Product Design Shorts: Designing Better Experiences for Consumers and More

A batch of fresh product design stories, curated just for you.

Creating Consumer "Experiences" with 3D Design

According to a new study by Harris Poll and Eventbrite, 78% of millennials would now prefer to spend money on desirable experiences or events rather than off-the-shelf products.

Does that signal a decline in spending on products? Not necessarily. But it may mean that the buying process for this demographic should be more fun or creative.

To do that, a recent Huffington Post article suggested that product developers turn to augmented reality (AR) and 3D printing.

A 3D design and augmented reality come together to help a consumer envision a new deck.

For example, the article discussed AR “virtual fittings” that turns clothes buying into an interactive experience. Scan in a 2D image of yourself, and the system creates a 3D avatar for you that you can then place in real-world settings. Virtual size guides help “users then create pictures of what their soon-to-be-purchased product will look like on them.”

3D printing shops can make shopping even more interactive as consumers design, print, and ship their own custom designs all within a single web app. “This creates multi-touch and even multi-sensory experiences prior to a purchase.”

Product developers already design for manufacturing, assembly, service, etc. Can design for experience be far off?

3D CAD on the Move (and So Is Creo)

There is more good news in the industry. According to a new report, the CAD market in the US will grow at a CAGR of 4% through 2019.  The market, says researchers, will be driven by investments into R&D as well as adoption of augmented reality—both of which are good news for design engineers..

3D CAD design is essential to creating the digital models that make augmented reality possible. And, in case you missed it, it will be an essential addition to the new Creo 4.0 release, which was made available recently. In short, PTC is ready when the market is.

Is Your Great Idea Ready?

During product development, especially for those who are new to the business, the path is often circuitous. Sometimes you eventually get there (through weeks of 3D CAD design, changes, more designs, and some tears) and sometimes that idea dies along the way.

We found a great piece from tech.co that novice designers should read before they put pencil to napkin. The post asks questions you should ask yourself before you launch your next product design:

• How can I develop this idea?
• Who can I get to help me?
• How can I possibly market the idea, get funding, and actually produce it?

Once you answer those, in a nutshell, here are two key steps from the author’s roadmap on how to proceed with The. Greatest. Idea. Ever:

• Ask for feedback early in the process. Many successful product developers “get feedback very early on any product they are considering…This will tell you if there is a market for your product and will help you revise and improve the product as you continue through the development phase.”

• Design matters. Yeah, that’s obvious but according to the post, “the right people must be involved every step of the way” while “quality in design, development, and production is crucial. The end product must be one that users of that product find meets all of their expectations. Anything less destroys the reputation of the producer.”

We couldn’t have said that better.

Project of the Week: Salsa Bottle 

And finally, a fun project we saw on social media from Design Engine, a company that delivers "high-impact courses for 3D Professionals, industrial designers, mechanical engineers, draftsmen, mechanics, and game designers alike." 

Hot sauce bottle, created using “freestyle surfaces that come with Creo.” courtesy Design Engine.

Get Designing

Ready to design your masterpiece? Try out the latest version of Creo! Design smart, connected products and capitalize on new technologies such as additive manufacturing and augmented reality. Visit our Creo 4.0 page for more information.