Durability is one of many categories to consider when your team is developing a new product. For many products, it’s right up there with production cost, ergonomics, and functionality in terms of importance. But it can be tricky to get ruggedization right because the definition of ‘rugged’ is different depending on the user and the application. The product needs to withstand use in harsh environments. Or the product may need to be impact-resistant, incorporating rugged electronics. In some cases, the product needs to resist extreme temperatures and high pressure. Rugged USB-C-to-Ethernet Adapt ..read more

Updated 8/1/22 Prototypes serve an important role for companies developing new products. When developed and used properly, prototypes can speed up development, test assumptions, and reduce overall development risk. But how much does it cost to prototype a product? A few common scenarios: Common Scenario Typical Range ($) A prototype of an IoT device for use in a crowdfunding video, not optimized for production $40k – $250k A prototype of a large industrial equipment product suitable for customers to use at a trade show, but without optimization for manufacturing at scale $150k – $400 ..read more

From the smartphone in your pocket to the vehicle you drive, great products don’t just happen. They require more than an advanced technical skillset or a team of talented developers. A great product requires thoughtful consideration of its end-user. This is where the user experience and user interface design come in. UX, or user experience, is defined as how a user interacts with and experiences a product. It includes a person’s perceptions of utility, ease of use, and efficiency. It also plays a critical role in product development. UX designers are a crucial part of the process, as they are ..read more

The market for connected products and IoT devices continues to grow. Products from coffee makers to sporting goods are now connected to the web. This means development teams have to run not only mechanical and electronics engineering in parallel, but firmware development as well. However, firmware engineering is complex — and presents many potential risks related to programming for advanced feature sets. This can drive uncertainty in product development projects. In fact, budget and timeline misses are driven by firmware problems more frequently than by electrical engineering or mechanical eng ..read more

We’ve come a long way since our company’s inception in 2008. What started with three co-founders and a Rolodex has evolved into an award-winning firm housing an 18-member team of talented engineers and product development experts. Our service offerings have expanded and the number of clients we’ve served has grown exponentially. Along the way, we’ve faced some challenges, but also learned invaluable lessons — about leadership, finding good people, and how to best measure success. In a recent episode of The BigTime Podcast, SGW Designworks CEO Ryan Gray talks with host Alexander Ferguson about ..read more

Since 1950, many of the world’s most well-designed products have been recognized by the GOOD DESIGN® Awards. This is the world’s oldest design awards program — described as “the most sought-after international seal of outstanding design quality.” GOOD DESIGN marks its 71st year in 2021, and, for the second consecutive year, we are pleased to announce that a product designed by SGW Designworks has received this prestigious award.  The 2021 Good Design Award Goes To… Meet the Swoopy 3C Rugged, designed for our sister company Portsmith, which won the Good Design Award in the program’s Electr ..read more

Since its publishing in 2011, Eric Ries’s bestselling book The Lean Startup (along with its principles, like the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop) has ushered in an entrepreneurial revolution. We certainly felt its impact. Our company, SGW Designworks, was one of many featured in the book, a mention which understandably gave our business a boost in its formative years.  Eric Ries’s book was nothing short of groundbreaking for many startups. But while we may frequently hear about the Lean Startup’s impact on newly minted companies, its principles have been invaluable to SGW as we evolved ..read more

“Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” – Michael Scott, The Office Plenty of TV-famous bosses believe they truly know how to motivate their team — or how to improve company culture — yet we laugh and scratch our heads at their blunders. Cringe-worthy leaders exist in real life, too — only their gaffes aren’t as funny in real time, at the workplace. How about at your organization? Do individuals in leadership roles inspire and excite their team(s) — or are employees discouraged and unmotivated? How do its leaders handle themselves ..read more

Does your company culture need a reboot? Continue reading for part one of our Conversations on Culture Series, in which we explore the reasons why a product development firm’s culture is so important and why we decided it was time to make a change. A thriving workplace environment is critical to morale (and the bottom line), but improving company culture requires more than holding Office Olympics (à la Dunder Mifflin) or designating Hawaiian shirt Fridays (nod to Office Space). These are fictional examples, but plenty of leaders attempt to improve company culture in similarly creative, yet i ..read more

“Good design is the most important way to differentiate ourselves from our competitors.” —Former Samsung CEO Yun Jong Yong At SGW Designworks, our philosophy is much the same — we won’t settle for mediocrity when it comes to the product development work we do for our clients. (We even won an award in 2020 that recognized such “good design.”) However, most firms make a similar claim: they value good design and believe this distinguishes them from their competitors. So, in a landscape where all firms make this their specialty, how is an organization to select the best partner for their project ..read more