Trig’s Brisley Heads to Wales for Do Lecture Series

Trig Innovation industrial designer Drew Brisley has earned selection to attend the latest installment of the Do Lecture series.

An emerging ideas gathering based in Wales, the Do Lectures focus on launching big ideas to change the world.  While other conferences, such as TED talks, focus on inspirational ideas in technology, entertainment, and design, the Do Lectures target those who actually want to implement ideas, whether for new businesses, inventions, causes, or arts. Attendees across the globe must apply for consideration, and upon acceptance, enjoy three days on the Welsh countryside completely unplugged, pursuing an idea or set of ideas with the other conference participants.

Speakers and workshop leaders will include CEOs, inventors, artists, physicians, activists, designers, marketers, venture capitalists, social entrepreneurs, and web developers, creating a diverse array of global professionals who will share ideas.

Trig’s Brisley will be attending the April 23-25 Do Start-up conference in Fforest, Wales. At the Do Start-up event, participants will attend talks and workshops led by 20 entrepreneurs from around the world. Start-up topics include venture capital, intellectual property protection, branding, selling, scaling the business, hiring the right people, and much more. At the conclusion of the event, the conference participants will actually launch a new business based upon an idea generated at the conference, thus living out the group’s mission to actually learn by doing.

“I’m really excited to be attending the Do Start-up conference in Wales,” stated Brisley.  “This is a rare opportunity for me to be around so many leaders from around the world, discussing ideas that help to shape ideas into game-changing businesses. As an industrial designer, I’ve chosen a profession that specifically seeks to improve the human condition, and that’s what the Do Lectures are all about. I know that I’ll come back with a raft of ideas that influence my design work for clients moving forward, as well as changing my perspective on how ideas are shaped for wider acceptance.”

Evaluating Your New Product Idea

By Ty Hagler

One of my favorite conversations starts with the statement, ‘So I’ve got this idea.’ As an innovation consultant and industrial designer by training, these words spark an engaging discussion that gives me a chance to not only share my expertise, but also to learn something new about my field. When someone forms an idea for a new product, there is a tangible thrill and excitement that I find infectious, and I always welcome the discussion.

Having recently spoken with several inventors, pre-funded start-up ventures, and generally creative people, it has struck me that many of the conversations start with a request for validation of their ideas, but ends up with a discussion of process. The discipline of industrial design teaches that the first iteration of an idea is rarely the best idea. 

This concept may seem counter-intuitive, but the merits of an idea depend on the customer’s problem the idea is trying to solve:

• Is this problem a real point of pain or frustration for a segment of the population? 
• How large is that population segment?
• Is the pain or frustration strong enough that people are willing to purchase a solution?
• What is the process that customers follow to seek out a solution to this problem?

Answering these questions is a critical part of the due diligence that will be required of any investment in your idea, whether you’re pursuing a license deal or full commercialization. A number of research tools help us find the answers to these questions, including customer mapping and concept validation studies. Ultimately, these tools all fall back on the overall concept of Kenichi Ohmae’s 3C Model—the corporation, the customer, and the competitors.

While the aforementioned questions address the customer aspect of the 3C Model, people with ideas must also examine their competitive landscape. When we engage in this type of work, the odds are highly likely that someone else has observed this problem and launched his own solution. How many competitor or substitute solutions currently exist to address that same pain point?  It certainly makes sense to know what the patent landscape looks like for your particular domain.

In my conversations with investors, be they venture capital firms, angels, or otherwise, I find that their initial focus is on “who” versus “what.” That is, investors focus their first-pass screening criteria on the corporation aspect of the 3C Analysis, because this typically overlooked by start-ups. Investors are just as interested in placing their bets behind a talented leadership team that is committed to their vision as they are in the details of a specific business opportunity. Launching a product takes an enormous amount of energy, and, to be successful, it ultimately takes a team of tireless, talented people. Of the many decisions you face when pursuing your idea, your ability and willingness to organize a team around your vision should have the greatest impact on the decision to license or commercialize.

As you evaluate how to best develop your idea, you should assess your capabilities at the very beginning of the process.  Full commercialization takes a lot of fortitude, determination, and the ability to recruit the right mix of talent to clear the initial hurdles, whereas inventors who want to stick to what they do best—inventing—may choose the patent-and-license route. Regardless of the path you choose to follow, the process of bringing an idea to life is a skill to be developed and you will find there is a whole ecosystem to support you in your creative contributions to the economy.