How to Find the Best Invention Design Services Company

You’ve got a great invention idea – now what? The next step is turning that idea into a real, tangible product. The best way forward is to find the right invention design services company. In this guide, our Florida invention design team will walk through everything you need to know to choose the right company to work with.

What are Invention Design Services?

Invention design services are professional solutions that help inventors turn their ideas into real, functional products. The process includes everything from initial concept development and 3D modeling to prototyping, patent assistance, and design for manufacturing. These services are an important part of the product development process.

Invention design services are necessary when you have an idea but lack the technical knowledge or resources to develop it on your own. Whether you are an independent inventor, a startup, or a business looking to innovate, these services can help bring clarity to your idea, improve your chances of getting a patent, help you build a prototype and ensure your product is feasible to manufacture.

Key Factors to Look for in an Invention Design Company

Choosing a firm to design your product can have significant implications.  How a project is designed and engineered in the early stages can affect costs, performance, and quality throughout the product lifecycle. Finding the right invention design company is more than just comparing prices or picking the top search result. A great partner will understand your vision and have the technical skills, experience, and resources to help you bring your product to life. Before deciding on a firm, here are some important factors to consider:

Does the Invention Design Services Firm Offer One-Stop-Shop Capabilities?

It’s important to find a firm that can cover all aspects of your product development needs to ensure the process is seamless and cohesive. Ideally, it’s best to work with a company that can help you with the entire process – from early concept generation through production – and every step in between.

Considerations: some companies outsource parts of their design process, which can lead to delays, communication issues, or quality concerns. The more in-house expertise, the better control you’ll have over the timelines and quality.

Idea idealization

Does the Company Have a Portfolio to Review Their Past Work?

Client testimonials are a fantastic way to determine the caliber of a product design firm, but nothing beats the ability to review a company’s actual portfolio of work.

When you’re researching engineering firms to engage for your product design needs, check out their product design and development work portfolio so you can see for yourself what work they’ve done in the past, and what kind of companies they’ve worked for.

As you review the portfolio, note the variety of products they’ve worked on. Look for a design firm with proven experience working on products similar to yours or within your industry.

Product designs

Great Designers Harness the Power of Modern Technology

While the right solution isn’t always the most “techy,” designers should know about cutting-edge industry technology and how to put it to work. For example, do they use rapid prototyping?

For any project, there will come a time when a diverse set of skills and expertise are needed during a certain stage of the process. As such, an engineering firm partner should have advanced skills in multiple areas of product design.

Does the firm have experienced design engineers, analysts, and manufacturing engineers among their resources to help during the product development process? Be sure to deeply research the expertise in the firm’s organization to understand who will be working on your project.

Rapid Prototyping

Does the company offer IP Protection?

Your idea is valuable. It’s important to protect it from day one. Look for a company that is willing to sign a  Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), has clear IP ownership terms in the contract, and guidance on working with patents.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

1. What is your process from idea to prototype?
2. Can you share an example of similar work?
3. How do you handle patent support?
4. What is your timeline and what is included in the cost?

Ready to Hire a Product Design Agency?

If you want to create products that people can’t live without, you need a great product design agency on your side. Don’t have the product design know-how and tools in-house? This list by our Florida invention design services team should help get you started on how to pick the right firm.

If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO and visit our website to find out more. Feel free to give us a call at +1 (888) 806-6256 (MAKO) and we can set you up on a call with our product analyst!