select a design firm
It is nice and exciting to start a new product development project. And an interesting challenge to find the right design firm for your project.
hire a culture
Don’t hire a product design agency. Hire a mindset or a culture. Because that is what is really going to help your team. The values of a design firm tell you something about the relationship you are going to have with them.
Give preference to agencies that are pragmatic and innovative. Their office and website often reflects their culture and energy.
look for innovation
Design studio’s that are brave, diverse and committed to innovation create better, more forward-thinking products.
Don’t always search for the exactly type of product in their portfolio as the products you want to develop. Instead, look for real innovative solutions they have made and the experience they have with going really new roads.
hire a specialist
Some design studio’s are specialized in IoT products. Or in public space products. We are not. So you better do not work with us if your project is in these fields.
If on the other hand you want to develop a new bicycle, a mobility product, a sports product or a medical device, then you are better off working with us, as we specialize in these fields.
location
Location doesn’t matter so much. We work with clients all over the work. With email, online meetings and phone we keep in touch from anywhere. During the project it is great to have a few face-to-face meetings, but we are close to the airport.
Most important is that you are convinced we are the specialist you are looking for.
short list
Considering 30, 20 or even 10 design agencies is not a smart thing to do. If you do your homework, your initial long list could be relatively short and focused.
This will help you compare the design firms better. You can take enough time for each agency to call a number of times, understand their culture, proposal and way of working.
price
Price matters. And you will most likely find that the offers you receive from your selected design agencies are very different in contents and budget. This could be because of a different scope that is offered, different size of design firm, lack of specialization and different quality level.
Trying to negotiate the price unreasonably might be counterproductive. It could result in downgrading the quality and dilute the service.
You are hiring a design firm for the quality of its output, so avoid letting cost be leading.
expectations
Agree on your needs and expectations before you start. Make sure that your objectives are strategic and fit your culture. Decide on how you would like to work together with the product design studio, and the level of risk you are ready to take.
Decide who is going to make decisions during the design process. Taking part in a design process is exciting and fun, however, fewer people make for a better decision making.
Favor design agencies that will help you make decisions over design firms that offer you just more choice.
Start today with our free Designguide. In about 60 pages we help you prepare your product design project.