165: Iterative Design Processes & Tools for Hardware Development

Kyle Dumont spent many years as a hardware developer for iRobot, then got a Masters of Science and an MBA dual degree at Harvard, then spun out AllSpice which is a software platform for managing electronic engineering feedback and revision tracking amongst other things. Today Kyle is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what iterative hardware product development is between manufacturing runs, who the feedback loop stakeholders are, and how to collect, organize, prioritize, and execute on that iterative feedback information to ensure the best improvements to your physical consumer product design.

Today you will hear us talk about:

What iterative design in hardware is between manufacturing runs

Legacy design is based on a waterfall model of design

Software has done a great job of iterating very quickly.

Get designs in the hands of engineers, or even better, users.

Iterative design can sometimes be forced on you if you need to make changes, so better to have the processes

Who are the stakeholders:

Customers, the most important stakeholders (both current and potential customers)

Cost reduction

Engineering design, multiple different disciplines (hardware, software, firmware, PCB, visual, industrial design, etc.)

Procurement, product managers, Manufacturers

Get hardware product engineers in front of customers

What tools can be used to collect, organize, prioritize, and implement

Version control is a great way to organize version control / revision control. This is the foundation.

Start to consider comparing versions.

Do you have the channels and tools to be able to have the various product stakeholders to provide input on the product.

Integrating tools together so that the most information

Avoid silos of different departments, ideally, you have all information together.

Use priority flagging to tag the importance of issues or opportunities.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kyle Dumont Links:

LinkedIn | AllSpice

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube

PTC Links:

https://www.ptc.com/

OnShape | Creo

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

Partner: PTC’s best-in-class software solutions Onshape: The only cloud-native product development platform that delivers full-featured computer-aided design (CAD), integrated product data management (PDM) and enterprise analytics in a single system, and Creo: 3D CAD solution that provides designers with the most innovative tools to build better products faster, such as generative design, additive manufacturing, real-time simulation, IIoT, and augmented reality.

Producer: 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.