Curve Surf Travel System. See other Product Development case studies.
Product Development is our core business. We research, create, develop, and deliver innovative products to market that deliver breakthrough results for our clients.
Locus Research works in a wide range of industries and domains. Our development framework has been used in the development of materials, physical products, services, software, and functional foods. It is research driven and seeks to establish programme feasibility at an early stage prior to entering technical development.
Our development framework is a structured methodology consisting of a series of phases. This assists to accurately and effectively manage the process of developing new ideas and taking them to market. It has evolved over ten years of managing low- to high-risk development opportunities.
We advocate a concurrent approach, which seeks to prototype brands, communication material, and even packaging through the product development process and works to develop distribution partners early on in the programme life cycle. This differs from traditional development where branding may often be done after the Technical Development. This should be discussed and investigated early.
Product Development is capitally intensive and as such requires effective financial assessment and evaluation to assess the cash flow requirements over the duration of an entire project, including commercialisation. Research and Development can also be capitalised according to IRD guidelines and may best be considered at the outset prior to development.
If external investment is required to fund the programme, 6-12 months should typically be allowed as a time frame to develop a business case and secure external funding.
Note: The development of new materials, products, foods, and start-up businesses may require more robust business cases at an earlier stage to provide more detail about the variable applications and the financial requirements through commercialisation, which would sit outside of this development framework.
This section describes each phase outlined in Figure 1: Overview of Framework.
Discovery
At the start of engagement, our team needs to quickly build an understanding of the context of the product development including:
The work is typically completed within 2-5 days, and results in a structured series of recommendations about the programme and the suggested pathway for development. It is typically used as a short review and guide at the outset of a project prior to embarking on any structural research or development activity.
The Research and Specification phase is undertaken before any ideation or concept development. It seeks to research and define the key factors that could influence the development and commercial success while assessing its viability. Any user and customer research should be built into the process to clearly understand their needs. It culminates in the completion of a Product Development Specification (PDS) document.
A PDS compiles all factors related to the development such as:
The PDS has worked across multiple sectors and industries successfully over a ten year period and has a high record of market entry and success. It helps to drive development and establish the best direction; it can help mitigate risk, but cannot eliminate it. It is a dynamic document that needs to be continually referenced, reviewed, and revised throughout the development process.
In certain programmes, research may continue after the completion of a PDS and into the technical development. This would be typical in complex R&D or science oriented programmes. The research is inherently part of the first true development phase in these programmes but would be analysed generally in this phase.
The PDS may still be subject to budget and time limitations externally. Where information is deemed insufficient or lacking this will be noted or signalled to the client within the PDS.
Technical Development
The development series of phases is the typical backbone of the development project and is broken down into four general steps with three structural gates.
1. Ideation Review;
2. Concept Development Gate;
3. Embodiment Development Gate;
4. Detail Development Gate.
An idea generation (Ideation) phase aims to conceptualise and create a wide range of ideas or potential solutions for consideration. These ideas would leverage the PDS requirements and endeavour to accurately provide potential solutions. This culminates in an ideation presentation, where the key ideas are selected and assessed against preliminary criteria. Speed and breadth are important in this stage.
Ideation flows into Concept Development, where the selected ideas are developed to a higher level of resolution and presented for a more detailed and critical assessment. It is likely to incorporate early prototyping and more detailed specifications. The principal solution(s) or system is generally selected at this point and taken forward to Embodiment and Detail Development for further more detailed exploration.
Ideation and Concept should consider how the ideas would be communicated to the end customer and we promote exploration of brand issues and ideas at a conceptual level in this phase.
Embodiment takes the principal solution and develops it out with greater focus and detail. It will involve more developed prototyping and iterative testing (both performance and user based) to develop and prove the performance of the product.
Detail Development drives toward the approval of the principal solution and is the last significant step before commercialisation. Prototyping and testing are taken to a more developed and complete level for final review and approval. Documentation is developed to support the product’s commercialisation and market entry. This phase does not typically incorporate productionisation, which is a part of the commercialisation phase.
Commercialisation
In many instances the most challenging phase of a development programme is commercialisation. It can incur the largest capital costs and commitment.
It will typically involve the following types of tasks, some of which are directly influenced by suppliers, and ultimately the market.
This list cannot be definitive, but it attempts to provide an indicative guide to some of the key aspects from our experience. It should enable some planning and estimations to occur to ensure the costs are planned for.
Interested in product development, design research or commercialisation? Contact us to discuss your needs.
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