Product design and development from ideation through prototyping and manufacturing.
MY ROLE: Product design, UX Design, Engineering, Project Management
COMPANY: Design At Work
OVERVIEW
Design At Work is a Brooklyn based product design studio, which helps companies, startups, and inventors to bring their ideas to life.
It provides design, engineering, and production services for medical, scientific, industrial, sport and other businesses.
EXPERIENCE
My role as an industrial designer in a small design agency was very broad.
For most projects, I was involved in the complete cycle of product development — from ideation through production. Many of the projects were very technical in nature, while others required a more visually oriented approach. Regardless, the process always began with end-user research, competitive analysis and deep exploration from a usability perspective.
RESEARCH: LEARNING AND EMPATHIZING
I worked with various marketing and business teams to learn about project opportunities and business goals. I performed site visits, user observation, and user interviews, as well as comparative analysis.
DEFINING AND IDEATING
After the exploration phase, it is very important to define the problem at hand and build a hypothesis for success. I used sketching to explore ideas and would develop stronger concepts further. Sometimes I would build a 3D model to help explore the form and understand my vision better.
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING
I have built physical prototypes as a "proof of concept" for validation, data collection, and user testing. This is standard practice for quick testing before you can build a CAD model.
EXECUTE
This is a very elaborate and thorough process. Engineering individual parts and assemblies, delivering blueprints and other documentation, working with local and international manufacturers, quality control and revisions required lots of attention to detail and communications skills.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
For select projects, I took on the additional role of project management where I was responsible for communication and progress tracking. I would engage with vendors to order samples and parts, work with prototype studios, request quotes, and select fabrication houses based on the project needs and specifications.
My design process is based on the design thinking method and a user-centered approach that allowed me to work within diverse domains and successfully design and deliver different kinds of products.