Product Development: The steps involved to make something great.

This post takes a turn from my usual green audio / visual ideas. I will be discussing product development from the initial sketch to the final product. I will use the automotive world as an example. However, most of these steps are involved in creating any product; even electronics.

It all starts with an idea. It’s an artist’s job to translate his vision of a product onto paper. This is the initial sketch. The image to the left is a sketch of the Cadillac CTS Coupe before production. If the sketch intrigues the right people on the development team, a clay model will be crafted. Clay models allow the designers to get all the creases and curves just right. What once was just an idea is now a full size model.

Now it’s time to create a rolling concept car to display at auto shows. Concept cars create buzz for automakers and they get people excited about future products. I can break concept cars down into two categories: one is a radical design project that will offer hints at the future design language of the entire brand and the other is a design that will closely resemble a specific future production vehicle.

The concept phase of a vehicle is the time that engineers at the auto manufacturer really work their magic. While the concept is in the public eye at auto shows, the engineers are spending millions of dollars in research and development to ensure that the vehicle will be perfect when it is time to put it into production. They work on the aerodynamics, the electronics, and the interior materials. When the vehicle is nearing production, crash testing takes place to ensure safety. Years after the initial sketch, the vehicle is ready to be sold. The picture to the right shows the final production version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe.