IDEO for product design is like Starbucks for coffee. Other great product development firms exist and can be hired. Many predate IDEO. But IDEO has created a brand and quality level that is recognized throughout the world. It offers a premium product at a premium price. It keeps innovating, offering new skills and services for […]
Category: The Design of Things. to Come
IDEO: The Starbucks of Product Design
IDEO is now one of the biggest design consulting firms in the world, but it competes with companies such as Accenture and McKinsey in influence if not in economic scale. IDEO is a design firm for giants such as Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Eli Lilly, and Pepsi and little-known companies such as Zinio, ApproTEC, and […]
Using Product Development Consultants
This chapter is devoted to the struggle that companies face when deciding whether to hire external product development consultants, internal staff, or both. Because the best approach is “both,” the real issue is to understand what to expect from external consultants and internal employees. Although the internal-versus-external issues apply to consultants other than those who […]
The Power of Design
Problems such as Paul’s are pervasive in companies as they seek new paradigms of innovation. Right now, there is increasing interest in product development, and managers are faced with the challenge of changing their company from a project-based one to a product-based one. Businesses have long been familiar with the world of engineering, but business […]
To Hire Consultants or Build Internally — That Is the Question
There are many talented product development firms’ throughout the world, but not all companies know how to integrate outside product development skills with in-house expertise. This chapter discusses how companies can leverage the skills of product developers, both as internal employees and as external consultants. What do they do, how can they do it for […]
IP in Summary
IP-smart companies embrace the full array of tools for IP development and protection. Companies that want to plan for and establish every aspect of protection, including the establishment of trade dress, engage patent attorneys early in the process, not to handcuff the process but to help establish directions where there has been little innovation and […]
Patenting Product Manufacture and Delivery
IP and its protection are critical to the success of innovation and organic growth in all types of products and services. This also includes the manufacture and delivery of the product. If you have kids, or grandkids, or just act like a kid sometimes, you probably have visited an amusement park in recent years. As […]
Patenting a Product System
P&G recognizes that innovation today is part of the complete picture of the product. Although focus on technologies yields patentable components, a product is not just the technology but also the delivery and interaction of that technology. For many years, the technology was the focus, the function of a utility patent. In recent years, P&G […]
Using IP for Brand and Product Life Cycle
The goal of a great brand is to leverage IP for the long term. If secrets can be kept, the IP never expires. But there are other ways to achieve IP benefits after patent expiration. A strategic approach initially protects a product’s hard functional and manufacturing qualities with utility patents and its soft aesthetic aspects […]
IP: Provisional Patents
The cost of submitting a utility patent is high, requiring attorney fees, time from the inventors, and document fees. However, many companies need to discuss their concepts with others to assess their value and the potential payoff. Provisional patents are an inexpensive way to provide a year of protection, after which a full utility patent […]