For instance, the iPhone improved upon the MP3 player while bringing in existing cellular and display technologies. The automobile improved upon the steam engine and horse-drawn carriages. Even the wheel improved upon the logs that were used to move things. All innovation is a continuous improvement cycle. Integrating continuous improvement helps keep your company on the leading edge.
Understanding
You have an idea you think the world needs. But does it already exist?
You have a great idea, and you want to move forward to make it happen, but what if it already exists and you just don't know about it? What if something similar exists? Have people tried this before? Why didn't it work then? The first thing to do is to understand the problem.
Market Research
New product ideas generally happen because we see a need for a solution to a problem. That generally means that we have not seen the solution before. We search online and in stores to find the product, but we just cannot find the item. This is step one. We need to dig deeper. Ask your trusted friends, family members and colleagues about the need and see if your idea sparks interest. Is there a market for your idea? Does it make sense? If so, continue reading.
Patent Research
Some product ideas have already been invented, but have never been produced. There are tons of patents without production products. Search the US Patent office online and Published Patents to see what patents are on file. Do this to ensure you are not infringing on a live patent, and to see if patent protection is possible.
Enter general terms to see a list of results. Once you have found some similar patents, look for their Current U.S. Class. You will see one or more classes repeat across similar patents. From here, find out what these classes mean by searching the US Patent office Patent Classification index. Now go back and do an advanced search using these classifications. This is very useful for patent search as you are searching for the utility of a patent, not for keywords in how a patent is titled or described. This narrows the search to specifically what your new product is about.
Patent searching is an excellent way to discover if your idea has already been tried, and to also gain new insight on how to make your idea better. If you are interested in obtaining a patent on your idea, be careful here. Although your idea may relate to a better sprinkler head, does a similar function exist in a shower head? It's the utility of the idea, not necessarily how it is used or what product it is used in that often determines patentability. You need to explore the patents for what they claim. Patents are built on what they claim. Although you may have an idea that is already patented, it's the one (or more) unique aspects of your idea that has the best chance of getting patented. See our section on patents for more information.
You may not need to get a patent. If you are already manufacturing similar products, you have a good idea of the prior art. Your distribution strength, economies of scale and sales relationships may be enough to deter competition. A design patent may be good to deter others from imitating your product.
Explore Strategies
Inventors
If you are currently not in the business your idea addresses, most times the best strategy is to sell your idea to an existing manufacturer. You need to get patent protection, build a prototype, target manufacturers and get on the phone. This is called licensing. Generally, you ask for a sum of money up front good toward royalty payments of products sold with your idea.
If you want to get into manufacturing, be prepared to spend ten-times the amount of time you think it will take. You may also need hundreds-of-thousands of dollars to get going as well. It all depends on your idea, but manufacturing, selling, administration, travel, and all the other activities required to get into business is capital intensive. Be prepared.
Manufacturers
We often work with product managers in developing new products. Our background in marketing means we know what questions to ask when making a winning product. Who is your target market? What is your USP? What is the consumer profile? Can the idea be used across multiple channels? Is it best to launch high-end and then roll out a mass-market alternative to capture greater market share? How does this fit with your brand promise?
We also work with engineers to deliver top-quality solutions. We explore technologies and off-the-shelf components to develop new products by bringing together solutions using your in-house capabilities and technologies that already exist.
At Henning Product Development, we work to design and develop products that hit your target. We ask many questions to make sure we know what you want, and to help you be successful. To find our more, give us a call.
Define Strategy
Once we have explored potential designs and technologies, we work with you to make your product a reality. As your product is developed, key suppliers are identified and the product takes shape. We can work with you on cost roll-ups and lead times to coordinate a product launch strategy.
Execute
Once the product is designed, the technologies have been proven and a real prototype exists, we work to define the product with material specifications, bills-of-materials, color choices, packaging, owner's manuals, suppliers and many other disciplines to get the product launched.
Repeat
Once a product is launched, there are a great number of insights into its effect on the market. There is a continuous feedback loop into what works and what doesn't. This feedback brings us back to where we started: Understanding. It's a never-ending cycle that is built on continuous improvement. Done right, new product development becomes a constant activity that continues to reward through the never ending quest of improvement.