5D design was founded on the belief that product design consumes more than the 3D physical  dimensions of X, Y and Z.  There are two more important dimensions in product design … Time and Money.  Successful product design requires all 5 dimensions to drive a first-rate product development process from concept to launch - and more importantly, to drive revenue growth and profitability.
 
In today’s world of product development, it’s common to hear phrases like “design for manufacturing and assembly” (DFMA) or “top down design.”  But, not many companies speak in terms of designing for flexibility and multiple platforms.  In most cases, engineers and designers do not get the opportunity to consider downstream design variations.  Teams are often forced to focus solely on the finish line known as the production launch due to budget and time-line constraints.

How many times have successful products been the genesis for subsequent designs, the so-called family product line?  How many companies have gone back to square one to develop variations that were not identified in the first design cycle?  Not planning for future products during the early stages of the product design cycle makes incurring the additional expenses of Time and Money unavoidable. Herein lays the premise for “Designing for Flexibility.”

At 5D design, we challenge the process of product development by asking several key questions:

        “What if subtle changes to the product could fill the needs of another market?”

        “What if we could anticipate those needs in the first design cycle and expedite future
         development efforts, thereby reducing costs?”

“Designing for Flexibility” entails identifying market differentiation early in the process and incorporating some degree of intuitive speculation - this is the cornerstone of our work. We believe that the importance of “Designing for Flexibility” cannot be overstated. Product variation has been a driving force in the world economy for decades and will continue to be an undeniable competitive advantage for companies that are up against a global marketplace.  As Henry Ford once said, “The customer can have any color he wants so long as it’s black.”  How long did that last?

5D design, llc… helping to get your ideas from that napkin sketch to your customer’s hands.