With a new decade and year commencing, people all around the world are getting ready to set their goals and come up with plans to ensure they see their intentions through to fruition. As with every new year, we see a notable amount of people who become motivated to start their own business or invent a novel product that will revolutionize a particular market.
Creating an invention can be a daunting and seemingly difficult task without a clear first step. With a vast array of competition and a large variety of different products already out there, it may be hard to gain product inspiration that will turn into a brilliant invention and stand out to consumers.
As a leading product development firm, we are constantly analyzing the newest trends and development strategies used within the product market at MAKO Design + Invent. We strive to pinpoint which newly developed products are popular and occupying leading positions in the market.
We understand how hard it can be to come up with a fresh idea. So, we have compiled a few of the best methods that MAKO’s strategy team effectively employs to gain product inspiration for your newest and best invention yet!
Gain Product Inspiration By Observing Your Environment
One of the best ways to find product inspiration is to observe your surroundings! A lot of inventors and business owners assume that success is only achieved if it is accomplished on an international scale rather than in their own local area.
It’s beneficial for every business to have its eyes set on large goals, including reaching out to international markets. However, starting out by establishing a strong and successful reputation within a local market is best so you can ensure your business has a solid foundation before expanding to more competitive and fast-paced markets overseas.
Chances are that if you can create a product with a novel design that is effective and useful to your local community, it can become just as successful and popular in other communities around the world.
Even without the luxury of having your products become famous nationwide, international success is not what defines a successful business. What is most important is having a loyal and trusted clientele base who believe in and invest in your product because of how well it works!
Try to find product inspiration by figuring out how to create a product that helps solve a major problem that is relevant to your surrounding location.
Product Inspiration Through Travel
If you have conducted several thorough analyses of pressing issues in your local area and still haven’t been able to come up with a feasible invention idea to fill the gaps, perhaps it is time to think outside of the box. Or rather, outside of your national borders. A popular method of finding product inspiration or creative inspiration for any art form is to explore the world by travelling!
Whether it’s a few states over or across an ocean, exposing yourself to the lifestyles, cultural traditions, and technologies present in foreign countries can teach you a lot about various audiences and demographics. You gain insight into what people are interested in, what their daily life revolves around, and what types of experiences they are looking for.
Through experience, you can develop an idea of what type of products or new technology people would like to see in the market. Not only does travel give you a better understanding of what people around the world are looking for, but it also opens your eyes to the different ways that other countries market their products. Often, there are incredibly clever and innovative ways people are creating a more efficient lifestyle and improved reality that you may never have come across without travelling.
In addition to gaining product inspiration for an invention that would appeal to people all over the world, travelling can serve as a form of motivation. It pushes you to observe how different markets work and affords reassurance that the market for consumer products is as lively and stimulating as ever.
Try Out a New Hobby to Gain Product Inspiration
Thousands of great products and inventions are made by people who enjoy a particular hobby and find ways that their experience can be improved. It is no surprise that people all over the world have an abundance of different interests and favoured activities that require talent, mental and physical energy, and, most importantly, money.
Sometimes, people are so passionate about their favourite pastimes that they overlook aspects that are somewhat tedious. This is where inventors come in! With so many activities and hobbies, there is an abundance of excellent opportunities to explore.
It is not enough to simply research the hobby, take it up yourself! It will give you firsthand experience as to what is lacking the most within a certain activity, so you can gain product inspiration for not just one invention but dozens! Hobbies are also a great way to create a multi-functional invention that can perform two to three tasks for the activity at once.
Find Product Inspiration by Talking to Others
Although everyone lives a unique life, one thing that makes us similar is the shared experience of experiencing frustration due to tedious daily tasks! Talking to people and learning about their experiences in their day-to-day lives can help you understand the struggles that they deal with and what they would like to see improved in their lives.
A lot of the best inventions that succeed in the product market perform a simple task that makes people’s lives easier. As such, engaging with others, especially those living in different communities or of different age groups, can shed light on what people are looking for, need, and are willing to invest in to improve their lives. You may even stumble across a neglected demographic in need of a product or service that no one offers, as Kevin Mako – our CEO and President – did in 1999.
Understanding other people’s needs and experiences will critically enable you to understand what is in demand or trending within the market, as well as what appeals to audiences the most. Not only will this help provide product inspiration to successfully create a product, but it can reveal to you the best ways to market your product to effectively reach your desired audience and consumers.
If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO here to find out more. Or feel free to give us a call at 1-888-MAKO, and we can set you up on a call with our product analyst!
About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!
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