Product Development and Marketing Relationships

Online, May 5, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Ottawa, Ontario, April 9, 2010 - For inventors and entrepreneurs launching their products it is more than just the great idea; it's about finding an experienced product development team they can rely on to successfully bring their products to market.
Design 1st Inc., an Ottawa-based product design company, knows an experienced product development team is the tour guide for the inventor when creating, developing and finding an appropriate manufacturer for the new invention. The process starts with the innovative idea and a strong understanding of why this idea is both unique to the market and is a large enough offering for the market to make the effort worthwhile. In the case of ColdStretch Inc., it started with the inventor of the kids' cold drink container - myColdCup - Gwenda Lindhorst-Ko. Gwenda sought out Design 1st when she reached a point in her efforts that required the support of a product design partner, who was knowledgeable both in the product development and marketing aspects of bringing a product to market
From the point in time of the light bulb idea and the napkin sketch there are thousands of choices and decisions for every product brought to market. The concept turns into engineering of parts then tooling, documenting and preparing for volume manufacturing. Poorly informed decisions along the way waste tens of thousands of dollars per decision and add delays of months to years.
"Effective productive development starts with an experienced team and builds with relationships based in trust, knowledge sharing and collaboration," said Kevin Bailey, President of Design 1st. "These are the primary factors that influence our clients successfully bringing their products to market."
The critical success factor is the experience and skills sets of the product development team. Two types of experts on the product development team make the effort efficient and lead to a higher chance of success. The first expert has to know the user of the product and exactly what they are looking for and willing to pay. The inventor has a large role to play in this area and this information can be further qualified during the development process. The other expert is the experienced team that guides the development through the many paths it can take to arrive at the best product solution for the opportunity. When the two experienced experts lead the marketing team and the development team, trust is developed and the solution delivers the promise. For inventors and marketers of new products, an experienced development team will greatly increase the chances of success.
"I wanted an experienced development partner who would provide valuable insights as well as support me in those areas I was not knowledgeable," said Gwenda Lindhorst-Ko, Founder of myColdCup. "Design 1st added value immediately with a level of communication and collaboration that was refreshing and facilitated great positive results."

"I also appreciated their attention to detail and their initiative to provide suggested improvements - this was a critical success factor for me," added Mrs. Lindhorst-Ko.

The myColdCup container, which keeps drinks fridge cold for 7+ hrs, is available through many of the elementary schools in the Ottawa-Carleton area and will be available for purchase online at www.myColdCup.com.