Seth has over two decades of experience in consumer product design and development, and a passion for creating groundbreaking solutions to complex user challenges. Not only is he adept at identifying untapped opportunities that support business strategy, but he’s also the expert with the proven and repeatable roadmap to turn a great idea into a tangible outcome. Here’s what he says about corporate product innovation and what that process looks like.
What are corporations most often looking for when they approach a partner like Kickr?
We usually see one of these three primary need situations:
- They need more manpower: They require additional personnel because their team is already overextended (e.g., they already have a Mechanical Engineering (ME) team and need 1-3 additional MEs to support a particular phase of the project).
- They need our professional skills: They need a skillset they don’t have in-house (e.g., that same team of MEs may need some Electrical Engineering (EE) help), but aren’t ready for a full-time employee.
- They need a hybrid solution: This might be a team that is not strong in either the front end or back end of development and need our assistance on the front end with blue sky brainstorming (identifying opportunities and solutions to tough challenges), early R&D investigation of advanced technology or processes, or the heavy detail work on the back end (including working with manufacturers) to get the product launched.
Where do you see large corporations typically getting stuck in the innovation process, and how does Kickr help them get unstuck?
Publicly traded corporations often struggle to identify new opportunities and act on them. Those risky/challenging ideas usually get shelved for easier projects. Because they’re risk-averse, if the solution doesn’t seem easy, they shift to creating products they’ve done before to reduce the odds of failing in development.
Kickr can be that early front-end team that takes on high-risk projects without diverting its dedicated team from safe bets. Our team can generate a Proof of Concept prototype to prove the feasibility of the “tricky” part. Once that’s all resolved and leadership sees a working demo, those projects gain momentum, and enthusiasm builds internally.
How does Kickr’s more agile structure give an advantage when working with big corporate teams?
This is primarily highlighted on the front end of projects. Kickr can avoid being bogged down by corporate red tape and daily meetings, focusing purely on brainstorming, ideation, application, and more.
What are some common gaps you’ve seen in corporate product development, and how can Kickr fill them?
It’s usually a knowledge gap and a lack of required in-house skills. Many corporations that produce basic products want to enter the IoT market, but lack the necessary Electrical Engineering (EE) and Firmware (FW) background. They’re unaware of the specific disciplines needed or how to implement new materials and manufacturing methods. Kickr Design brings its extensive EE and FW expertise to every project, bringing ideas to life.
How do you balance “blue-sky creativity” with the realities of corporate manufacturing, budgets, and timelines?
Creative lateral thinkers who already have in-depth experience with typical corporate constraints can really bridge the gap. They can predict the pitfalls and risks because they’ve done it all before.
But the truth is, that’s rare. More commonly, you build teams of “Poets and Plumbers,” pairing the wild thinkers with the practical doers who have corporate experience. It creates a harmony that can still get the same results.
I often say, “Show me the water,” meaning, show me the problem you’re trying to solve. Rather than telling me to build a bridge, show me the water. If you need to cross the water only once, we can create a simple float. It’s fast and more cost-effective than a bridge.
That’s the key to lateral thinking. We often find that the solution differs from what the client thinks it is when we start with the problem to solve and aren’t married to a single idea.
What do you wish more corporations knew about working with a partner like Kickr?
There’s an unnecessary divide in the industry that categorizes partners like ours into two distinct groups: you’re either lean and affordable, which implies inexperience, or proficient and experienced, which suggests only deeper pockets can sign on.
The truth is, Kickr is both! We run “scrappy” and lean, but with a depth of experience and a broad range of expertise that sets us apart from other firms of a similar size.
I’d also like the corporations in the Southeast to know we’re geographically nearby. This can be particularly helpful for physical product development when we can collaborate with them in person, although that’s not required for every project.
Learn more about how Kickr Design works seamlessly with corporations to bring innovative ideas to life here.