Step by Step to the finished Product
Why good Industrial Design determines success or failure.
Successful product design determines whether a product excites users, gets used regularly, and holds its own in the market. But design is more than just a pretty shell. It influences how intuitively a product works, how pleasant it feels to use, and whether it stands the test of time.
Good industrial design builds trust and increases user acceptance. Products that are intuitive to use offer a better user experience and strengthen brand identification. Companies that integrate design early into their product strategy benefit not only from a stronger market position, but also from more satisfied customers.
Your benefits with Projekter.
What do we do differently?
With over 20 years of experience and more than 800 designed products, we have continuously refined our process to ensure short development times, lower costs, and outstanding results. Our work is defined by a holistic approach: from the first idea to series production, we rely on sustainable processes and technologies in product design.
Sustainability is not just a buzzword, it's an integral part of every development step, from material selection and manufacturing through to the product's eventual use and disposal.
A crucial foundation of our success is the close collaboration with you as our client. Through regular check-ins and transparent communication, we ensure that your ideas and requirements are at the center of everything from the very beginning.
Your feedback flows continuously into the development process to align the outcome as closely as possible with your wishes and the needs of your target audience. Together, we create products that not only convince functionally and aesthetically, but also set benchmarks and shape trends.
Our design processes are well thought-out, structured, and practice-oriented. Every step is geared toward achieving the best possible result.
We focus on the essentials
Analysis of technical requirements and market conditions for a well-founded product strategy.
Detailed analysis of user needs for intuitive usability.
Joint definition of goals and milestones for a structured process.
Creative concepts focused on brand conformity, ergonomics, and usability.
Development of physical or digital models for initial usability tests.
Optimizing the design for cost-effective production without compromising aesthetics
Design and detailing for seamless production.
Validation of ergonomics, durability and production processes.
Support during the transition to series manufacturing with a focus on quality assurance.
Once again this Year, we have Reason to celebrate.
How we develop functional Products based on User Needs.
Successful product design doesn't start with the look, but with the people who will use it. What are their requirements? Which problems is the product intended to solve?
Through detailed analysis, interviews, and observations, we ensure that we identify real user needs, rather than relying on assumptions. This helps us to develop solutions that are not only visually convincing, but also really make people's everyday lives easier.
Products should adapt to people - not the other way around. A tool that feels natural in the hand, a display that can be operated without thinking, a device that is immediately understandable without reading a manual. These are the demands of modern product design.
To achieve this, we rely on clear forms, an intuitive operating structure and ergonomic concepts that focus on the user. The result is products that can be easily integrated into everyday life.
In the end, the user decides. Always.
Professional product design plays a decisive role in the success of a company. It's not just about the external appearance, but about a holistic combination of aesthetics, functionality, and usability.
Well thought-out design improves the handling of a product and ensures that customers can use it intuitively. A clear and ergonomic design reduces frustration, increases satisfaction, and leads to stronger customer loyalty.
Companies that use design strategically can position themselves as market leaders and secure long-term competitive advantages.
And we're happy to answer them.
Functional product design combines aesthetics with practical usability. It ensures that products not only look good, but are also intuitive to operate, ergonomic, and durable.
Technical requirements, ergonomics, user guidance, and material properties are combined in a way that keeps function at the forefront. A functionally designed product reduces operating errors, improves the user experience, and enables cost-effective manufacturing. The goal is a product that performs reliably both technically and in everyday use.
Want to learn more about this topic? Read our full knowledge article: What is Product Design?
Not at all!
It is in fact a decisive success factor with concrete economic benefits. Appealing industrial design creates emotional connections with consumers and increases their willingness to pay, as Apple impressively demonstrates.
These higher margins more than compensate for the initial design investment. Good design also improves functionality and the user experience. Products become more intuitive to use, which reduces support costs and increases customer satisfaction. In saturated markets, design becomes the decisive differentiating factor.
Companies like Dyson have created unmistakable brand identities through their design language. Last but not least, aesthetically pleasing products are used for longer and treated with greater care, which conserves resources and strengthens customer loyalty.
Aesthetics is therefore not an optional embellishment, but a strategic investment that boosts sales figures, brand loyalty, and long-term business success.
Functional product design not only improves usability, but also reduces development and production costs.
Through clear functional definitions, efficient engineering, and ergonomic design, products are created that are less prone to errors and achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction.
Companies also benefit from fewer complaints, higher safety standards, and a more stable market position, as functional products tend to be more sustainable and longer-lasting.
Functional product design is especially valuable in industries where efficiency, safety, and clear usability are critical. These include medical technology, mechanical engineering, power tools, industrial equipment, sports and rehabilitation equipment, as well as consumer electronics.
In all of these areas, functional design ensures that products operate more precisely, are easier to use, and deliver reliable results in real-world applications.
Aesthetic design focuses on visual impact and brand recognition, while functional design prioritizes technical, ergonomic, and user-relevant performance.
Ideally, both disciplines complement each other: function defines the requirements, and form conveys clarity, usability, and a sense of quality.
Projekter unites these two perspectives, ensuring that products both work well and look compelling.
Our Industrial Design Agency combines over 20 years of industry experience with three decisive pillars: genuine user-centricity, integration of sustainability, and consistent feasibility. While other agencies often stop at appealing visualizations, we develop product designs that are actually realizable.
We integrate circular design and resource-efficient manufacturing processes from the very beginning of the design process. Our understanding of production technologies and materials science guarantees that every concept is implementable. No pretty pictures without substance.
The combination of technical know-how, manufacturing-oriented design, and user-centered methodology creates products that not only convince aesthetically and functionally, but are also efficiently producible. We bridge the gap between visionary design and practical implementation. That is our decisive advantage.
The biggest pitfalls in product design arise from a lack of user understanding. Many designers create from an internal perspective rather than from the user's point of view.
The result: aesthetically appealing but impractical products. Another mistake is ignoring user feedback in the early stages of development. If testing only takes place after the production phase, changes become costly and time-consuming. Neglecting accessibility also unnecessarily limits the potential user group.
As a successful design agency, we avoid these pitfalls through:
1. Early and continuous user research with structured interviews
2. Iterative prototyping with regular user tests
3. Close collaboration between designers, developers, and stakeholders
4. Implementation of design systems for a consistent user experience
5. Integration of accessibility as a core principle, not as an afterthought
This systematic approach leads to products that not only look good, but also effectively solve real user problems.
The duration of a product development process depends on the complexity, scope of functions, and required validation stages. A simple consumer product can be developed within a few weeks, while technical or safety-critical products may take several months or longer.
What is crucial is that functional requirements are defined early and iterative tests are planned in from the start. Through structured processes, CAD development, and rapid prototyping, development times can be significantly reduced.
At Projekter, we establish clear project phases so that effort, timeline, and risks remain transparent at all times, allowing products to reach market readiness efficiently and quickly.
Product design focuses on shaping a product from the user's perspective: How does it feel? How intuitive is it to operate? How does the form come across? The emphasis is on usability, aesthetics, and the emotional connection between the product and the user.
Industrial design, on the other hand, also takes into account the technical and manufacturing-specific requirements of a product. It combines function, ergonomics, material selection, and manufacturability with the design ambition. While product design tends to be more creatively oriented, industrial design is deeply rooted in technical processes, manufacturing techniques, and series production.
In practice, the two fields overlap significantly. Product design shapes the what, industrial design optimizes the how: how the product functions, how it is manufactured, and how it performs reliably in real-world use.
Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read our full knowledge article: Industrial Design vs. Product Design - What's the Difference?
A small selection of projects that are not ordinary even for us.
