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Why are you building prototypes?
This is the first step in testing the requirements of your design.


Start over.
Whether this is in design, engineering, or building a prototype
Sometimes it's best to just Start Over.


Design for X - Right to Repair
Design for X (DfX, DFX) or Design for Excellence where "X" is a variable that can have many different values.


Prototype Everything
Done is better than perfect.


20 Questions: a Design Strategy Guide
I've been in product design and development (R&D) for almost 10 years. I've seen a lot of successful projects, and I've also seen a lot...


You don't WANT an injection mold; you WANT profits. Focus on that.
Frequently, inventors come to me asking for help with design for injection molding. Usually, it's a molding company that has told them to...


Stages of Success
How do you start a profitable $100M business? By growing a profitable $100k business. Success isn't a step function It's a series of...


Done is better than perfect
I’ve seen too many design projects stall out in the pursuit of perfection. I like to say, done is better than perfect. Get to a MVP...


Random Questions
When I'm stuck on a challenging problem, I like to ask unrelated/random questions. Questions that force me to think about the problem...


Focus on usability before technical details
Sometimes, devices fail in the marketplace because they have a fundamental usability problem The cartridges are hard to swap out. The...


Creative Work vs Critical Work
I've heard it said that there few creatives and millions of critics. A critic sees what IS, and asks questions: Why did they do it this...


R&D Q's: How to find good Vendors?
We're wrapping up with a few tricks to find manufacturing vendors for development.


Climbing without a guide
Let me know if you want help navigating your next product development program.


Klondike Donut Bars
I see product innovation everywhere.


Sneak up on success
Prototypes can reduce risk for later investments, in Time or Money.


Mini M&M's
Have you considered changing an existing idea/invention in simple way to make a whole new experience?


R&D Q’s: How many Prototypes should I build?
Use prototypes to learn what works (and what doesn't) as quickly as possible.


R&D Q’s: How much should I spend on Design?
We're going to talk about how much to budget for design work.


LeapPad- cost savings and clever engineering
I was watching my son play with a LeapPad toy book. It had a sensing pen to teach colors, letters, numbers, etc by tracing them in a...


R&D Q’s: How will I monetize my idea?
Monetizing an invention should be primary decision when deciding whether an invention idea has merit.


R&D Q’s: How do I plan to test my idea:
Design prototypes to satisfy testing strategy. Plan your tests first. Build only what is needed to pass the test. Then plan your next tests


Questions for product development planning ? ? ?
Product development is a long, complicated road.


Think differently: increase speed, reduce cost
Want to get your product to the market faster?


"No such thing as a 6-seater Tundra" ... now that just ain't so
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
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