We forged ahead on new products with ideation sessions, design sprints and internal reviews. We then communicated this to our Chinese manufacturers in hopes they could deliver the product on time and on budget. If it were only so easy…

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING.

The two groups spoke different languages — literally and figuratively. The designers talked in terms of colors, materials, and finishes and the manufacturing engineers in terms of feasibility, tolerances, and yields. They had different priorities and worked under different constraints. The challenge was to effectively (and efficiently) bridge the gap between the two. Short, tight communication loops and clear, simple language proved to be vital.

PEELING BACK THE VEIL ON INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

As I developed an elementary ability to be proficient in both languages, I also began to understand what it really means to be in the business of designing products. In the past I had imagined skills that involved some artistic capabilities to be a black box of sorts. I assumed these activities required some sort of intangible that I ‘just didn’t have’. What I discovered was that PD is more procedural than you might imagine. I was expecting to see magic — some sort of secret sauce to being able to create a beautiful, yet functioning products. What I discovered was that when you get into the weeds, it’s becomes a less glamorous and more rigorous. The secret becomes leveraging heavy doses of visual thinking within the guardrails set by the business and conditions set by the market. The final products are simply the implications of the problem you’re solving, the business/competition, and the customers — not an output of a designer’s tastes or preferences.

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