Insights

Explore some of the issues that need to be dealt with and acknowledged before a quick-turn electronic prototype can be put into high-volume production.

Co-creation means inviting users into your creative process. Users, instead of being subjects of study, gain agency and become active participants in the design process.

Sewing has its own language and rhythm that has surprising uses for prototyping.

Electronic devices today are expected to go where they’ve never gone before. Demand is growing for waterproof, rugged consumer and commercial electronic devices.

Moving 10 people and a 3,000-pound mill in San Francisco is quite the project. But the end result is worth it all.

In the spirit of open source innovation, we are sharing our Tolerance Analysis spreadsheet for mechanical engineers.

I have a confession to make. My co-worker Stefanie used to drive me nuts.

What's the dome of awesome? It’s that place where your expectations have been met (nay, exceeded!) and you are having a great experience throughout.

The world is changing ... are your design teams changing with the physical/digital times?

Our world is in flux. We are all aware of this. As designers, it’s helpful to step back and consider our role in shaping our rapidly emerging future.

Designing a makerspace to fit the needs of staff and students at Lincoln Elementary School took some old-fashioned ingenuity.

As a design team, we are constantly in search of ways to stay involved with the design community and shine light on upcoming talent

In the immediate aftermath of any newsworthy accident, we often hear the words "human error" or "user error".

Psychological safety can be the difference between innovative and just OK. Here are three easy ways to build psychological safety at your organization.

The increasing sophistication, diversity, and affordability of sensor technology for autonomous cars has rippled into the sports world. Did we see the results in PyeongChang?

We have a tradition of using the humble whiteboard as a jumping off point for discussions both internally and with the community.

As more products become software-enabled, our notions of expected performance and life cycle are changing.

Eating utensils require some sophisticated metal fabrication technology.

In medical product design, usability research was too often an afterthought. But you simply can’t expect something to look nice and assume patients and clinicians will know how to use it.

IoT makes sense for industrial applications where there are endless opportunities to monitor and automate.

Quality management systems get a bad rap for slowing down progress and squelching innovation. We developed our own QMS approach to meld rigorous standards and the flexibility to innovate.

Dave Franchino takes a whirlwind tour of a crazy year ... and that includes product design and tech.

The PCA (perception, cognition, action) method recommended by the FDA helps researchers assess and understand why a use error has occurred.

Launching a restaurant is the ultimate personal exercise in user-centered design.

One client. Three consulting partners and 100 team members. How do you hold such a massive project together. Here are three tips.

Slowing down and practicing mindfulness in design can lead to better products.

At the Health 2.0 to focus was on how to effectively use the troves of health data we already possess for prevention and better outcomes.

Our new Model Shop in Madison helps our Prototype Specialists stay organized and protected from harmful dust and vapors.

“Do you know a place to get this made?” That’s a question we hear a lot from entrepreneurs looking for a manufacturing solution. It’s actually a very complex question.

Addressing customer pain points is a great way to inspire design, but don’t miss opportunities to “amp up the good” by addressing the gains that users desire.