How an Industrial Design Company Can Contribute to the Success of Medical Devices

 

Designstein Studios, an industrial design company, explains the difference between designing consumer products and medical devices and how industrial design can impact the medical field. Read more about it HERE.

Leverage Your Resources with Product Design and Development Services

 

Product design services can help you make the most of your time and money, whether you want a hands-on or hands-off approach. Read more about it HERE

Product Design Services Explain IP Rating

 

When preparing a design for the market, product design services will discuss IP rating with a client in order to determine their requirements. IP rating accounts for a product’s durability against moisture and foreign materials. It is very important for electronics but can also relate to other kinds of products in the market. Anything that is going to be exposed to the elements requires some kind of protection.

The IP rating usually has two numbers associated with its measurement. The first number relates to protection against solids and the second number refers to the product’s protection against liquids (mostly water). The numbers represent how well a product is sealed against these elements and, thus, convey its durability. Two of the most common Ingress Protection ratings that product design companies used are IP67 and IP68. In order to convey the meaning of these numbers, let’s use the smartphone example. 

When you’re looking at water resistant phones on the market, you’ll probably come across products with IP67. This measurement represents the depth of water that this phone can be dropped for a certain amount of time. For an IP67, the phone can be dropped into a meter of water for half an hour. Naturally, an IP68 would offer more protection against water damage. This is the highest rating you can get for phones since solid resistance peaks at a 6 and 8 is the peak for liquid protection. However, you want to keep in mind that these ratings are specifically related to fresh water. If you drop your phone in salt water or spill coffee on it, then the same durability does not apply. Non-water particles can easily clog the microphone and other systems in the device. 

According to Designstein Studios, a product design and development company, a higher IP rating correlates to a more reliable product. No product exists in a vacuum, which means that all products face some sort of risk from accidents, human or otherwise. There is actually a higher Ingress Protection rating for water than 8, but it is far less common for ordinary products. A level 9 water protection means that the product could sustain high pressure and high temp under water. Many industrial tools require this kind of rating. 

During the product development phase, some product design services will use the letter X in place of a number when it hasn’t been tested yet. For example, a rating of IP4X means that the solid protection was tested but not the liquid protection. On the other hand, a rating of IPX6 means that the liquid protection was tested but not the solid protection. Some products might be released with these unfinished ratings if it is not relevant to the product’s usability. However, this means that you cannot assume any level of protection for that specific category.

Included in the solid protection scale is the measurement of particle protection, like dust. IP rating can  greatly improve customer satisfaction and ensure a greater life cycle for your products. Make sure to discuss IP rating with your product design team in order to find the one that works best for your design! 

Allow Your Products to Stand Out from Competitors with Good Industrial Design

Many companies have products that perform well but lack the innovative features and styling that an industrial design company such as Designstein Studios can provide to make them stand out. Read more about it HERE.

How an Industrial Design Company Facilitates Communication and Teamwork

According to one industrial design company, getting a new product to successfully launch requires a team of experts in a variety of disciplines including development, manufacturing, distribution, sales, management, and marketing. When there is a throughline of understanding and collaborative spirit, products have a better chance on the market. However, when there is miscommunication between team members, this can jeopardize the whole development process. Here is how industrial design companies in California promote communication and teamwork in order to facilitate the best product development experience for their clients:

Setting Expectations

Whenever there are multiple parties involved in product development, the level of expectations can become morphed and misguided. This is a natural result of the fact that different people have different perspectives. However, this can be detrimental to a project’s creation and distribution. Industrial design services like those offered by Designstein Studios thrive because there is a clear connection between each team’s job and a widespread understanding of what the product must accomplish. Marketing teams and engineering teams both need access to a product’s blueprint and consistent updates on its development. Without setting these expectations, team members may rely on their own assumptions to get the job done. In other words, the basic concept and foundation of every project must be clearly communicated to every team member in order to avoid mistakes down the line. 

Understanding Product Direction 

Once the initial conception of a project is clearly communicated, teams at an industrial design company must also be informed of the direction that product development will take. There may be an operational routine already established in the company but it is still a good idea to review the necessary steps of development and production to ensure that everyone is on the same page. This is especially important when projects require certain adjustments to the norm. Everyone’s responsibilities must be laid out, plain and simple, for the sake of transparency and insurance. In order to align everyone’s efforts toward the same output, the right amount of information must be articulated to the right staff. This will ultimately lead to better organization, realistic timelines, and cost-effective solutions. 

Clear Communication 

Last, but certainly not least, industrial design teams must foster clear, consistent communication in order to promote successful product launches. Communication is everything. Whether you’re an intern, a CEO, or somewhere in between, communication makes your job easier by making other people’s jobs easier. When there are constant changes in design or development processes, communication is even more valuable to the process. It is always best to have everyone informed and focused on the same goal rather than managing a more chaotic and confused team of talented individuals. Projects can become overwhelming when there is not enough communication. This can ultimately lead to hasty decisions, distractions, unnecessary stress, and mistakes. The best way to foster communication is to establish it from the very beginning of a project. Team members should know who their direct contacts are and who they can come to when their communication needs are not being met. 

Experts in Product Design Services Must Follow These Key Steps in Product Development

The most successful product design services are the ones that follow these key steps in development. Read more about it HERE.

 

Things to Consider in a Redesign Versus a New Product Design

 

There is a difference between redesign work and designing a brand new product and experts in product design services like Designstein Studios know how to optimize both jobs. Read more about it HERE.