If you’re in the business of selling products, you have two options when it comes to product development- in-house or outsourcing to an industrial design company. At face value, in-house development may be a compelling option. However, most in-house operations struggle to reach their full potential due to financial constraints, short deadlines, and a general lack of the proper skills and experience. At this point, outsourcing product development is one of the most effective ways for businesses to turn their preliminary sketches into working products.
Outsourcing entails hiring a third party to manage all the processes involved with product development from beginning to end. It’s an invaluable service, as it gives CEOs the freedom to apply their skills towards running their business rather than concern themselves with overseeing in-house development. Instead, product development is handed over to a reliable team of designers, like us here at Design Stein Studios, who will turn product ideas into reality.
If you’re considering outsourcing but are still unsure about the process, here we’ll discuss 5 things to know about working with an industrial design company before scheduling your first consultation:
1) Be clear with your goals
With industrial designers, their end goal is to devise the product of your dreams. In order to do so, you’ll need to collaborate thoroughly in order for them to understand exactly what you’re looking for. If you have any specific thoughts about your target audience, price points, functionality, aesthetic look, materials, or anything else, it’s best to discuss these ideas with your designers. From here, they’ll be able to incorporate them into the sketches, 3D CAD models, and prototypes. That way, they can get a better picture of the final product and bring your complete vision to fruition.
2) Trust your designers
It’s common practice for businesses to emulate certain core values and want their products to reflect that. Because of this, you may be reluctant to outsource your development if you’re unsure whether a third-party developer can successfully mirror that into the design. However, it’s important that you trust your designers as product development is their field of expertise. In other words, your project is in the hands of reliable individuals who understand the ins and outs of design and genuinely want to see your ideas come to life. At Design Stein Studios, we are an incredibly accomplished team, with combined dozens of years of experience behind our members. We’re here to use our knowledge of the field to effectively work our way through the stages of product development, including researching the market, rendering multiple sketches, creating 3D CAD models, prototyping the final designs, drafting production documents, and mass-producing the final product, all so you don’t have to stress about a thing while maintaining the integrity of your business.
3) You will still have control over the creative process
A popular assumption made about outsourcing to industrial design companies in California is that the CEO will have a lack of control over the project. However, this is far from the truth. While industrial designers are contracted to manage the development process, your word as the contractor is final say. If you see a sketch or prototype and have changes you’d like to implement, your designer will be more than happy to make these adjustments. At the end of the day, industrial designers aren’t here to just take your ideas and run, but rather build upon them using their own expertise in combination with your instructions.
4) There’s no need to stress over IP theft
Intellectual property theft is a huge concern business owners must be aware of. For this reason, it’s understandable why some are reluctant to trust a third party to handle their product design. Luckily, Design Stein Studios understands that these products are your livelihood, which is why we prioritize security. Through secure laptops and VPNs, as well as working to confirm that any intellectual property designed for your business is, in fact, rightfully owned by you through copyrights and patents, you can rest assured that we are taking every measure possible to safeguard your property.
5) You will be collaborating with an exceptional team
Above all, enlisting industrial design services is a great way to ensure only the best are working towards your product goals. With in-house development, you are faced with two options: work with the employees that you already have or hire more staff. Unfortunately, there are a couple of issues with this. The first is that your existing staff may not have enough experience to successfully create a high-quality design. On the flip side, hiring more staff members can get expensive, not to mention there’s no telling if they will be effective team players that work well together. This is why outsourcing is incredibly advantageous- since our team at Design Stein has been working together for years, we have the necessary experience, ingenuity, and creativity it takes to design something innovative, as well as a strong team bond to navigate the entirety of product development with ease. In collaboration with your business, we can work together to turn your product concepts into existence without the hassle of in-house development.
If you are curious about outsourcing product development, give us a call at (714) 375-4846 to schedule a consultation today.
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