When designing a product, it is important to take the time to plan before you start building prototypes because the product can become complex. At this stage, the product roadmap should be clear. When sellers finally approach manufacturers or start looking for materials, it is easy to get lost in the subsequent steps if you don’t have a concrete idea of the design of the product and its functions. You can use hand-drawn sketches to depict the product at the beginning. The sketch should be as detailed as possible and have labels explaining the various features and functions.
Conceptual design does not require professional drawings, but mainly conceptual plans. Conceptual plans will not be submitted to manufacturers at this stage. However, if sellers are not sure that they can make clear and easy-to-understand diagrams to represent the product, they should find a product design company or product designer to brainstorm together to conceive the product so that the designer can have better ideas. Design companies and designers can use diagrams to create products with different functions or materials to achieve the ideal product design. The diagram does not need to include all potential functions, but it should allow you to start planning the basic content needed to create the product. For example, a drawing of a shoe design can be accompanied by the following list: upper, midsole, sole, midsole, heel, front core, front plate, shank, heel cover, moon core, shoe edge.
In addition to components, you should also start thinking about the retail price and category of your product: is it an everyday item or a specialty item, and does it use premium materials or environmentally friendly materials? These are all things to consider during the planning and design phase, which will guide not only the product development process but also brand positioning and marketing strategies. Before moving on to the sourcing and costing phases, you should also consider the packaging, labeling, and overall quality of the materials. These will impact how you market your product to your target customers. Having a clear product roadmap can help ensure you’re on track to get your product to market.