vi The Product Innovator’s Handbook into the world – the ones that never got produced, or fl opped as soon as they hit the shelves.

Products that don’t sell aren’t necessarily badly conceived or designed; there may be other reasons, such as having too little investment or poor market positioning. There are so many disciplines that you have to master to create and sell a product – from research and manufacturing to fundraising and marketing. Yet you don’t know what you don’t know. Were you aware, for instance, that a 3D CAD model alone rarely provides enough detail for a manufacturer to make your product? That your idea might infringe someone else’s intellectual property? That there are ways of selling your product that will make you more money than others? Or that there could be a fundamental fl aw in your idea that will only become apparent after it’s produced? It’s rare for anyone to be an expert in all these areas.

I’m the founder and Managing Director of ITERATE, a product design consultancy, and I’ve been designing products for over 15 years. In that time, I’ve witnessed pretty much every pitfall on the product development journey. From concepts that aren’t technically feasible and designs that aren’t patentable to ideas that are plain unworkable – they’ve all crossed my path. On the other hand, one of the joys of my job is carrying products through to completion, enabling them to improve people’s lives, make a difference in the world, and generate a healthy income for their owners.

I’ve learned that there’s a lot you need to think about if designing a product is going to give you what you want. That’s why I’ve written this book – to