think Nike or Patagonia) are another kind of company that is likely to have in-house R&D. After decades of demonstrating this dedication, they have amassed a faithful audience for cutting-edge products. It is part of their branding strategy to push the envelope in their industries, and while it is of course valuable to sell the products, it is enormously valuable to be pioneers in new spaces in the market, and to develop newsworthy projects. While many companies would appreciate the branding and market benefits of innovation, they don’t have the time or the expertise to generate it.

Most companies don’t have the time, the funds, or the bandwidth to execute research and development in-house.

A typical business isn’t likely to have the luxury of in-house R&D. They often don’t have the time, flexibility, funds, or bandwidth to do their own in-house development. All of their employees have tasks to complete, and those tasks cannot be suspended for a year or more to transition them to research and exploration. That said, companies still see value in developing new products for existing product lines, developing new product lines, expanding into new product categories, and offering cutting-edge products within their industries. Design consultancies are often behind new brand launches as well, and could be the right fit for a new company looking to establish their place in the market. When you want to achieve any one of these goals, it could be a good time to find a design consultancy.

To sum up

Working with a design consultancy allows small, medium, and even large companies to outsource R&D to experts who can work knowledgeable and efficiently to bring a product to the market. A company with a certain set of skills can gain access to an entirely distinct and targeted set of skills without needing to headhunt and hire for them. This saves time and money.  You get a team with precisely the skills you need when you need them in a convenient bundle, a team that is professionally trained to innovate and develop ideas on a timeline, within a budget. Are you curious about industrial design and product development? Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for design news, multi-media recommendations, and to learn more about product design and development!

How Does an Idea Become a Product?

How Does an Idea Become a Product?

Millions of products launch every year but the process behind how they all come to be is often mysterious. How does an idea become a product? What is going on behind the scenes?

In our What is Soft Goods Design? post we shared a broad overview of the product development cycle that we follow for each project at Interwoven Design. In this post, we’ll walk through our specific studio process in detail, breaking down each phase of our workflow to provide insight into how a design studio functions, and how a good idea becomes a great product.

Product Development

Our design process embodies the true nature of collaboration. Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, our fearless leader and the founder and principal designer at Interwoven Design, leads our team to achieve ambitious goals throughout the design and product development life cycle. By approaching industrial design with a start-up mindset we can iterate quickly, constantly informed by user testing and feedback that allows us to create innovative and functional wearable products like the Apex Exosuit.

Interwoven Design Process: Research, Design, Prototype, Manufacture & Launch
The Interwoven Design Process has four main stages: Research, Design, Prototype, and Manufacture & Launch

Design Research & Analysis

We conduct design research and analysis that includes key requirements, physical constraints of the product, marketing objectives, examples of similar solutions, materials inquiries, aesthetics, and preliminary fabric research. Using this research as a jumping off point, our team explores additional aesthetic research, including trend, silhouette, texture and colors.

Brainstorming

Collaborative discussions to brainstorm product features and technical options based on market and technical research can be highly generative. All ideas are then put forward and distilled into a single product goal.

Research

Market research includes observational research, existing products, comparing features, benefits and capabilities, determining how price and performance compare across the current market, and first-hand teardowns of competitor products.

Planning & Design Concepts

The planning phase is a collaborative and internal effort to initiate the product development process. From a detailed definition of the product scope to the initiation of the creative design process, this includes concept creation, color development, materials research required for the full product, and silhouette sketches for both the apparel (as we do a lot of products that are worn on the body) and industrial design.

Product Scope & Management

Defining the scope is a collaborative effort to create the product vision, finalize the list of product requirements, and establish a product roadmap wherein every required feature is tied to a user need.

Concept Development

We provide textile (apparel and soft goods), product and technology design solutions guided by research. Multiple solutions are presented at this stage. This phase includes preliminary fabric research and the establishment of a product technology platform for the client brand as well.

Alpha Prototype

We create a series of ideation sketches and alpha (first round) prototype mock-ups for conceptual solutions. These proof-of-concept prototypes are created quickly and consist of looks-like and works-like models to promote rapid iteration. The goal is to test and iterate as fast as possible to get to the best solution.

Ideation Sketches

We provide refined conceptual designs that have been selected from the sketched concepts. Detailed drawings of each of the selected designs are presented in multiple views and rendered with a high level of detail.

Alpha Prototype Mock-ups

Two to three proof-of-concept alpha prototypes of the conceptual designs are developed. Materials are identified and low fidelity alternatives are used where needed. Each subsystem is prototyped independently with each iterated upon two to five times until it meets the chosen requirements. An aesthetic prototype can be created if requested by the client.

Beta Prototype

We make a collaborative effort with the client to choose the final subsystem implementations to be used in the beta (second round) prototype. The final product offering is determined and the final design is triggered. This final stage is often where the most difficult decisions are made between functionality, cost, and aesthetics.

Prototype

This phase involves the development of a fully functional and looks-like pre-production prototype that matches the list of requirements. It involves two to three iterations of design, development, testing, and redesigning, depending on the product and client needs. CAD files are created for rapid prototyping, preliminary mold making, and pattern making.

Production Hand-off

We coordinate the hand-off of the design and prototypes to an internal product development or production team. We can also work directly with a manufacturing partner to facilitate the transition from high fidelity prototype to mass production.

Manufaturing

As the work is in progress through manufacturing, I will remain available to give on going support the product through its final stages of development and consult with respect to whether what is being sourced, manufactured and delivered is in conformity with the specifications and of suitable quality.

On-going relationship

We maintain an ongoing client relationship throughout product manufacturing. This relationship can include any or all of the services listed here. Ongoing relationships are structured as a monthly retainer agreement.

Services

o Project management with manufacturing partner
o Continuing design innovation (R&D)
o Company technical advisor

So…that’s it!

So, that’s how an idea becomes a product, at least in our world of industrial design. Do you have an idea for a great product that you’d love to see brought to life? You just might want to reach out to us! Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for design news, multi-media recommendations, and to learn more about product design and development!