The Product Innovator’s Handbook
How to design and manufacture a product that people want to buy
Gethin Roberts
Description
Why do some physical products succeed and others fail?
When you have an idea for a new product, it’s a pivotal moment. This device of yours will enhance the lives of the people who use it, earn you extra money, and have a significant impact on the world.
However, there’s much more to a successful product than the quality of the original idea. Why do some products fly off the shelves and others not even reach the market? That’s what this book will explain.
You’ll learn how to decide if your physical product solves the right problem, who to sell it to, and how to protect and fund it. You’ll also explore different business models and manufacturing options and discover the ins and outs of the product design process. By the end, you’ll understand what it takes to be a professional product innovator.
Gethin Roberts is an experienced product design engineer and Managing Director of ITERATE, a dynamic product design consultancy that blends creative and technical expertise to develop products from idea all the way through to production.
Reviews
Has a strong practical aspect on developing a product strategy from scratch. You will find all information on design, manufacturing, selling, business model development, sales channels, go to market strategy and more. The book is well designed from a structure perspective and can be very helpful for startups and entrepreneurs.
Netgalley
If you have ideas for a new product, Gethin Roberts has created the perfect guide to help you… This is a great reference book regardless of your location…If you have an idea I recommend you read this book. You will begin to think strategically about your idea. And the steps you’ll need to take as you embark on your product development journey.
Netgalley
“..an excellent resource.. detailed advice on how to get a product to market, covering topics such as deciding if your physical product solves the right problem, who to sell it to, and how to protect and fund it…His expertise shines through in the book, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in bringing a product to market.”
Amazon
This was a really informative look at the product development process. It was a bit beyond where I’m at in my design process so I’m delighted that I now know what to do when I am finished refining my idea and ready to start the process of bringing it to market.
Netgalley
Endorsements
Gethin is incredibly knowledgable and writes in a chatty and readable manner. I thoroughly recommend buying a copy of The Product Innovator’s Handbook. Simon Hall, CEO of Airway Medical.
As a creative, there is a definite market for a ‘how to’ guide for bringing a product to market, and while there is a plethora of books for generating ideas, this is the first I’ve read which really does hand hold you through the different stages. It also made me think about my next project in a different light – it is in publishing, but many of Gethin’s principles still hold well.
Stephen Lockyer, enigmailed.com
Contents
Introduction
1. Know Your Why
Why do you want to develop a product? What is your personal motivation – to make money; to learn a new hobby; or educate yourself in a different area of expertise? This chapter explores the reasons why you may want to develop a new product and allows you to identify personal characteristics that will be critical to your success.
2. What Problem Are You Solving?
This chapter helps you identify an opportunity for a new product? Have you spotted a problem that can be solved through the introduction of a new design? What is the scale of the problem; is it just you that experiences this or is it experienced by many – is this problem worth solving at all; is the scale likely to result in a lucrative product and will it result in you building a scalable business.
3. Who Are You Selling To?
Have you identified your target customer? How would you describe them, what is their lifestyle like, what other brand and products do they engage with? This chapter will help you understand the importance of building a niche; understand the value of product features and how this is viewed in the eyes of your customers.
4. Protect Your Product
This chapter explains many of the terms related to intellectual property (IP) and demystifies the common misconceptions. Protecting your idea is often the first step in the process that innovators often take, when in fact, it should be one of the last. Understand how IP fits in to your long-term business plans and why it might not be relevant to you at all depending on your aspirations.
5. Fund Your Product
Lack of funding is the common reason why new products fail to get to market. This chapter explores the different approaches you could use to fund your project and minimise your personal exposure. Accessing the range of financial mechanisms may require you to engage with groups of people and organisations such as angel investors and government bodies – each have pros and cons that will impact on your business and product development journey differently.
6. What’s Your Business Model?
End-customers are increasingly seeking experiences – this chapter explores a range of different business models that enable you to deliver your product into the hands of the user in a frictionless and exciting way. Some concepts explained include razor and blade; subscription selling; renting and leasing; and the hybrid model.
7. Your Manufacturing Strategy
The time and complexity involved in preparing your product for manufacture is a critical phase in the process that many underestimate. This chapter outlines some of the challenges and risks that exist and how you can mitigate against them. Events such as Brexit and Covid-19 have dramatically changed the manufacturing landscape. This chapter will help to inform you on how to select a manufacturing partner based on your product requirements and primary market.
8. Your Go to Market Strategy
This chapter explains the different ways to get your product in front of the consumer. Selling via high street shops was always the best way to go about this; however, online sales now provide an accessible route to market for many product creators; as well as a number of other possible other routes to market that should be considered depending on the nature of the product.
9. How Your Product is Designed
This chapter explains the stages of the product development journey; how the product is created from the point of the idea being conceived; designed; engineered; prototyped and tested. The time and cost associated with this process can vary hugely depending on the technical complexity and scale of your design requirements – understand the likely timescales involved and the phases of the process that can take the longest.
10. How to Choose a Product Designer
You are likely to require input from a Product Designer or Design Engineer at some point in your journey. This chapter helps explain ways to identify the skills you need for your project; how to identify a suitable Product Designer, the good points to look out for, as well as the bad points. Your project may require a team of people to deliver it effectively, this is when you should choose to talk with a design consultancy who are able to offer a vast range of skills and help you all the way.
Contents List
2. What Problem Are You Solving?
6. What’s Your Business Model?
7. Your Manufacturing Strategy
9. How Your Product Is Designed
Editions
FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP
Audiobook / 9781788604857 / May 9, 2023 / £19.99
Paperback / 9781788604208 / February 28, 2023 / £19.99
Ebook / 9781788604222 / February 27, 2023 / £9.99
Paperback and eBook Bundle / £22.49
Author
Gethin Roberts
Gethin Roberts has over 15 years’ experience of developing new products in the medical, industrial, and consumer sectors. He started his career as an in-house design engineer, which gave him hands-on experience of designing products for manufacture. It also meant that he was involved in the various commercial aspects of developing new products.
He’s now Managing Director of ITERATE, a dynamic product design consultancy that blends creative and technical expertise to develop products from concepts all the way through to production. Gethin’s masters degree in Rapid Product Development taught him that many businesses are slow to respond to market demands; this led him to develop the Rapid Development Pathway for his business, which focuses on removing the barriers that stop new products getting to market.
As a design advisor to the Welsh Government’s SMART Productivity and Design Programme, Gethin has gained huge insights into an array of product sectors. From multi-million pound companies in the aerospace and medical industries, to small technology start-ups, he’s seen it all. He’s also lectured at the University of the West of England, supporting its product design faculty and helping students with design submissions to the annual Royal Society of Arts competition.
When not working with clients to help them develop plans for their product developments, poring over CAD drawings, or presenting his consultancy’s latest 3D printed prototypes, Gethin enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.
You can discover more about ITERATE at www.iterate-uk.com.
