Inventing and Design is a process. It starts with a problem and moves through concept development, evaluation, refinement and final product validation. Our first article in this design series starts with the "problem" and its subsequent research. This next article will detail how to evaluate your criteria list and create concepts for function variation.

Concepts

Sometimes just brainstorming for an hour can reap massive benefits by finding more efficient ways to design your invention. Write down, sketch or use a 3D program to evaluate every single nuance of the design criteria.

Some questions to ask of your invention are:

What does your invention do? How does it work? What will it look like? How do you hold it? What does it feel like? Does it do anything else? Why is this better than other products on the market? How will you market this? Does that change the design? How much will it cost? And so on…

All of your concepts should retain a similar function but cover enough variation to help you reach your final product design.

Using our example of Corg , we had two functions that needed to be realized. We also had various solutions to accomplish this:

Cord Management - Use a soft and/or flexible material to securely hold a variety of cords and wires, using foam, rubber or bristles to do so.

Usage - Must have a rigid structure capable of attaching to desk or entertainment center using adhesive, suction cup or screws.

                      Concept 1                                            Concept 2                                                      Concept 3

                                     Plastic Casing                         Plastic Casing                        Plastic Casing
                                     Foam Center                            Mirrored Halves                      Foam Base
                                     Split Middle                               Snaps Together                     Rubber Strap
                                    Adhesive Backing                    Suction Cup                            Adhesive Foot
                                    Labeling Area                           Labeling Area
                                                                                         Branding    

These similar, yet varied concepts obviously have different pro’s and con’s which must be evaluated before pursuing prototypes or manufacturing. Concepts allow you to brainstorm your invention's application, streamline the design for the most effective and efficient final product and this ultimately saves you time and money. Pursuing every avenue in the beginning of the design phase prevents future problems that you neglected to consider.

Resources
SketchUp Article
SketchUp PDF tutorial
SketchUp Travel Mug VirtuType™ example

Next - Look for our next article on evaluating concepts to determine your final product design.

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