Consumer Products

To build better products, development teams need to integrate the hardware and software development processes. The design thinking mindset could provide the means to enable this reunification.

Get to know Jenny Westby, design researcher at Delve.

How much agency should a machine be allowed? For both medical devices and cars, the potential to save lives is very real. But the consequences of things going wrong could be catastrophic.

Sometimes the simplest designs are the most difficult to get right. Here's how we approach the design of a low-information-density user interface.

Without the right insights, a new technology is just a solution without a problem. Insights are the answer to tech for tech's sake.

We use Parametric CAD to design the majority of a wide range of new products. Here are some of the problems it helps us solve quickly and capably.

Inside every electronic device sold today – whether it’s a coffee maker, phone, automobile, or Mars Rover – is an embedded solution, or a combination of hardware and software that makes the thing run.

What do ancient farm tools have to do with contemporary gender inequality? According to the Plough Hypothesis, there’s a direct link.

As many as 95% of new products fail. To improve the odds in your favor, put users at the center of the design process and conduct user research early and often.

There are several methodologies available to speed up the development process. Which best fits your needs?

You’d be surprised how many startups come to us with excellent connected device concepts that have failed under routine, predictable environmental stresses.

We’ve developed several techniques for defuzzing the innovation process — to uncover user and technology insights that lead to innovation and reduce risk of failure.

Designers love to talk about the needs of the user. But what if the end user isn’t the person making the decision to buy your products?

When offshore manufacturing works well, it can be fast, cost-efficient, and deliver good quality. But often speed, price, or quality is sacrificed without the right vendor, relationship, and process.

A question we get often from new clients while drafting industrial design proposals is how many concepts they’ll be reviewing in the early phases of a project.

Using leading-edge parts comes with risks. You may have a great, even disruptive, product to debut, but realistically it needs to get to market before someone else beats you to it.

A couple of weeks ago I did a shop presentation to share techniques I’ve developed for making models come together in a more professional way.

Figuring out just how much sealing products will need is part of the design process.

In its infancy, CFD was complicated, expensive, and challenging—so it was only employed for complex projects like bridges and the space shuttle. Today, engineers use it to optimize everyday products that incorporate the flow of air, gas, and fluids.

Medical device companies can boost usability by adopting these consumer product development practices.

While a final product may appear to stand on its own, it’s actually buoyed by tiers of development. These include rounds of prototyping and testing.

A click is a universally recognized cue that an action is complete. Here's how to get the right sound and feel.

Today we have the ability to set up and interact with a VR-simulated prototype. As the technology continues to grow more accessible, can leverage it for product design, easily translating to faster turnaround and cheaper development costs.

Make sure your provider uses a well-known and secure method for communicating.

When you’re designing a connected device, there’s a lot of testing you can do before you get to the production-grade prototype. Here are a few examples of different fidelity levels of prototypes you can use to test early on in your IoT product development.

Connecting a device to the Internet adds layers of complexity.

Few inventions have had as significant an impact on our daily lives as the safety razor.

A bottom-line approach drives meaningless products. Here are four guidelines for making meaningful wearable tech.

It’s not uncommon for a new client to want to see 20 or 30 concepts during the initial design phase, believing this represents better value.

Regardless of what you're designing, the options you present to users should be simple and straightforward.

Adding a sensor or touchscreen to just about any product has become cheap and straightforward. But it doesn't always make things better for the user.

The ballpoint pen eliminated the need for messy fountain pens and all the problems that came with them. This breakthrough invention forever changed the way we write.

The Pareto Principle is a great tool for project teams when they’re trying to decide where to focus their energy and efforts.

Convincing discerning consumers to buy a home robot isn't easy. To earn a spot in our homes and our lives, “home bots” (and those designing them) must answer four important questions.

Design efforts to maximize battery run time typically focus on minimizing standby power, but an equal emphasis should be placed on designing for peak power.

Creating product requirements can seem like a straightforward task, but it has plenty of potential pitfalls.

These early attempts at wearable technology were innovative but flawed—and paved the way for the more advanced devices we have today.

As product engineers, we use FEA simulations to develop, test, and refine designs. These best practices allow us to move quickly while keeping simulation results accurate, honest, and affordable.

You’ve vetted your MVP design through low and medium-fidelity prototypes. Now use high-fidelity prototypes to amplify your MVP into a truly compelling offering.

Successfully troubleshooting these problems prior to product launch is in everybody’s best interest, and can be the most rewarding part of a project for an engineer.

I just spent six months researching experiential brand language for a client. Here's what it is, how to create it, and examples of great EBLs from Apple, Airbnb, REI, and, as the title promises, Taylor Swift.

It’s important to prototype and test soft materials at various stages in the product development process.

To develop the best version of your product, have you considered leveraging softer materials?

A multidisciplinary team has the edge in creating innovative, well-rounded solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders.

Authentication is not appropriate for every product, but there are many applications where it's necessary for the manufacturer, end user, or both. Authenticating your consumables need not break the bank.

How do you design better products for women? Our female researchers, designers and engineers compiled seven principles for individuals and companies to consider.

Not every product design is a home run. Here are 15 products we think could use some design help.

Designers have a responsibility to design a world that all want to live in. Here are three principles that can help us navigate the complexities of design decision-making and truly achieve design success.

Whenever your needs require you to conduct user research remotely, these strategies will allow you to answer the same fundamental questions as in-person methods.

We opened up wearables from leading companies to see how so much was packed into something so little.

What comes before and after you walk in your users' shoes? We distill empathic design into six principles for easy adoption.

How to create a successful product – whether you're designing a product that's physical, digital, or somewhere in between.

Warning: I’m going to criticize and question something beloved by millions of people—stationary exercise bikes.

40-90% of consumers base their buying decisions on color. Learn how to apply user-first design thinking to finding the right color in product design.

More than just compensating for the loss of in-person collaboration, digital whiteboards provide clear benefits, namely reducing barriers between disciplines and fostering more open, dynamic relationships with clients.

A primer on what, how and when the discipline of human factors is used in the design and development of products.

It’s not easy keeping it together under pressure. Yet these little marvels do it every day tens of thousands of times over. Do you know how staples are made?

The JOC method lets you move into ideation confident that you're working from something more than a hunch.

We’ve compiled some advice for those facing, or anticipating, the semiconductor shortage. These workarounds are useful when facing any kind of hardware part shortage.

If your home is your castle, during the pandemic it’s also your office, classroom, coffee shop/restaurant/bar, gym, entertainment venue, spa, and, yeah, that place where you sleep.

When done well, DFM prevents quality issues and eliminates manufacturing waste. It de-risks new product development by preventing the costly scenario of learning about manufacturability issues when you’re about to launch.

While we're all working in our homes, we thought it would be fun to check in with our team members to see how they're doing and what their new offices and co-workers look like.

Most products take anywhere from three to ten years to develop from idea to commercialization. But many companies rely on their understanding of consumers today to make decisions for these future products.

While we're all working in our homes, we thought it would be fun to check in with our team members to see how they're doing and what their new offices and co-workers look like.

Translating research into actions is often more art than science. We have found “how might we” questions to be useful tools. Here's how to write one.

Before starting on an innovation strategy, decide which type you're chasing: Incremental, disruptive, or radical innovation. Each requires a unique approach.

All right, who do I blame for this?

The Consumer Electronics Show always starts the new year off with a bang. It packs roughly 170,000 extra people from around the world into Las Vegas for a seizure-inducing week of stimulation.

The scope of the Advanced Design workshop was to walk students through the research, ideation, and early prototyping phases of creating a backpack.

Our team spent the second day of CES at Tech West, home base for health, wellness, home, wearable and fitness technology. It's also the hub for Eureka Park, where the scrappy startups vie for attention of venture capitalists and potential partners.

Our team spent the second day of CES at Tech West, home base for health, wellness, home, wearable and fitness technology. It's also the hub for Eureka Park, where the scrappy startups vie for attention of venture capitalists and potential partners.

We roamed the massive Las Vegas Convention Center the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES. Here are some additional fun things we saw.

Forecasting and backcasting provide a framework for disruptive innovation by establishing a solid structure to support big, strategic thinking.

We have a team roaming the massive Las Vegas Convention Center today at the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES. We'll be adding to this blog post throughout the day as we find cool stuff to share.

As 2019 winds to a close it’s time to make my annual appraisal of some of the more noteworthy products and events shaping world of design and Innovation. And the last year certainly saw its fair share of significant steps and missteps. So, let’s wade in with a few things I’ll remember that helped define 2019 for me.

I’d like to take the time and opportunity to reflect on our experiences at the Madison Mini Maker Faire and talk about each of the wonderful projects our team at Delve has been able to put together to share with the public, while hopefully inspiring young minds to be open and grow.

As I started to think about writing this blog, I realized that it might come off more as an Andy Rooney rant than “Oprah’s favorite things” this year. It feels like there have been more misses than hits.

How will you decide today what to design for 2030? Strategists look to megatrends to predict consumer behavior and futureproof strategy.

Robots unleashed; the emergence of hearables; sustainable plastics and processes — we weigh in the biggest innovations of 2019 to influence product design.

I, for one, am pretty excited that Elon Musk is bringing his 1980s sci-fi movie dreams to life.

The lack of age-awareness in design misses a golden opportunity for using tech to make our golden years better.

Infrastructure has made all of the following innovations possible.

Humans are drawn to anthropomorphic form in product design. Here's how industrial and interaction designers can use this as a tool.

With the growing demand for rugged design across sectors, product developers need help figuring out when to accommodate military specifications.

Good mapping makes products easier and more intuitive to use. Done well, it can create a powerful connection between a product and its users.

We asked our San Francisco team to share some thoughts on what that they find thought-provoking, inspiring and uniquely Bay Area.

Here’s my list of “a few-of-the-mostly-best innovations from the last year or so.”

What happens when all the engineers from Delve's three offices gather in Madison? We buy stuff and tear it apart to understand how it is made. Our product of choice? The robotic vacuum.

How can product designers apply Maslow's theory of human motivation to their work? A design won't succeed if it doesn't meet users' most basic needs.

Let’s suppose, hypothetically speaking of course, that a product exhibited at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) could be used to cause severe bodily harm with a weapon to another human.

Nudge is a concept rooted in behavioral science that describes how minor changes in product design can markedly affect individual behavior.

The beginning of a new year is a great time for reflection – and what better to reflect on than the last year in design and innovation?

If the numbers don’t add up, great design isn’t sustainable — no matter how thoughtful it is. Design must ultimately serve the needs of the business as well as the user.

E-bikes, solutions for ocean-borne plastic, real-life Babel fish, 3-D printing metal, robot overlords, and more — we weigh in on 2018's biggest innovations.

Video is a great way to share a story with your audience. Learn how our Visual Communications team approaches making a video that breaks through the clutter.

Doing user research now won't help you design for 2028. Trend analysis will. Design strategists turn to it to predict consumers' future behavior.

Will the E-bike change the way Americans think about cycling?

Is a bidet on brand? Our San Francisco team did some research and debating to find out.

We're excited to open a new office in Boston to serve our current East Coast clients and grow our multidisciplinary innovation business.

A recent project with Make-A-Wish gave us the chance to make a meaningful connection with a family, which is a great benefit of product design.

The Tesla Model 3 has a front that upends expectations, and it's not pretty.

Creative Matrix is a brainstorming method that helps structure the necessary "in-between" work between research and ideation. We demonstrated the technique.

Engineering in the fun takes a willingness to say "yes" to a user-centered vision and mastering the mechanics.

Sewing has its own language and rhythm that has surprising uses for prototyping.

Electronic devices today are expected to go where they’ve never gone before. Demand is growing for waterproof, rugged consumer and commercial electronic devices.

Moving 10 people and a 3,000-pound mill in San Francisco is quite the project. But the end result is worth it all.

Our world is in flux. We are all aware of this. As designers, it’s helpful to step back and consider our role in shaping our rapidly emerging future.

The increasing sophistication, diversity, and affordability of sensor technology for autonomous cars has rippled into the sports world. Did we see the results in PyeongChang?

Eating utensils require some sophisticated metal fabrication technology.

Launching a restaurant is the ultimate personal exercise in user-centered design.

Slowing down and practicing mindfulness in design can lead to better products.

Our new Model Shop in Madison helps our Prototype Specialists stay organized and protected from harmful dust and vapors.

“Do you know a place to get this made?” That’s a question we hear a lot from entrepreneurs looking for a manufacturing solution. It’s actually a very complex question.

Take a tour of our new Madison home with one of the design leaders behind it.

Design and dodgeball share a reliance on collaboration.

Putting the freeze on cream and sugar is what it’s all about at Dippin’ Dots.

As we move into our new space, one of the project managers shares the process behind the logistics and emotional side of moving.

Delve's VP of Design Mathieu Turpault reflects on major changes in industrial design in the last 25 years and predicts where it's headed.

Fighting bugs, storms and heat, design camp provides the challenge of putting ideas into interconnected motion.

Consumers have access to a hodgepodge of information on brands that they never had access to before, which makes it tough to control the brand experience.

A product that's beautiful to the eye but feels shoddy in the hand communicates volumes about a brand. Don't forget to design for touch.

When applied appropriately aesthetic design enhances the sophistication, functionality and overall value of a product. Try tuning into the following core aesthetic design trends to inspire your next creation.

The Switch has a lot of great features, but the modular design leads to some clunky compromises. Ultimately, does it matter?

How do we know the difference between a designer handbag and a knockoff?

Products designed for accessibility end up making life better for everyone.

Kickstarter and Indiegogo are littered with cool concepts that never hit the shelves. How can you navigate that chasm between vision and reality?

One of the best ways for engineers to learn about product design is to carefully examine other products. Engineering details, manufacturing processes, and material choices can all be used to inspire your own designs and decisions.

Delve's Model Shop creates a wide variety of models for concept validation and user testing. Learn more about the types of models we create.

Many of the simplest items we use every day require an amazing amount of effort to produce. Take, for example, the humble toothbrush.

I thought 2016's divisiveness seems like a good reason to revisit my "United We Stand" state flags project, tweak some, and make them available to download.

In the history of product innovation, there are famous successes – some arguably driven by new technology, and others that resulted from user research and insights.

When you have to make something where failure isn’t an option, you better make sure that it will work.

Disney fosters a greater sense of fantasy by concealing the mechanisms of personalization.

When we look back on an experience, we craft a narrative based on memory and emotion and the sum of our experiences. The same is true of how we process our experiences with brands.

Thoughtful multi-sensory design transforms the act of opening a perfume pouch into a sensuous expression of luxury.

Have you ever read an article about design trends and wondered, “Where on earth did THAT come from?”

The Lend a Handcycle project takes a leap forward with the selection of a scissor-jack design for seat adjustability.

What are the odds a new product will still be around in two years’ time? And, how do we decide what to design today?

We polled the office on favorite branded interactions and narrowed everyone’s nominations down to 15 brands who do it well. Here’s the list of brands and the interactions we consider to be successful.

An Electrolux from the '50s inspires a head-to-head comparison with a Dyson Animal. Let's just say there are some trade-offs.

International travel offers time to knit...so why not knit an experiment in uncertainty?

Progress is being made in our quest to design a fully adjustable hand cycle that can accommodate children with physical disabilities as they grow.

An energizing day at a Microsoft Accelerator Day for entrepreneurs provides a good reminder that above all, know thy customer.

What's behind the lack of useful thumb-reach and hand-grip data for designers of handheld devices, and how can designers gather their own?

Somewhere between a quick brainstorming session and rounds of frustrating debate, there's typically a sweet spot for naming a product.

LED technology opens up a world of possibilities and some new considerations for product design.

Many SxSW Interactive talks pondered the future of connected devices. What we can address now and how we may bridge the user-experience gap for the future?

A lunchtime decision to brave the midwinter cold led to a lunch that I unsuspectedly evaluated as a new experience.

Want some depression with those Doritos? In a confusing time both socially and economically, advertisers struggle to find the right tone.

At CES 2015, activity trackers were the bandwagon that many companies jumped on. Really? Isn't there something better to do with this technology?

Great board games are designed to foster creativity, collaboration and compromise.

Sometimes we need to embrace our inner Janet Jackson and be the ones in control.

What's in a flange? Well, when it comes to product design, it's the attention to details that can make all the difference.

Technology is making it easier to stay in the home and community you love as you age. That's a wonderful thing.

Instead of a nice story that reads like your favorite episode of This American Life, here’s a few thoughts on things I’ve noticed over the last couple months.

A few months ago, I was able to experience co-creation from the client side of things. I signed up for a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE workshop at Door County Forgeworks.

Making a difference and calling attention to important issues through design is more achievable once designers get over the fact that they're not artists.

We recently changed the name of our user interface design team to Interaction Design. The latter encompasses the dynamics of a user’s interaction with a system — including the user’s perceptual, cognitive, and physical interaction with the system, as well as the system’s response to the user.

If your design requires a photorealistic image to show it is different from prior designs, it may not be innovative enough.