Most design agencies focus on the early stages of product development—user needs, aesthetics, UX, and conceptual exploration. Engineering groups typically handle functionality, feasibility, and manufacturing readiness.
But here’s the problem: you need both to get a product to market.
That’s where an end-to-end product development partner like Kickr is fundamentally different. We bring the full design capability of a traditional design agency plus the engineering horsepower required to turn ideas into manufacturable, market-ready products.
Working with only a design firm will help you generate concepts, but it won’t get you to a functional prototype. Working with an engineering-only shop can bring feasibility, but without the integrated design front-end, the product’s experience falls flat.
Kickr gives you both, seamlessly integrated from day one.
Key takeaways:
- Traditional design agencies focus on creativity, aesthetics, and user experience.
- Engineering-only groups focus on feasibility, prototyping, and manufacturability.
- Kickr combines both disciplines, delivering the strategy, design, and engineering required to bring a product from idea to production.
- Integrated teams reduce risk, shorten timelines, and ensure you don’t outgrow your development partner mid-project.
What Traditional Design Agencies Do
A traditional product design agency prioritizes the front-end creative process, how a product looks, feels, and resonates with users. Their work often includes:
- Market and user research
- Opportunity exploration
- Ideation and drawing out early concepts
- Sketches, mockups, and UX design
- Visual direction and product branding
- Detailed design plans (may vary by firm)
This work is incredibly valuable, but on its own, it doesn’t create a manufacturable or functional product.
What Engineering-Only Partners Do
Engineering partners focus on how a product works and how to build it at scale. They ensure the solution is feasible, safe, functional, and manufacturable.
Engineering groups often provide:
- Mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software engineering
- Prototyping and iterative testing
- CAD and computer simulation
- Materials research and sourcing
- Manufacturing support and production documentation
- R&D and innovation services
- Quality and regulatory support
Engineering transforms concepts into reality, but when separated from design, it can result in misalignment, rework, or products that function well but lack a strong user experience.
At Kickr, You Don’t Have To Choose. You Get Both.
Kickr is not a design-only agency or an engineering-only organization; we combine the strengths of both under one roof.
Our product designers do everything traditional design agencies offer:
- UX and Visual Design
- User Needs Exploration
- Concept Development
- Market and Opportunity Research
- Detailed Design Modeling
And then our engineering team takes that work further:
- Feasibility Analysis
- Prototyping
- Testing and Refinement
- Manufacturing Support
- Advanced Computer Analysis
- Custom Electronics Development
- Firmware/Software Development
This integrated approach ensures the design phase isn’t just conceptual; it’s built with engineering realities in mind from day one, preventing the costly handoff issues that happen when design and engineering live in separate companies.
How Product Development Works at Kickr
We’re an end-to-end product development team that works with you, not just for you. We move fast, stay flexible, and stay aligned all the way to a manufacturable solution.
Discover
We dig into user needs, business goals, technical unknowns, and competitive landscape. Both designers and engineers collaborate early here to make sure opportunities and constraints are aligned.
Design
Our design team creates concepts, UX flows, and product forms, all validated with engineering input, so the vision is both compelling and feasible.
Build
We prototype, test, iterate, and derisk every assumption. Engineering leads the execution, while design stays involved to ensure the vision carries through.
Deliver
You leave with a refined, fully functional prototype and a clear path to production, plus all models, documentation, and recommendations for next steps.
Our team can plug in where you need support most, or we can handle the full journey from idea to manufacturing readiness.
Kickr Case Studies: Completed Projects
A few examples of end-to-end product development work:
- Medical Device: Salvus Diagnostic (handheld chemical and biological interferometric detector for the food industry)
- Consumer Product: Better Pot (silicone planter pots)
- Government Project: USDA Calipers (US Dept of Agriculture Skin Measurement Calipers)
- Industrial Equipment: Greenzie (software and retrofit kit for commercial lawn mowers to make them autonomous)
How To Choose the Right Product Development Partner
Instead of choosing between a design agency and an engineering firm, choose a team that can grow with your needs from early concept through manufacturing.
Here’s how to think about it:
If you’re early in your idea:
You need design AND engineering support so you don’t outgrow your first partner or have to start over.
If you already have concepts or early mockups:
You still benefit from integrated engineering and design collaboration to refine, test, and build toward a manufacturable solution.
If you want someone to handle everything:
Kickr provides fully integrated end-to-end development with the exact mix of design, R&D, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing you need.
Kickr Does It All
Kickr never forces clients into a one-size-fits-all process. We build a custom development plan with just the right combination of design, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing support.
Whether you’re starting with a sketch or ready to refine a near-final prototype, you don’t need to choose between design and engineering; you need a partner who seamlessly integrates both.
That’s the difference between working with separate agencies vs. working with Kickr.