First time developing a physical product? Here's the truth...

Designing a physical product for the first time.

What am I getting in to?

How will I succeed?

Where should I focus?

With more than 50 client products in the market, three of my own, a cupboard full of prototypes, and a notebook of ideas! I've learnt some interesting truths.

I’ve always imagined coming up with an idea, selling 10 000 in the first month and retiring to an island by the end of the year. It’s the dream and its exactly that. A dream.

Taking a product to market is far more complex than coming up with the idea.. And most definitely not the fairy tale I imagined it would be.

The videos on YouTube of LinkedIn bro's making redonkulous amounts of money off one product. They live in the top 0.1%. They have either suffered through many failures, or touched a Leprechaun at the right time.

If its as easy as they preach. Why are they teaching and not making more products?

In this article I want to level with you and share some REALISTIC truths when designing a product for the first time.

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You will be lonely and pushed emotionally like never before

The first thing I came to peace with was failing again, and again and having a wee cry every now and then.

Failing is a relentless reality with designing a product and taking it to market.

It's not just the design of the product... its about finding product market fit, building a brand, paying a website designer who mess's up, video content that doesn't work, no sales, unpaid invoices, its all part of the business and inevitable.

Until you figure out the intricacies of your product business. It's going to be bloody tough and a grind no CrossFit gym can prepare you for.

So zoom out and appreciate the little things

When I’ve had a rally of these failed moments. I end up in a deep dark corner where the gremlins live and feed on my sole. They want me to give up. Pushing me closer to the edge of failure. It’s in these moments, I have learnt to appreciate the little things and look for the light.

At dinner, across from the table is my loving wife, we have food on our table and a roof over our heads. I spent 30 minutes in the sun today. Some people are not so lucky.

Grounding my thoughts in reality and what’s important in life helps me get through these challenging times as an entrepreneur.

“Nothing in this world worth having comes easy” - Thanks Bob

Designing a physical product is tough

Turning an idea into a product is difficult and things will not go as planned. Your digital design can look amazing on a screen, only to be disappointed when you get the first sample in your hands. It's not working how you imagined!

Welcome to Prototyping.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

A prototype is worth a thousand pictures.

Get comfortable needing to create multiple prototypes to test your idea! You could take 3 or 20 prototypes until success. It doesn't matter if you have something as simple as a door stop.

You always have to prototype.

Being prepared for these failures when prototyping and learning from them is what creates a design worth building a business for.

Dream, Design, Test, Repeat

More on why prototyping is important?

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Unrealistic expectations when developing a physical product

In life, disappointments come from expectations not being matched. Whether it’s paying for a Hyundai i10 and expecting a Lamborghini experience or making plunger coffee at home and expecting a barrister made flat white.

Either of those will leave you unsatisfied.

In product development, it’s similar:

• If you want your product designed and manufactured in 4 weeks, you can bet on terrible quality.
• If you want every feature in your product to be the best, it’s going to cost you a Lamborghini.
• If your budget is i10 and you expect Lamborghini results, prepare for disappointment!

When it's time to manufacture your product, you will find out if it was well designed.

Over time,

Prototypes will eventually need to be mass manufactured.

And mass manufacturing is a heartless biatch.

There is no hiding from the truth once you’re dealing with production and it’s time to make things a reality. Manufacturers will not be kind and caring if your product is not designed well. They cannot soak up extra cost because your parts are complicated and difficult to manufacture.

Learn about unique Design for Manufacture techniques here

If you are incredibly lucky. Some manufacturers will help you refine your design to achieve a better manufacture cost. Most, will just send you a massive quote.

This is why we put an enormous emphasis on making sure your product can be manufactured. And manufactured well! Make manufacturers want to work with you by designing products built for manufacture.

Example: The same part can have a mould cost of $5, 000 or $15, 000 depending on how it is designed.

Here are some more reasons you should you design for manufacture

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You get what you pay for

An old saying that has stood the test of time, and always comes back to haunt you if you attempt to test it.

When you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Personally, I have pushed this theory more than I'd like to admit. But when you don't have the money. You do what you gotta do. And pretty much 95% of the time I have been disappointed.

It's all about managing my expectations

Finding that one in a million, top class product designer that hasn’t realized it yet and is still using her rates from 1973. Is very difficult to find these days. Good product designers, understand their worth and cheap product designers, might not give you the results you are looking for, especially if your expectations are to design a product ready for manufacturing. No matter the product idea complexity, building a successful product takes skill.

Pay for experts where they can have the biggest impact

Building a physical product for the first time is challenging no doubt. But because it is so challenging, not many people succeed. The ones that do, are able to bask in the success of taking a product to market and making difference in the world.

5 take aways

1. Designing a physical product is tough. You have to have more grit and determination than you've imagined.
2. Deeply care about how your product will be manufactured, it could be the difference between success and failure.
3. You HAVE to prototype. Get comfortable with testing, iterating and updating the design.
4. You get what you pay for. Hire cheap or wrong and waste your time and money.
5. Manage your expectations. Things take time when developing a product.

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