Author: Lucy

How is AI changing the product design industry?

Written by Lucy on April 4, 2023. Posted in Business, Design, Innovation.

Bill Gates has called it “the most important technological advance in decades” but how is Artificial Intelligence (AI) going to impact our industry of product design?

AI is undoubtedly a hot topic at the moment, not a day goes past without a potential horror story in the media – whether that AI machines are going to take over, or that middle class workers’ jobs are under threat, or the risk of fake news, like Donald Trump’s arrest depicted in AI-generated images, which then went viral on social media.

AI generated photos of Donald Trump being arrested - as shown on Twitter

Open AI, which owns ChatGPT, has estimated that 80% of jobs could be impacted by AI, but how worried should the design industry really be? Are these just scare stories, or will jobs seriously be at risk? And how can we use AI to improve the product design industry?

Artificial Intelligence has already had a significant impact on many industries, including tech, marketing and PR, and the product design industry is no exception. AI-powered technologies are starting to transform the way products are designed and manufactured. AI is enabling designers to create better products in a shorter period, while also providing valuable insights that were previously unavailable.

Generative Design

One of the most significant ways AI is changing the product design industry is through the use of generative design. Not to be confused with generative design in engineering, generative design using AI is a technique where designers input design parameters into an AI system, which then creates a range of possible design solutions based on the given constraints. It enables designers to explore many more design options than they could manually, and in a shorter space of time too. It can also provide them with data-driven insights about the design. The result is more efficient and effective product designs.

As an experiment, we created this image using AI with the prompt “sports bottle, grenade, bidon”. Yes it’s a cool looking image, but there is relatively little other than the aesthetics that you can take from it, but potentially with different prompts it could start to produce some real world products.

But of course, these are concepts, it will still require human input to produce the design and ensure it will work in real life.

Predictive Modelling

Another way AI is transforming product design is through the use of predictive modelling. Predictive modelling uses machine learning algorithms to analyse data and predict future trends. This helps designers to create products that are more aligned with customer needs and preferences. For example, AI can analyse data on customer behaviour and preferences to identify design features that are likely to be popular.

This is certainly interesting, as ensuring there is a market for a product is something that we always build into our projects.

Testing and Validation

AI is also making product testing and validation easier and more efficient. Traditionally, product testing has been a time-consuming and costly process. However, AI-powered simulations can now test product performance under different conditions, helping designers to identify potential problems and make improvements before a product goes into production.

Again, this element of AI could speed up projects and reduce costs, but it is an area that we would undertake with caution because real world testing often highlights issues that even Finite Element Analysis. Think about Formula One cars; they go through rigorous virtual testing processes within different simulators and wind tunnels. But then a person sits in the car and drives it and all of a sudden there are issues that need to be fixed.

Personalisation

Finally, AI is enabling designers to create more personalised products. AI-powered algorithms can analyse data on customer preferences and behaviours to create products that are tailored to individual needs. This can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, as customers are more likely to be satisfied with a product that is designed specifically for them. Here we see some value, particularly within the medical sector when thinking about protheses.

Our view

The way we see AI impacting us as a consultancy, and the wider product industry as a whole, is that AI will become an integral part of the product design process, but will be used as a tool rather than a replacement for product designers. Its value is more in aesthetics than it will be in problem solving difficult design decision or coming up with new ideas for how a product functions. This still requires years of education and expertise.

AI will add value in mood board creation and generating colourways for products, and in some instances general style direction.

But AI will always require input from humans to function, it cannot think for itself (for now, anyway!) so it will always be reliant on an instruction and must abide by any rules put in place by programmers.
Simon Cornelius

In conclusion, AI is here and it’s here to stay. It’s transforming the product design industry by enabling designers to create better products in less time, providing valuable insights, and allowing for more personalised products. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect even more changes and improvements in the product design process. We think the future of a combined AI and human product design industry is very exciting.

AI is undoubtedly fast, efficient and exciting, but it can’t replace human experience. Our team have experimented with some AI tools, and the results have been interesting so far. We are yet to use AI on a live project, but we imagine that day is coming soon.

We view AI as a modern tool that will help speed us the product design process, rather than take over completely. Similar to how we use washing machines now, rather than hand washing clothes, it’s a tool to help us. Throughout history humans have created machines that benefit our lives, and AI is no exception.

Key takeaways

Artificial Intelligence has arrived and it is here to stay.
The product design industry is already seeing changes from AI through Generative Design, Predictive Modelling, Testing and Validation and Personalisation.
AI has the potential to transform the product design industry to create better products in less time, meaning output could be significantly increased.
We predict that AI will never fully replace humans, but instead will be a tool to make us work smarter.

We’re running an exciting AI experiment soon, which we will update on here once completed. In the meantime, if you’d like some human input into your next product development project, please get in touch with our design experts.

Is market research necessary for product development?

Written by Lucy on February 9, 2023. Posted in Innovation, Marketing.

At the beginning of any new product development project we always conduct market research, and some of our clients have asked us: is market research always necessary in product development?

Let’s take a typical scenario. Imagine you are a product manager.

A member of your company’s sales team comes to you and says they need a product that meets a certain requirement. For the purposes of this blog post, we’ll assume your company makes bathroom taps, and the salesperson wants a tap with a 120mm spout projection because one of their customers (a high street showroom) has asked for it. Your current portfolio features a 105mm and a 135mm tap.

So, you develop or source a 120mm tap and you sell 2,000 units. The original salesperson sells a certain amount into their customer, and perhaps one or two other customers show some interest, but the return on investment into the product development is low.

Now, let’s change the scenario slightly.

After the salesperson comes to you with the original request you conduct some market research. You set up focus groups with your top ten retail customers. You send a survey to some end users (homeowners), and perhaps even some home developers.

Through a series of structured questions, you gain some valuable insights into what the market really wants, and the research reveals that what is really in demand is a 115mm tap. What’s more, after speaking to them, the original customer would be quite happy with a 115mm tap.

Armed with these intelligent insights you can build the business case around developing a 115mm tap. And although conducting the research has added to the overall development costs, the result is that you sell 20,000 units instead of 2,000, so a much healthier ROI.

This is a simple example, but hopefully you get the idea.

It’s often said that 80% of new products will fail, but the reality is that it’s probably much lower and varies from industry to industry. Nevertheless, a lot of new products do fail for many reasons. It’s why our company mission is to:

Turn creative ideas into commercially successful products
Cornelius Creative

Our goal is to ensure that only products that will be successful are taken forward. But, how do you know which products will be successful? Well one way is by asking the market, of course!

So, what exactly is market research?

Market research involves listening to and understanding what is happening in the market. It aims to make your target customer happier by looking at opportunities and giving them exactly what they want and need to solve an issue in their life. It is a continuous process that can be conducted at any time.

Market research requires us to step outside of our organisation and remove all internal bias to really understand the needs of our customers, rather than what we think they want.

It comes in many forms, from online questionnaires and surveys (quantitative research) to in-depth focus groups with a select number of people (qualitative research). It’s also possible to use industry reports, competitor research, as well as online forums to discover customers’ thoughts.

And it’s a growing industry reportedly worth around £7 billion in the UK alone.

Why conduct market research?

New products, and modifications to existing products, don’t just happen by chance. Market research plays an important role in determining what opportunities exist in the market. It can uncover unmet needs, that customers are even unaware of themselves. Good market research will provide a comprehensive understanding of your product’s sales environment.

Here are some of the key benefits of market research:

It opens communication channels with existing and potential customers to understand their needs and desires.
It uncovers opportunities and emerging trends in the marketplace.
It identifies potential threats.
It can determine your brand’s positioning and messaging relative to competitors.
It validates ideas using data to ensure products are received positively by customers.

So, we’ve looked at what market research is and what the main benefits are, but what are the key stages when undertaking market research for a new product development (NPD)?

Key stages in market research for NPD

The type of research conducted will depend upon which stage of development is currently in play.

1. Exploratory research: defining the problem

Occurring before the concept stage, exploratory research involves gathering secondary data (i.e., data that already exists like surveys, journal articles or Government publications). This data will help determine any emerging trends and/or gaps in the market, but there will be a lot of irrelevant content to sift through. At this stage it will be useful to conduct some competitor analysis and a SWOT analysis to help with strategic planning of the project.

It is also important to speak to your customers to find out how satisfied they are with your existing products and what needs are not being met. This will provide direction on new products that are developed. Depending on the type of product you are developing, you may want to ask questions such as:

Are you satisfied with our current product? What’s missing?
What feature(s) would you make your life easier?

2. New product concepts and prototyping: initial feedback

The point of the exploratory research is to identify a market need that hasn’t yet been met. Once the initial research has been conducted the product concepts can start to be developed and tested with the target market. Initial prototypes can also be made to ensure the concept will work in real life. Examples of research carried out at this stage include:

Focus groups
In-depth interviews
Observational research
Surveys

This stage of the process can be repeated through test and learn, where concepts are amended to reflect initial feedback.

3. User testing: real life scenarios

The only way to get true and accurate feedback about a new product is to allow people to test and use it in real-life situations. Concepts on paper don’t always turn out the same way in real life and it’s only by touching, feeling and using a product will you really appreciate how it works.

It will validate assumptions made in your earlier research, yes, but it will yield much more accurate data, because only by using the product in its intended way will the customer understand the value they can get from it.

The feedback they provide will tell you if they would buy it, and if not, why not. You’ll also ascertain how much they would be prepared to pay for the product.

User testing is understandably an expensive way to gain insights, and for that reason, it can be hard to get buy in, especially from senior management.

There are different types of prototypes that can be produced, so there are ways to keep costs down.

And it will bring your team together – seeing your product in real life, and all the hard work realised.

Of course, real life testing isn’t always feasible, in which case, it is down to the research company to interpret the research, combined with other market intelligence, to make an informed decision about whether there is an opportunity to develop the product.

Additionally, user testing can be conducted post-launch to gain initial insights once the product is on the market. This can provide customer reviews that can be used in marketing materials. Many companies choose to use influencers with large social media followings to gain some early feedback and spread awareness of the product quickly.

If you’re reading this with a product in development that has had no market research, don’t panic! As we mention above, market research can (and should) be carried out along any point of the development process, so it’s never too late to gain some feedback.

Are there any drawbacks to market research?

If conducted properly market research can generate essential insights, but it isn’t representative of 100% of the market. There will always be variables and external factors that can impact demand.

Market research is essentially trial and error, and it doesn’t always provide an immediate result. The data is only as good as the research itself; results can be skewed by asking the wrong questions or by analysing the data incorrectly.

A focus group may not understand the concept of a brand-new innovation. Imagining themselves buying or using a product that requires a shift in their typical lifestyle may result in them stating they wouldn’t be interested. Asking people to imagine using a product they’ve never considered before is likely to bring some hesitancy, particularly if the group is mostly “late majority” individuals who tend to be sceptical of innovations at first.

Asking a room full of innovators, or even early adopters, may bring completely different results to the majority.

Innovation Adoption Curve (Rogers)

Steve Jobs famously didn’t believe in market research, which is ironic considering he was obsessed with getting inside his customers’ heads. But he had an ability to be a few steps ahead, and believed that customers would buy what he told them to, even if they didn’t know what the product was.
And yes, sometimes it worked.

“Customers don’t know what they want until we’ve shown them”
Steve Jobs

But, sadly, we don’t all have the brand power and extreme customer loyalty that Apple has. So for most of us, we need market research to find out more about our customers.

Market research for existing products

As well as its uses in the development of brand-new products, market research is also valuable for assessing and optimising existing products. It can help a company keep up with competitors and entice customers to continue coming back.

Reading online reviews of your own and competitor products can give insights too. You can find out what actual customer love (and hate) about your and competitor products, and what features they feel are missing.

Key takeaways

Market research is about listening to and understanding your target customers’ needs and desires.

Once you are aware of those needs and desires, you can develop products to satisfy them.

Customer feedback can come in many forms; from coordinated quantitative or qualitative research through to data gathering by reading online reviews, forums, competitor research and industry reports.

Market research can (and should) be conducted at all stages of product development – from pre-concept right through to user testing. Post-launch feedback is essential to continue optimising a product to ensure it continues to meet the customer needs.

Market research is not a silver bullet and requires considered analysis to determine an organisation’s next steps.

If you’d like to find out more about how market research can guide your next product development, please get in touch with our research experts.

How to Showcase a Product Before Launch: The Power of Product CGI

Written by Lucy on November 24, 2022. Posted in CGI.

Launching a new product is an exciting milestone for any business – but building momentum before your product hits the shelves is essential. With marketplaces saturated and consumer attention at a premium, the ability to stand out and communicate your product’s value early on can be a decisive factor in its success.

So, how do you showcase a product that doesn’t yet exist in its final form?

That’s where tools like prototyping and product CGI come into play. These assets help you generate interest, secure pre-orders, and even win over investors – before a single unit is manufactured.

The Challenge of Pre-Launch Marketing

In today’s hyper-competitive digital environment, buyers are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. If your product isn’t visually compelling and easy to understand, you risk being ignored, especially during the crucial pre-launch phase.

This makes visual marketing critical, even before your product is physically ready. Fortunately, there are several ways to make an impact early.

Option 1: Use Product Prototypes

One of the traditional methods of showcasing a product pre-launch is to develop a prototype. This could be:

Visual-only: offering a realistic look without functionality

Fully functional: showing exactly how the product works

Use prototypes in addition to product CGI

Prototypes are excellent for:

Product photography and videography
Website imagery and social media posts
Printed and digital brochures
Demonstrations at trade shows and exhibitions
Investor presentations

If you have a showroom or physical retail space, displaying a prototype allows customers to interact with the product before it becomes available for sale.

However, prototypes can be costly and time-consuming to create. More importantly, if your prototype is still rough around the edges or lacks refinement, it could misrepresent the final product and potentially harm your brand perception.

Option 2: Embrace Product CGI

When prototypes aren’t practical, or when you want more flexibility and polish, product CGI offers a compelling solution.

Product CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) involves creating lifelike 3D visualisations of your product using specialist software. These images look like high-end photography but are created entirely digitally. That means you can:

Create photorealistic images for multiple uses
Showcase the product before it exists physically
Experiment with colours, textures, and environments

Where can you use product CGI?

Website product pages
Social media marketing
Digital brochures and PDFs
Investor decks and pitch materials
Direct mail and print campaigns

One of the biggest benefits of CGI is consistency and control. Unlike photography, you can render your product from any angle, under perfect lighting, and at a fraction of the cost of a full photoshoot.

Add Movement with Animated CGI

Want to go one step further? Turn your still renders into animated CGI videos.

Animations show your product in action – how it works, how it’s assembled, or how it fits into a customer’s daily life. Animation helps explain complex features and builds trust, especially for technical or innovative products. And since video content is proven to boost conversions and engagement, it’s a powerful addition to any pre-launch strategy.

Maximise Your Marketing Channels

Whether you’re using product prototypes, CGI visuals, or both, it’s crucial to push your message across all available platforms.

This includes:

Email marketing to your subscriber base
Organic and paid social media
Launch landing pages with pre-order options
Traditional media like brochures, trade press, and direct mail
Industry events, exhibitions, and product launch days

Product CGI is especially versatile across both digital and print formats, making it ideal for an omnichannel launch approach.

Ready to Explore Product CGI for Your Business?

At Cornelius Creative, we specialise in helping brands bring their products to life – before they even exist. Whether you need functional prototypes, high-quality CGI visuals, or animated explainer videos, we can support every stage of your pre-launch marketing strategy.

Don’t wait until your product is finished to start selling it.
Let’s bring your concept to life with compelling product CGI that builds buzz, drives sales, and leaves a lasting impression.

📩 Get in touch today to explore how we can help you visualise and market your next big idea.

Book a discovery call

Author: Lucy