The Importance of the Concept Design Phase

Getting ready to create your product is the beginning of an exciting journey, but for inventors who aren’t exactly familiar with the product development process, a few terms and steps along the way of creating your product might seem confusing. One of the most important steps in creating a product is what is called the ‘concept design phase.’ To a regular inventor, this may sound confusing. It’s important to learn what each step in the product development process means and entails in order to stay on track and have a smoother process when integrating your ideas with a team of industrial designers in order to fulfill the goals of your ideal product. Ergo, this blog will help explain what the concept design phase is and what it entails for building your product.

The Definition of the Concept Design Phase

In order to define what the concept design phase is – its better to initially define what a ‘concept design’ is. Your product or invention idea is different from what is the concept design and its better to not confuse the two. It’s important to understand that an idea can be a simple thought of a way to solve a problem to something you see that needs fixing, whereas the concept design is the visual output of that thought put into a design. Therefore, essentially, a concept design is the solution to a problem that has yet to be solved. Your concept design will highlight how your product will function in order to solve the problem that it was made for and what it will feel like for the user solving them.

Why the Concept Design Phase is Important

The concept design phase is arguably one of the longest yet most creative parts of building your product, but also one of the most important as it serves as the blueprint for the direction of how your product will look and feel. If you only have an idea of what you’d like your product or invention to do, the concept design phase is the phase is which you create the look and decide how your product is going to do what you’d like it to do. Since this phase is the initially phase in which the blueprint for your product is created, nothing is set in concrete and really lets you as the inventor experiment and discuss with designers how you’d like your product to work and look. For this reason, multiple trial and errors will occur as you try to narrow down the design of your idea. During the concept design phase, your product is subject to changing its look, way it functions, material, colour, aesthetic and its details. Any design decisions you make or decide to alter we always rely on your concept designs framework and direction.

How to Start the Concept Design Phase

If your working with a team of designers to create your product, they probably are already ready to start the design concept phase of your product once they understand your product idea and its desired function. However, it’s always important to work together with that design team and stay updated on the design concept in order to receive the ideal design that you envisioned in your head. Most concept design phases start with simple sketches in which designers will try out different concepts in order to come up with the most ideal, logical, and cost-efficient choices for the style, layout, shape, texture and colour schemes for your product. The concept design phase can take multiple trials before both the inventor and designer agree on a design that works with what the inventor wants and with what the designer understands will work as a functional product. Its especially important in this phase of product development to have clear and transparent communication with both parties to ensure that this part of the product creation phase goes by smoothly with harmony and unity.

Wondering about what the next steps are after creating a great concept design? Check out our informative blogs to teach you about design patents and manufacturing design!

If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO here and visit our website to find out more. Feel free to give us a call at 1-888-MAKO and we can set you up on a call with our product analyst!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!