How to Concept Ideas for Innovation

December 19, 2024By Kim Porter
In the competitive world of product development, the ability to generate, refine, and select ideas is critical to creating successful and innovative products. A structured approach can help teams move from a vast pool of concepts to the top three best ideas, ready for implementation. Here, we explore the best practices for ideating, converging, and [...]

Early Simulations in Product Development

December 5, 2024By Kim Porter
In today’s new product development, the margin for error is razor-thin. Companies must deliver high-quality products while meeting timelines and controlling costs. A critical tool that enables this balance is early-stage simulations, which allow engineers to predict how products will perform under real-world conditions before physical prototypes are built. By incorporating techniques like Computational Fluid [...]

Proof of Concept Prototypes Help Make Great Products

October 18, 2024By Kim Porter
In the competitive world of product engineering, turning ideas into reality requires more than just a great concept and technical expertise. Product development is an iterative process, and one of the most critical steps is building Proof of Concept (PoC) prototypes. These early-stage prototypes play a vital role in validating ideas, reducing risks, and ensuring [...]

Unlocking Success: How Market Understanding and Consumer Insights Ensure Good Products

September 19, 2024By Kim Porter
In today’s fast-paced business environment, launching a product is much more than just coming up with an innovative idea. It’s about understanding the market landscape and deeply aligning with consumer preferences. The most brilliant product ideas can fail if they don’t resonate with the needs and desires of their target audience. This is where understanding [...]

The Crucial Role of Requirements in Engineering Design

August 22, 2024By Kim Porter
In the realm of engineering, the foundation of every successful project lies in the requirements. These are the clear, detailed, and actionable statements that describe what a product should do. Good requirements are the bedrock upon which strong engineering designs are built. Here’s why well-defined requirements are essential for creating effective and innovative engineering solutions: [...]

The Importance of Strategic Thinking in Product Development and Engineering

July 18, 2024By Kim Porter
Strategic thinking is the cornerstone of successful product development and engineering. It involves the systematic planning, assessment, and execution of actions that align with long-term goals and visions. Here’s why strategic thinking is indispensable in these fields: 1. Vision Alignment and Goal Setting Strategic thinking helps in setting a clear vision for product development. By [...]

Things I’ve Learned Leading and Transforming Engineering Teams

June 8, 2024By Kim Porter
Leadership is both an art and a science, particularly when it comes to guiding engineering teams. Over the years, I’ve gathered a wealth of experience and insights on what it takes to not only lead but also transform engineering teams into high-performing, cohesive units. Here are the key lessons I’ve learned: 1. Building Trust Observing, [...]

When is it time to let go in product development?

May 31, 2022By Kim Porter
HatchOne recently had to let go of a product development project, not because we didn’t believe in the product but because the business objectives no longer showed success. This blog highlights the importance of understanding when a great idea might not make it to market. It's important to keep your eyes wide open and always [...]

24 Hours of Design

April 22, 2022By Kim Porter
People are often amused at what designers observe as they go through their days. We’re often asked for opinions like, “what vacuum should I buy?” This blog is a list of design observations throughout a 24-hour period. Have fun guessing what the products are and why we might be curious about them. Airport (mostly) water [...]

Slam Dunk Design: NCAA Tournament Showcases Final Four Design Details

March 24, 2022By Kim Porter
A perspective on some of The Final Four designs - Basketball Shoes, Commercials, ESPN TC App, Hair HatchOne got deep into March Madness this year. It makes a huge difference on fan intensity when you’ve filled out a bracket. Without one, you’re curious about the upsets. With one, you’re fanatically cheering for your picks whether [...]

Engineers that Write

February 28, 2022By Kim Porter
Engineers that write well bring a skillset to a team that’s woefully overlooked. HatchOne is helping a startup understand, align and write product documentation from first Design Brief and R&D documents to critical Engineering Specifications.  It is reminding me how critical clear, concise writing is for successful product development. Process and Documentation   Defining and documenting [...]

The Power of Rapid Prototypes

January 24, 2022By Kim Porter
Is it better to do analyses in CAD or to build quick and rough breadboard prototypes to test, evaluate and confirm concepts? HatchOne has recently been pushing rapid breadboard testing in lieu of CAD, CFD and other analyses.  “A picture is worth a thousand words, a part is worth a thousand pictures.” - someone at [...]

How to Sketch for Communication

December 27, 2021By Kim Porter
There have been a number of requests to share a “How to Sketch” blog.  Inspired by Brian Baker’s recent LinkedIn post about measuring and sketching, I figured it was about time to share how I learned this skill set. I’ve painted my whole life, starting with paint-by-numbers when I was young.  The first one was [...]

10 Insights on Being an Entrepreneur

November 22, 2021By Kim Porter
HatchOne specializes in getting products to market - especially entrepreneurial product ventures.  Recently a lot more of our inquiries are startups and smaller companies looking for guidance on launching their first products. Over the years we’ve accumulated a go-to list of insights on launching products.  Below are our Top 10. Getting a product to market [...]

Product Review – Oatmeal in a Box

October 25, 2021By Kim Porter
HatchOne’s latest product review is Picky Bars Performance Oatmeal. Picky Oats is not only a tasty, protein packed nutritious meal — it comes in a clever flat pop-up cup for steeping and eating.  A perfect solution for backpacking, camping and a meal on the run. Packaging   The packaging is a clever multifunction design.  Graphics are [...]

Product Review – Dyson Air Purifier

September 28, 2021By Kim Porter
HatchOne is constantly reviewing products, and when we recently purchased a Dyson HP07 Air Purifier, we knew we had to write a review.  The HP07 is an exceptional product — from the unboxing experience, to the app download, to the setting up and running.  Unboxing   The HP07 Purifier was shipped in its original product packaging.  [...]

Cross-Pollinating Innovation

August 26, 2021By Kim Porter
HatchOne is currently collaborating with another product development company. During a recent brainstorm, we realized the innovation value that Hatch One adds because of our involvement on such varied products. Product development innovation is accelerated by the creative opportunities individual projects bring to the table. I read one of my favorite books on innovation (Managing [...]

Visualize, Sketch, CAD

July 19, 2021By Kim Porter
HatchOne utilizes sketches early to share concepts and build consensus. The ability to visualize — and then communicate — what is in your brain to paper (or screen) is key to early product success. Product innovation begins with a clear problem statement that catalyzes concept solutions. Getting visualized concepts from your brain to paper is [...]