Product Development Technologies Identifies Key Principles to Design for Innovation

Leading design firm integrates four fundamental principles into a methodology for producing successful innovations

Lake Zurich, Illinois – July 22, 2010 - Product Development Technologies (PDT), a global, full-service product development firm, has identified four key principles to leverage in building brands through new, innovative products. PDT's multi-disciplinary teams have refined this process though over 15 years of experience defining and delivering growth opportunities for some of the world's leading companies.

"We've got the distinct advantage of working every day on challenges that are experienced only periodically in a corporate setting," said Mark Schwartz, President of PDT. "We're able to take this culture, experience and our insights to help clients bring to life cutting-edge designs that reflect the realities of the competitive marketplace. A solid foundation on the front-end of the development cycle is invaluable, and we've come to rely heavily on these four principles."

PDT's Four Keys to Successful Design Research

Occasionally, lightning strikes and an individual's initial idea hits close to the mark early on in the process. Most of the time, though, the final solution is the result of multiple rounds of problem-solving, concept combinations and refinement. "You have to discipline yourself to separate your interpretation or extension of what the research subject is saying or doing, without blocking out the ability to make that intuitive connection, in the moment," says Marc Bertaud, PDT's Global Lead for Strategy and Definition Services.

"When you do this successfully, you gain an outstanding reference that can fuel both the creative energy and the collaborative development process that follows." Bertaud's team advocates a split-pad note-taking technique when researching, which he says allows both client and consulting team members to record the power of the connections they have during moments of research, and also provides a clear reference of where that connection originated.

Product developers need to capture direct feedback, and it's even more crucial to get behind the question or statement "Why is that?," or "Why might that be?" True innovations enable changes that are very hard for most people to foresee, understand or evaluate. However, if researchers can understand their subjects' beliefs, motivations and concerns that guide their decision-making, they can more easily generate concepts that deliver what the subject wants or needs - but might not be able to identify or express. A skilled design researcher or ethnographer can employ open interviewing techniques and conceptual exercises to draw this information out without turning an interview into an interrogation.

As early concepts move through testing, relationships will emerge between the concepts' appeal and the insights they were built from, providing reinforcement of which insights are most productive. "This is a lot like understanding the strategy of a competitor or the enemy. If you can get in their head, you can anticipate what they’re likely to do, and get a step ahead in a position that works to your advantage," Bertaud explains. "When you build your product strategy in this manner, it's also extremely hard for competitors to decode, because you're creating value based on psychographics, not just demographics and functionality."

For most managers with a budget, saying "you need research" will create the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights stare. After all, who wants to write a blank check with vaguely defined deliverables or unknown program impact? The simple answer is to define the scope of the research process into a "decision tree" for the product opportunity, focus efforts on the most intriguing "branches," and then adapt through the process. The challenge in the real world is that this approach runs counter to most research vendors' interests. "It's helpful to think of this as 'jump research' or 'crowdsourcing' feedback, with just enough technically-driven direction," says Bertaud. "The challenge is that the investigative sequence can feel inefficient at first pass. It's like the sprinter who takes small steps at the start, and progressively bigger strides. They don't come out of the blocks going full tilt."

Prototyping a product is likewise just as important as the research phase, as it allows you to test a concept before you're neck deep in a massive capital commitment. Why not pull that same approach forward in your development process? Rather than expending effort to continue refining the product's marketing or technical requirements documentation, create a rough storyboard that brings together the need, the usage scenario, and how value is created. Sketch the early idea, mock up a behavioral or physical prototype as soon as you can – as rough as it needs to be – and get it in front of team members and prospective users. Does this execution represent what you had in mind? Does it open new connections or interpretations you had not previously considered?

"You'll be shocked by the budget leverage this provides, if you are open to feedback and apply it in the right way," says Schwartz. "A bubble gum-and-bandaids concept representation may be among the last things a marketing person will have in mind as they move towards commercialization, but there are few corrections more expensive in time and dollars than those that happen as you approach release."

Albert Einstein's genius was not singular. In fact, he had quite a talent for engaging other scientists in the process of exploration and problem solving. Too many opinions can lead to mediocrity, but channeling more brains can lead to brilliance. The fundamental challenge in development is that most creative personalities are motivated and rewarded by the internal satisfaction of personally generating a solution that is deceptively elegant and that inspires a reaction. A constructive and creative approach to critique sidesteps the destructive dynamics you associate with criticism, and engages a broad range of stakeholders in clarifying the core sources of appeal behind an innovation. At the same time it builds in technical and operational feasibility. The culture of critique needs to exist within the development team, and the empathy and openness needs to extend to sponsors and key stakeholders who will be responsible for ongoing marketing and execution. As business advisors, PDT's researchers, strategists and designers believe they have an obligation to push clients to consider opportunities they may not have identified or given full consideration on their own.

"Our job is to help the client come to a solution and an understanding that they believe in," states Bertaud. "You need to be like a good conductor. People shouldn't be concentrating on how you brought together a stage full of musicians, they should feel it was a beautiful piece of music and a memorable experience." Engaging throughout the development process, and well before solutions are fully baked, allows you to build the perspective and buy-in that create a sense of ownership. This alignment and collective understanding provide the agility needed to succeed in a competitive marketplace.

About PDT

Product Development Technologies, Inc. (PDT) is a global, full-service product development firm with over 100 employees in eight offices worldwide. Team members have expertise in a wide range of product development disciplines, including business strategy, design research, industrial design, user interface development, electrical and mechanical engineering, software development, prototyping, and tooling/release for production. PDT's award-winning product designs have been recognized by BusinessWeek, the Industrial Designers Society of America, Design Journal, The Consumer Electronics Association, Inc. Magazine, Chicago Athenaeum of Architecture and Design, and Parametric Technologies Corporation. www.pdt.com