Game On: Industrial Design from Start to Finish
It’s hard to tell the story of how a concept becomes a real product. We think our three-step industrial design process is easier to understand if you think of it as a co-op game.This process is most commonly referred to as “Art to Part.” We hate the name, but love the game.
It all starts with a person who has a product concept. The concept becomes compelling enough that the person thinks “Art to Part” might be worth playing. After reaching out to our studio, the person meets with us and we flesh out whether or not their idea has some play. If it does, we get to work.
Step One: The Setup
The Setup
Intuition would have you believe that in order to create something brilliant, you have to be free of all rules and constraints. But we have discovered the opposite to be true: art thrives under constraints, because a good artist wants a challenge they can rise to meet.
When designing a product, these rules are especially important to define because from start to finish, the process is collaborative. With multiple parties (read: players) invested in the outcome, it is crucial to draw clear boundaries. Instead of sketching a product right out of the gate, we like to write the rules, build a solid strategy, and get to know the players before the game begins.
First, we gather information about the proposed product. We want to define things like product performance, specifications, style, brand characteristics, and the intended audience. If possible, we hear from all the parties involved, including customers. With this information, we create a “scope document,” which includes the timeline, goals, budget, etc. This document effectively becomes our rulebook, and keeps the players from self-sabotage and/or falling prey to the dreaded “scope creep.”
Second, we strategize. We make what we call a “visual brand language,” or a brochure-like document that outlines the brand’s key aesthetic characteristics and shows how the product-in-process will either adopt or challenge them. For example, if we were working with BMW, the language guide would include their low, long signature chassis and the kidney bean-shaped grill. This document not only defines the characteristics of the product but can also be used as a roadmap should the players get lost in the weeds.
After we’ve completed both the scope document and the visual brand language guide, we gather all the relevant parties together for a “gate meeting.” These meetings typically include representatives from leadership, engineering and marketing. Like in any good game, players arrive with different strengths and weaknesses, motives and fears. But as we said earlier, “Art to Part” is collaborative. If all the players agree to the rules (scope document) and the strategy (brand language), we can move forward.
Step Two:
The Game Begins
This is when the game really takes off. We draw up a number of sketches, all based on the brand language and specifications we defined in the setup phase.
Ideally, all the sketches make it onto a whiteboard in some common area of the company. Using pink (negative) and green (positive) post-it notes, every employee -- from the CEO to the custodial tech -- is expected to provide anonymous feedback. After a few days, you can tell at a glance which sketch has hit closest to the mark.
We really enjoy this process. It eliminates the social hierarchies that can sometimes exist in large to mid-size companies. It is also an effective and efficient way to make real progress on the design. As the feedback comes in, we distill the best ideas down to one composite sketch.
Occasionally, players can have aggressively contrary views on what the product should look like. In those cases, we take out the brand language guide and politely remind players to stick to the strategy. We love hearing strong opinions but need to test whether those opinions are relevant to this particular product.
During the gate meeting, we either come to a consensus about the composite sketch, or we go back to the drawing board.
Step Two Point Five:
Level Up the Sketch
Free form designs are great, but they have to endure some tough trials if they want to evolve. If we’ve done our job well, the design appears implausible -- but when tested, proves itself possible.
After the composite sketch is agreed upon, we have what we call a “sanity check” with our engineers. Because the sketch is just an abstraction, we need to understand how the real product will compare. Will it survive the leap from free-form sketch to technical design?
Our studio has an advantage at this stage, as we employ in-house engineers who can think outside the all-too-familiar box. They can create hybrid mock-ups in CAD, where they render cubes and/or blocks that match the specifications, which our designer can sketch on top of. Ideally, we plug that information into a 3D printer and test how the pieces fit together.
Using that process, our sketch goes from zero to hero.
Step Three:
The Boss Fight
In any good game, everything leads up to the boss fight. Gamers will tell you that this last fight is typically a grind, with each player performing a crucial task. Fortunately for us, we’ve played “Art to Part” enough times that we know what to expect from the boss battle that is technical design.
First, we have a gate meeting where we present the most recent model. “This is what we’re making, folks,” we say. “If you want to change something…you’ll have to pay for it.” If/when we get the go-ahead, we hand off the design to their engineers, whose job it is to make the product real. Easy in theory, difficult in practice.
While we negotiate decisions with the engineers, we are also producing surface models, picking out materials, and planning ahead. Things really slow to a crawl at this point, but if all the players honor the rulebook and the strategy, we can win the game. And we’re proud to say we often do.
When the technical design is through, we like to have a final presentation, where the players get together and brag about our well-earned treasure: a product design that can be manufactured. If the company is wise, it will keep our studio on retainer while the product is being built. It gives the players peace of mind to know we’re on-call should anything go sideways.