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Physical Product Design Projects

Have a look at some of the products I've worked on over the years, and how the development process I used is transferrable to user experience design...
In 8 steps.

Industrial Product Design

Project Management

User Research & Testing

EMPLOYER

Joseph Joseph, an innovative London-based kitchenware company

SCOPE
Over 75 products developed in 6.5 years

MY ROLE

As a Product Design Manager, I worked across three launch seasons at any given time by conducting research to identify innovative opportunities for new products, translating those into briefs, and working closely with external design agencies to bring designs to life. From concept sketches through to mass production, I managed the entire product life-cycle.

TOOLS

Solidworks, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Keyshot, Miro, Google Suite, Microsoft Office, 3D printer, studio workshop, test kitchen

1

UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDER REQUIREMENTS

Part of my role was to understand the sales data of the product categories I was responsible for. By identifying best-selling products and recognising underperforming items that required refreshing or removal, I helped the company stay one step ahead in their product roadmap, ensuring our pipeline of products remained relevant, competitive and aligned with consumer demands to drive business growth.

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For example, identifying that sales were down on the company's existing vegetable peelers, in part due to high retail prices, I set out to launch a new range of cost-efficient peelers in collaboration with Luke Gray.

2

USER RESEARCH KICKS OFF EVERY PROJECT

It was common to conduct observational user testing with our existing products as well as competitor products to talk through actions, thoughts and frustrations. Similarly, I produced product surveys and conducted user interviews all with the aim of uncovering pain points and design opportunities at the start of every project.

A great example is when I was working on the Multi-Prep Salad Spinner: as uncovered by a survey, the most common reason for not owning a salad spinner was storage space, but through one-on-one interviews it was discovered that if the spinner had additional functionality, people would consider making room in their cupboard for it.

I worked with design agency Tone to develop a salad spinner that also grated, sliced and spiralised - a 4.4* product on Amazon with nearly 1k reviews.

3

EXPLORING THE LANDSCAPE THROUGH COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Essential to developing any product, it was key to get an understanding of the market landscape in terms of unique selling points, price points and brand positioning in order to ensure Joseph Joseph products stood out.

Following from the salad spinner example above, I looked to existing 'do-it-all' products on the market to get inspiration. These were riddled with terrible reviews due to cheap quality and an attempt to do too many things without doing any well - another great opportunity for us to develop something simple yet super-functional, at a fair price point.

4

ITERATING, ITERATING, & MORE ITERATING

Whether working on a physical or digital design, it is never right on the first go. Through continual testing and prototyping (see step 5!), every design iteration gets closer to the final solution, where intuitive functionality and striking aesthetics come together in a fully-considered package.

Working with kitchenware products, the functionality always came first and was where iterative design helped to unlock the solution by fine-tuning details that considered efficiency, safety, product strength and longevity, cleanability, and everything else in between.

The journey from lo-fi mock-ups to hi-fi 3D-printed functional prototypes gave way to the PeelStore peeler (in collaboration with Luke Gray).

5

PROTOTYPE, TEST, ITERATE & REPEAT

Testing goes hand-in-hand with iteration (arguably, there would be no iterating without continual testing).

At every prototype stage, I would conduct multiple layers of testing: safety testing to ensure the product was fit for use, functionality testing to ensure the product worked as intended and was efficient (often benchmarked against competitors), and usability testing to ensure average users understood how to use the product correctly and to get an idea of their perception of the solution.

Additionally, production sample and quality control testing was essential in order to launch a good product. This included food safety, microwave, and dishwasher testing. Basically: a lot of testing!

Testing an early citrus-press prototype, designed by Luke Gray, and comparing its efficiency to top-rated competitor samples by measuring the amount of juice extracted from a fixed set of lemons/limes.

6

DESIGN DOCUMENTATION & COMMUNICATION

Once a design was nearly complete (because there is always room for a little bit more iteration), clear and concise communication of the design to manufacturing partners was essential in getting the product into mass production.

This involved creating detailed technical specification packages that communicated the design intent and the final outcome, such as critical dimensions, colour and material specifications and functional requirements. This phase involved close collaboration with suppliers to navigate manufacturing capabilities and limitations while maintaining design flexibility.

7

VISUAL DESIGN & AESTHETICS

Maintaining a cohesive design language across a product range was essential, especially when different external designers were contributing to different projects. It was my responsibility to uphold the brand's visual identity and ensure consistency from product to product, leveraging my expertise in colour theory, material usage, form and finish.

This attention to detail, right down to the logo treatment, communicates a strong and recognisable brand that users can connect with.

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The Spring/Summer 2021 gadget range presents a colourful and cohesive family of products tied together by shared aesthetic treatments, while also sitting comfortably within the wider product range.

8

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

At Joseph Joseph, the ability to craft a compelling narrative was a vital tool in bringing innovative products to life. I played a key role in telling the story behind each idea of my products, identifying pain points and illustrating the need for the product.

Regular concept reviews provided an opportunity to showcase the evolving designs and communicate the rationale behind my design decisions to the wider team. These sessions served not only as a valuable source of fresh perspectives and constructive input, but also as a critical checkpoint for the product's development. If the team was not convinced by the story, it could result in the premature end to its development.

Beyond concept reviews, the storytelling tool was invaluable in effectively communicating the benefits and unique selling points of new products to end users, bolstering the value proposition of the brand.

Sometimes it's just a matter of shifting perspective to unlock a story that resonates. This product design by Ben King was initially pitched as a salad spinner, and had weak reception from the wider design team. When I repositioned it as a colander that could drain foods more efficiently, it took off and is now an Amazon Choice product.

FINAL FUN FACT...

There is plenty of overlap between digital and physical product design. One thing is for certain, they both touch all of us in our daily lives.

Even royals. (That's me, showing Princess Anne how to fry an egg in an innovative way in Joseph Joseph's test kitchen.)