Top Inventions Making the World Better

Inventors and designers are in the business of making the world better. Thanks to these creative minds, we’ve got indoor plumbing, life-saving medical devices, computer … the list could go on forever.

The very act of inventing is an expression of wanting to solve a problem or improve someone’s situation. Why else would we go through all the trouble of sketching out ideas, working out flaws, trying different materials, raising funds to manufacture it, and the rest of the many steps involved in bringing a design to life?

In the spirit of the holidays, we thought we’d highlight a few of the inventors and inventions that have made major contributions to our world over the past couple of years.

Vaccines without needles

One of the winners of the 2015 Popular Science Invention Awards, these needle-less vaccine patches deliver vaccines without breaking the skin. Sure, it’s great for anyone who hates needles—but the real benefit of this incredible innovation is for those without access to sterilized conditions and refrigeration, like clinics in war zones, third world countries, and refugee camps. The patches, invented by biomedical engineer Kasia Sawicka, can go without refrigeration for 10 weeks. That’s much longer than typical vaccine solution.

The Ocean Cleanup Array

By now, we’ve all heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the horrifyingly large floating island of trash, mostly plastic, located in the Pacific Ocean (there are four others, as well, but the Pacific patch is the largest—it’s about the size of Texas). It’s the kind of thing that can make even the most optimistic environmentalist turn to despair. But now, a team headquartered in the Netherlands is set to make history by actually cleaning up the garbage via a floating barrier that directs the garbage toward a collection system. After studies, research expeditions, and several successful preliminary tests, the Ocean Cleanup Array underwent its first 3D test at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands in October.

Modular Artificial Reef Structure

It’s a good year for our oceans—this invention, an artificial reef structure that can be made to fit any seafloor, can help mitigate the effects of coral reef loss on plants and animals that live in and among them. The problem with most artificial reefs, however, is that they’re very costly and require an almost flat seafloor. That’s a far from ideal situation. So Alex Goad, an industrial design student in Australia, invented a modular structure flexible enough to be built over natural features like dips or hills. The durable pieces can be snapped together to create the perfect shape.

Punchcard Programmable Microfluidics

The inventor behind this impressively named micro medical lab grew up in Kenya, where he witnessed people suffering and dying from all kinds of preventable issues. Inspired by that background, Manu Prakash came up with the idea for a crank handle-operated medical lab. The apple-sized, music-box type device can handle complex chemical reactions like diagnosing a disease from a blood sample. And the devices only cost $5 each.

GravityLight

20 percent of the world’s population does not have access to electricity, meaning they often have to use dangerous and expensive kerosene lamps to light their homes. The GravityLight is a battery-free light that’s powered by the weight of a bag filled with rocks, sand, or other ballast. As the bag drops, the GravityLight lights up. It takes about 20 minutes for the bag to drop to the floor, and after that, all you have to do is pick up the bag and repeat the process.

The K2 Cookstove

In the developing world, smoke-related illnesses affect more people than malaria or HIV. The culprit? Pollutants from cookstoves, which release huge amounts of carbon monoxide into the air, sickening people and contributing to global warming. The K2 cookstove, invented by two UC Berkeley students, is designed to address that issue. The stove is 50 percent more efficient than standard cookstoves, meaning it needs 50 percent less fuel. In addition, it can burn plastic cleanly—this was important to the stove’s creators, as they noticed that people burned plastic bags to get their fires going during a pilot study in the Phillippines.

Do you have an idea that will make the world a better place? We at Pivot would love to help you make it a reality. Take a look at our product design and manufacture services, and then contact us!

Our Top 5 Podcasts for Inventors

With any creative endeavor, inspiration is key. People seek it in all kinds of ways, from walking in the woods, to listening to music, to keeping a journal.

While quiet solitude is often conducive to letting inspiration strike, sometimes the most helpful thing can be hearing from people who are on the same kind of journey you are. That’s what’s so great about podcasts: covering literally thousands of topics, podcasts can give you a glimpse into the worlds of great thinkers, inventors, designers, and anyone else you care to listen to.

There are so many good ones out there that it’s hard to choose a top 5 list, but here goes—look below for Pivot International’s list of the best 5 podcasts for inventors.

1. Ideas Uploaded. This British podcast, which started out as a blog, features informational and educational interviews with noted designers, inventors, and other people involved in the new product development business. It’s a bit dry, to be sure, but you can gain some very helpful advice about manufacturing, trademarking, and other aspects of the invention and selling process. You’ll also get insight into some creative ways to market or license your product—in one past episode, for example, the creator of the environmentally-friendly Ecobears discusses how she’s also written a children’s book about the bears to expand her brand.
2. StartUp. This podcast about the trials and tribulations of founding a startup company is hosted by Alex Blumberg, an entrepreneur and radio journalist. You’ve probably heard him on This American Life and Planet Money—with those shows in his history, it’s no surprise that StartUp is a fun, unique listen. Blumberg started the podcast to document his own process founding his company Gimlet Media. It’s all refreshingly honest and transparent, and you get to hear everything from his first attempt to ask an investor for money (cringe) to his talks with his supportive but practical wife about how his startup venture is affecting their family. In seasons 2 and 3 (3 is forthcoming), Blumberg follows other young startups.
3. Inventor’s Mind. Hosted by Chris Hawker, an inventor and product designer whose successful products include the stylish surge protector the PowerSquid, Inventor’s Mind offers practical industry advice for inventors and designers no matter what stage of the invention process they’re in. Recent podcast topics include “inventing as investment,” “business aesthetics,” and “top three ways to make money from your invention” –pretty good ideas to learn more about, if you ask us. A veteran crowdfunder, Hawker also shares insight into how to successfully crowdfund your product and what to do once the campaign is over.
4. Autodesk AEC. This one’s a bit technical, but engineers will love it. It’s all about—you guessed it—Autodesk, the company and software umbrella that includes software for architects, construction firms, engineers, product designers, and others. On this podcast, you’ll hear from Autodesk executives and customers about topics from the latest in Autodesk software, to the drought in California. It’s weighted toward the building industries, but if you scroll through their lengthy list of podcasts, you’ll almost certainly be able to find something of interest to you.
5. 3D Printing Today. Another technical one, 3D Printing Today covers the latest in 3D printing, from materials and software, to tips and tricks for the casual 3D printer. The hosts, Andy Cohen and Whitney Potter, are fun characters to listen to and they like to get into some more off-the-beaten-path topics too—like photoscanning Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone, for example. Anyone who’s interested in exploring the world of 3D printing should give it a listen—you’re bound to find some helpful info.

We hope you find your next favorite podcast on this list. And if you have questions about designing, prototyping, or manufacturing your new product that a podcast (or Google) just can’t answer, contact us at Pivot. We’d love to help!

This Year’s Coolest Gifts for Gadget Lovers – and By That, We Mean Inventors

What inventor or product designer isn’t a gadget lover? It’s practically a requirement to work in the industry. Of course, it’s no surprise either, since inventors and product designers naturally have a love of creating, and finding, new, amazing products.

At Pivot, we’re no different. Our Christmas shopping lists always include at least one or two of the year’s best gadget gifts. This year, we’ve decided to share our favorites in this list. Happy gifting!

Hoverboards

You can thank Back to the Future Day for making hoverboards one of the hottest gifts to buy this year. Though they don’t actually hover – they’re more accurately called self-balancing boards, and they work on the same principles as a Segway – they do give the rider the smooth feel of hovering above the ground.

As you might expect, these things come at a price: no less than $300, to be exact. And they can range in price up to a cool $2,000 – some beta versions are even coming in at $10,000.

And they’ve got some safety risks too. There’s the risk of falling, obviously, but there are several cases of hoverboards exploding while the rider is either charging the hoverboard or riding it. These seem to happen mostly with knock-off versions or ones being bought via social media – so if you do decide to give one of these to a friend or family member, make sure you go through a trustworthy retailer.

Huawei Watch

The Huawei Watch is a smartwatch that actually looks like a really nice, traditional watch – perfect for the stylish gadget guru on your list.

Modeled after luxury watches, the traditional round face features a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, a super high-resolution display, and runs Android Wear. It also comes with several options for bands and watch faces.

As for the “smart” part of this smartwatch, the Huawei Watch includes a built-in heart rate monitor and exercise tracker. It can also run apps from the Google Play Store. The price? $349 and up.

Samsung Gear VR Virtual Reality Headset

This mobile virtual reality headset is a great gift for tech early adopters. When you pair this headset to a Samsung phone, you can play virtual reality games without being tethered to a PC or gaming console, as other VR headsets require.

It’s also lighter and more compact than the other available virtual reality headsets out there, which is a real plus for gamers. After all, the thing has to be strapped to your face while you’re using it, and you don’t want the price for getting caught up in extended gameplay to be a seriously sore neck.

The price is right, too. At $99.99, it’s not a total bank-breaker.

Moleskine Smart Notebook

This gift will really wow designers. Designed exactly like the rest of the ever-fashionable Moleskine line of notebooks, the Smart Notebook allows you to turn your hand-drawn sketches into workable digital files. All it takes is the Moleskine app, available in the Apple store, and an Adobe Creative Cloud membership.

What you do is draw on the pages – which are regular paper with special markings to help the app read your sketch – then use the app on your phone or mobile device to capture the drawing. The app will then upload the image to Adobe as an SVG file, which you can edit in Adobe programs. Not too bad for a notebook that costs $32.95.

The 3Doodler 3D Printing Pen

Who says 3D printing requires a desktop machine? The 3Doodler pen, the world’s first 3D pen, allows you to take the same plastic that 3D printers use – ABS or PLA-type plastics – and write, draw, and create with them. It’s a little like a hot glue gun of the future, except in this case, the glue is plastic and it holds its shape.

The 3Doodler got its start on Kickstarter, blowing its $30,000 goal out of the water by raising $2.3 million. (Read our post on how to start your own crowdfunding campaign here.) It remains popular with reviewers, not least because it’s fairly reasonably priced at $99.

There you have it! We hope this gives you ideas of what to look for this Christmas, whether for yourself or for others. And if Pivot can help you get your product off the ground with our product design services, manufacturing services, or business services, contact us!

What You Can Learn from The Most Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns

Besides actually coming up with a new product idea, figuring out how to fund it may just be the hardest part of an inventor’s job.

If you’re working with a company, you likely have a lot of help in that department. If you’re an independent inventor however, like many of the ones whom we help here at Pivot, you may have no one but yourself to rely on.

There are a few ways you can go about funding a project, but in this post we’re focusing on crowdfunding. There have been some amazingly successful crowdfunding campaigns for new products and designs over the years, and there’s something to learn from each of them.

While nothing can truly guarantee your campaign’s success—and you certainly don’t want to count on raising $2 million in a few months, like many of these campaigns did—hopefully you’ll get a few ideas on how to give yourself a better chance at raising the funds you need.

Solar Roadways’ Indiegogo campaign. Funds raised: $2.2 million

You probably remember Solar Roadways from their incredibly popular viral video, “Solar Freakin’ Roadways.” If you didn’t see it on your Facebook feed, you saw it on Twitter, or LinkedIn, or on YouTube’s homepage. While the appeal of Solar Roadways is based on its potential to solve all kinds of problems, from energy dependence to icy roads, it’s safe to say that the video was the game-changer. Without it, people might not have realized just how innovative the technology could be.

Takeaway: Don’t cut corners on your video. That may mean hiring someone else to make it for you—but if they do a great job, the payoff could far outweigh the cost.

The Coolest Cooler Kickstarter campaign. Funds raised: $13 million.

This rolling cooler has a built-in blender, USB port, waterproof speakers, and multiple other features—but in its very first iteration, the Coolest Cooler was nothing but a blender attached to a weed whacker engine. Inventor Ryan Grepper came up with the idea more than a decade ago, and his campaign to mass produce his creation earned the title of the highest-funded Kickstarter project ever in August of 2014. (It’s since been dethroned).

What’s interesting about the Coolest Cooler, though is that this was Grepper’s second campaign to fund the product. His first one failed due to multiple issues—he didn’t have a fully equipped prototype, for example, and he launched in December, rather than during the summer. But after regrouping, building out a fully functional prototype, and relaunching during a warmer month, he blew past his original goal.

Takeaway: If your first campaign fails, don’t assume that you can’t successfully crowdfund your idea. Just make sure you put in the time and effort to make it more successful the second time around.

Ouya videogame console Kickstarter campaign. Funds raised: $8.5 million

This open-source system was designed to make console videogames more accessible and affordable by allowing developers to create games for the television. Many developers are moving toward mobile and social games, because it’s cheaper and easier to develop for those mediums. The Ouya is cheap, easy to use, and since it uses open source Android technology, it’s easy to develop for.

Ouya really appealed to gamers with a fast-paced, hard-hitting video, but they also had some very cool perks at all donor levels. For example, for $10, you could reserve your username. It’s a simple thing, really, but it builds momentum for the project by creating the idea of scarcity. What if the username you want is taken before you get your Ouya? The strategy worked, because the Ouya team raised 904 percent of its original goal.

Takeaway: Get creative with your perks, at lower levels as well as higher ones.

A successful crowdfunding campaign takes a lot of work, but it can be a great way to start funding your product idea. Need help building a prototype? Need to work out some design flaws? Let Pivot help you make your crowdfunding efforts pay off!

5 Ways Multitasking is Detrimental to Your Work Ethic

We recently wrote an article that looked at all the enjoyable ways one could boost their creativity, because we all have felt that moment where nothing seems to pop into our heads right when creative ideas are vital. While writing it, we realized that one of our methods for boosting creativity has such a massive myth behind it that it might be a good idea for us to debunk it down to its core. Multitasking has, for many years, been thought of as an effective way to get work done. However, recently, multiple studies have come to light claiming that there is a multitasking myth, and the truth is the exact opposite. The truth is, multitasking is extremely ineffective for building creativity or finishing tasks altogether. So to debunk the myth, we devised a list of the 5 ways multitasking is detrimental to your work ethic.

1. Multi-tasking Doesn’t Exist

We’re sorry to burst your bubble, but the actual phrase “multitasking” is made up. That’s right, the act of multitasking doesn’t exist because the brain won’t allow it. Instead, what you are doing is rapidly “task switching” because our brains only have a finite amount of attention that can be dedicated to certain tasks. When we task switch, we use up that space and energy in our brains by switching gears to handle the second task. The resulting effect is less attention on certain tasks and ultimately more mistakes and more stress.

2. Multitasking Alters Your Brain Chemistry

What’s worse is that the action known as “task switching” actually severely alters your brain chemistry in multiple ways. Dr. JoAnn Deak, author of Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, stated in a keynote speech on brain behavior that “it changes the brain from being able to focus deeply on a single task, to being what we call a rifle, that wants to jump around a lot.” When this happens consistently, the action will start to stimulate the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure, ultimately making activities that do not involve task switching seem boring and uninteresting. This can be extremely detrimental to your work ethic when you have to finish one task in order to move on to the next.

3. Multitasking Dampens Creativity

Aside from all the various ways that you can boost your creativity, multi-tasking lessens that amount of space your brain can use for generating creative ideas. What multitasking or “task switching” requires is called “working memory”, which you could also call temporary brain storage. When you multitask, you are using up all of that working memory, which will ultimately lead to less of an ability to think creatively.

4. Multitasking Leads to More Mistakes Which Slows Progress

Not only does multitasking slow your work down, it will also inevitably lead to more mistakes. In fact, experts estimate that switching between tasks will decrease productivity by 40%. With that amount of errors possible, there’s almost no chance that you won’t be making mistakes!

5. Multitasking Builds Stress

There’s simply no need for added stress when you’re in the middle of your creative process. Nobody has time for the added stress that will come along with multitasking due to errors, lack of time, and less bandwidth for creativity. Creating from scratch is already stressful enough! Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, tested out this theory by measuring the heart rates of employees with access to constant office email and ones without. They found that the subjects who had access to the email were constantly in a “high-alert” state of mind, which led to a much higher heart rate. Save yourself the trouble and focus on one task at a time.

After you have stopped multitasking, be sure to check out our blog for other strategies on boosting creativity, coming up with better product ideas, or reducing your production costs. And if you’re ready to start the product development process for your new idea, contact us today!

Avoid These 4 Mistakes to Make your Kickstarter Campaign Successful

So you’ve thought up your product and have some plans drawn up on how to make it, but you don’t know yet where the money is going to come from. Luckily, the way has already been paved for you! Ever since their launch in 2009, Kickstarter campaigns have been adopted by small business owners, entrepreneurs, and visionaries all across the globe. A great way to raise awareness, acquire funding, and generate an audience for your product, Kickstarters are especially helpful because you can test drive the market and hear opinions from donors before your project goes into its final stages of development. Time and time again however, Kickstarter newcomers make the same mistakes that spell the end for campaigns each time. We strive for your project’s success, so we decided to create a list of 4 Kickstarter mistakes you should avoid.

1. Poor Project Management

We want to address this first because just like poor product development, poor project management can affect so many different areas of your crowdfunding project. From poor planning regarding when to launch to outreach with your friends and family beforehand, Kickstarter project management should always be the first thing on your mind each day before, during, and after your campaign if you wish to be successful. Ask yourself these questions each day:

Does your description explain why people should donate and how it will serve the community?

How many social media portals will you have launched beforehand and what are each of their functions?

How and when will each phase of your marketing efforts affect the production of your project?

What is the reason that people should be excited about your project during its initial launch and how will you keep those donors interested in further developments?

Poor Kickstarter project management plans can send a good idea to its shallow grave before it even had the chance to make an impact. Don’t let that project be yours; instead use this as a vehicle to kickstart your project’s success.

2. Poor Handling of Finances

Poor handling of your money can be just as bad for your Kickstarter as poor project management. In fact, it can be worse if you make your entire goal solely to raise money and neglect the advantages available to you. Remember, your Kickstarter is not just a fundraising campaign; it is a crowdfunding campaign. Think of it as a vehicle not just for monetary gains, but also for awareness, market testing, and networking possibilities. The worst part is there are so many ways to be led astray by the money in your Kickstarter! You could ask for the wrong amount of money in the beginning, not realizing how much or how little you really need to make it a success. You might focus on raising the money for your Kickstarter too intensely and end up ignoring your chance to connect with your network for stronger and more effective partnerships. Or, you might miss your opportunity to fund other projects that could expand your base of donors exponentially with just a couple dollars. While the goal here is to raise money, do not let the other facets of your Kickstarter campaign fall to the wayside. Be sure to check out our Ebook for more information on raising money for your project.

3. Addressing Fans and Donors as a Crowd

Yes, it is a crowdfunding campaign, but nobody wants to feel like they are part of a group. If someone recently donated $100 to your campaign, then they want to be treated as such. In addition, if someone donated $1 to your campaign, they still took the time out of their schedule to donate that money towards your campaign, so treat them as an individual. Each one of these people have specific interests that made them donate to your project so tailor an email towards those interests. A personalized email can be the tipping point between a recurring donor when you need the money, and someone who doesn’t care for your project’s outcome at all.

4. Only Asking Once

Sadly, not everyone is as interested and focused on your Kickstarter project as you are. For you, it might be the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning but for someone else, it’s one of several post it notes on their desk. It doesn’t hurt to be a bit pushy with your campaign. Get the word out! Give your project a way for people to interact with it to build awareness. Keep pushing for that donor who said they would donate to the project weeks ago. With a Kickstarter project, being shy is the enemy.

At Pivot, we’re here for you whether you’re just brainstorming a new idea or are already raising money and getting ready to produce your product. We love to help from start to finish with new inventions, so please be sure to contact us if you have any questions.

Top 5 Ways to Boost Your Creativity

Increasing your creative thinking skills is not always the easiest thing to do. It takes a certain mental state to be able to output genuine creative ideas on to paper, and sometimes pushing yourself into that state of mind seems like the last thing you want to do. Many times, we find ourselves in that creative state at the most inopportune times, like while having dinner with grandma or during your daily walk with the dogs. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were certain brain exercises which helped us stay creative when we wanted to be? For inventors, we need to have strategies always available so that fleeting moment of creative expression is no longer fleeting. That’s why we created a list of 5 enjoyable ways to increase your creative thinking.

1. Limit Yourself

We start off with this brain exercise because as a method for increasing your creative thinking, it gets overlooked every day. Did you know that Dr. Seuss wrote Green, Eggs, and Ham over a bet? The bet way that he wouldn’t be able to produce a story under 50 words and look what happened! If you ignore the path of “least resistance” and focus rather on the possible solutions to the limitations you set for yourself, you could end up with an idea that solves issues you had no idea existed in the first place. Plus, by doing this, you will be able to challenge yourself which can lead to some exciting findings about yourself. Here are some ways to limit yourself so that you can try it out!

2. Meditate

Across the board, meditation is agreed upon as one of the best brain exercises to increase creative thinking. It promotes divergent thinking, which allows us to generate new ideas quicker. From thinking clearly to gaining insight on problems, meditating each day can help you to look at the bigger picture of your project. Plus, it is also proven to help decrease stress, which stunts our creativity every day. So trust us; if you take 20 minutes each day to relax and clear your mind, we promise it will up help to boost your creativity and could lead to better product ideas.

3. Free Associate

Free association can be one of the best brain exercises to increase your creative thinking. Try opening up your dictionary or encyclopedia and picking one word. Then, write down everything that that word makes you think of. You’ll realize that this free association will allow your brain to think more restrictively, which can promote new avenues of thinking.

4. Draw and Write with Your Left Hand

While you should be drafting your designs by pencil and paper regardless, drawing and writing by hand is agreed upon as a quicker way to unleash your creativity into the world. Scientists have also found that since creative thinking is usually associated with the right hemisphere of the brain, we are able to artificially activate that part of the brain by using the left side of our body! So next time you’re stuck in a rut, try drafting something with just your left hand and let your brain do the rest.

5. Sit Outside a Box

Yes, we realize this sounds ridiculous but “think outside the box” is not a cliché saying with no meaning. Scientists actually tested out this theory by having participants sit inside and outside a box while taking creativity tests! The results? People who sat outside the box actually had more creative ideas than the ones inside. While it may not be conventional, try it out when you’re having some trouble with your project. You never know where your mind might take you.

Still need some help with your product ideas? Give us here at Pivot a call. We can help you move forward no matter what stage of invention and product development you’re in.

5 Designing Tips to Make You More Efficient

Time really does equal money. If you don’t have time to put in the work, you won’t be able to reap the profits. For designers, inventors, and creators, this hits home harder than most. You’re creating something from scratch, in hopes that it will fulfill a need that you see, and if it doesn’t sell, then that time and money is lost. You’ll get some great experience from your process, learn new strategies for product development, but without being efficient, that time counts for lost money. If you’re having trouble thinking up ideas, then we have tips for you here. However, for those who have the idea in their head and not on paper, we’re here to help make your brainchild a success. That’s why we created this list of 5 design tips for increasing your efficiency.

Tip #1: Create a Project Workflow

We’ve all been there: It’s 11:00 p.m and you are looking at a blank piece of paper. It’s the scariest feeling in the world, and you’re overwhelmed with the amount of work that lays ahead of you. The scope of your invention is magnified, making it seem like an impossible feat for you to handle. This is when a project workflow is crucial not only for the success of your project, but also for your sanity.

Project workflows can help you to look at the project in sequential steps, each with their own deadline. By creating a project workflow, you are able tackle portions of your never-ending tasks one by one and have time to reflect on each part of the operation. Plus, you will be able to see concrete progress on each step once you sit back to look at the bigger picture!

When creating a project workflow for yourself, we recommend starting off with the basic structure of six steps: Think, Research, Draft, Create, Revise, Reflect. By following this structure, you will be able to think clearly about your vision and research the necessary information that you need in the beginning. Next, draft your ideas on paper with pencil and when you have a solid idea in the works, create this draft in the medium the project will be presented in. Then look back at your research and revise your invention design to fit your ideal image. Finally, and this is the most important step, make sure to reflect on your work. Reflection is where we find our best ideas come to mind, so make sure to do this each time you have finished a working product. If you stay in line with each step, we can be sure you will experience a massive decrease in stress when looking at that blank piece of paper. Why? Because you will know that it is just a matter of time.

Tip #2: Know Your Audience

You are one individual with a dream. However, most likely you will not be the only person interacting with this product. It is more important to look at the design process from the viewpoint of who will be using your product, rather than what the small details that you think are necessary. If you follow the workflow above, you can use the reflection stage to ask yourself, “will consumers enjoy my product?” After you have answered that question with what (we hope) is a definite yes, ask yourself, “Why will consumers enjoy my product?” and get to revising!

Tip #3: Draft, Draft, Draft

We can’t express this enough. It’s better to take the time in the beginning to get your product right on paper then jumping into creating the prototype. You will save so much time and effort. If you spend a bit more time operating on paper, then you will thank yourself in the end. Now, you don’t need every detail on paper, just the draft of the product. But that one idea can result in multiple drafts on paper, and that can be extremely helpful for the final product. While you’re drafting, make sure to check out our tips on better product design. Make sure not to go overboard, but keep in mind that a draft can always be erased.

Tip #4: Keep Your Work-Space Tidy

Distractions are everywhere in the world. They seem like they constantly multiply, with the sole purpose of taking you away from your work. That’s why it’s necessary to have a workspace that you can escape to where distractions are minimal. “Escape” is the key word here – it helps to have a room away from the rest of your house so that you can get into your productive mental state easier.

Also, this workspace should be kept tidy and organized. Try to minimize the amount of extraneous paperwork sitting around and keep your work in order. It also helps to have a notebook lying around so you can jot quick notes down without thinking. These notes might be the key to a problem you have in the future, you simply never know.

Tip #5: Avoid Multi-Tasking

Do not let anyone tell you that multitasking boosts productivity. The myth that multitasking helps efficiency has been circulating around for years but trust us, it’s not the case. Rather, multitasking is a myth in itself; it actually doesn’t exist. What you are really doing is “task switching” as noted by psychologist Guy Winch. Our brains work off a finite amount of space for tasks not associated with automatic behavior such as eating and walking, so there is a finite amount of attention that can be given to one task. When you “switch”, your brain needs to spend energy on switching gears, which ultimately lessens productivity for both tasks. Plus, you have a higher chance of making mistakes when you’re not reflecting on one project but two. All in all, save yourself some time and don’t multitask. You’ll thank us later.

If you’d like more help creating just the right conditions to bring your new product idea to life, contact us here at Pivot today. We can help you at any stage of your project, from idea to manufacturing and beyond.

4 Reasons You Need Product Data Management

Product data management: while the term itself is pretty simple, the meaning can be a little hard to wrap one’s head around. There’s a product, sure, and it has data that is somehow managed—but why? And how?

Product data management (PDM) is actually an important part of product lifecycle management, the system that tracks a product’s entire development from concept to manufacture. With a PDM system, design teams and product developers can track all information related to a product’s development: drawings, models, revisions, and any other documents or files.

The goal, as with project development systems like Basecamp or Google Drive, is to have a product’s data accessible to all members of a development team. And there are plenty of other reasons that PDM is a vital part of product development—here are just a few.

1. PDM decreases the chance of confusion among teams. A PDM software system (Pivot uses Oracle’s Agile Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system for product data management) allows team members to work together on the product with minimal confusion, as all documents and data can be available at all times (or to those with permissions). If someone makes a change to a design, the new drawing can be uploaded and shared; if someone accidentally overwrites a file, those actions are trackable. Everything from Engineering Change Orders to Manufacturing Change Orders and Temporary Deviations can be tracked, ensuring that all team members are, and remain, on the same page.
2. PDM allows for detailed cost analysis. A PDM system can allow users to pull automatic product cost reports, allowing for reviews to be made throughout the process. This can be extremely helpful for product teams working on tight budgets, as it lets developers see where the best opportunities to decrease costs lie. In addition, with reports available throughout the product’s lifecycle, developers can tell early on whether they need to find more cost-effective materials or methods of production.




3. PDM increases productivity. With the increase in 3D modeling and computer aided design (CAD), it’s important to have a system capable of accessing, revising, and sharing the files and data associated with these formats. And since there’s an increasing variety of types of 3D design data, it’s important to have a system capable of handling all of them.

Plus, revising a 3D design is not nearly as simple as working with a 2D version. When you make changes to a file, it affects the rest of the data associated with that project, creating a kind of ripple effect. A PDM system can help make sure that those changes are beneficial and necessary, rather than something that will end up costing you more money or messing up the design.

Just like CAD can speed up the process of getting a product to market, PDM can speed up the product’s development by decreasing the chance that changes, revisions, or other important notes will be left undocumented.

4. PDM encourages collaboration. Traditional methods of data management—paper drawings, schematics, and reports—make it difficult for product developers to work together efficiently, especially if a team is scattered in different locations. That’s why CAD has become enormously popular, in use in industries from auto manufacture to architecture to film. CAD can let you see how your product’s moving parts will function, how shading and color will look, and even illustrate a touchscreen or computer screen, if your product has one.

CAD also allows team members from all over the world to collaborate on a single design through file-sharing, and PDM makes that process not only easy, but transparent, too.

Pivot International helps inventors, product designers, and product developers with all facets of product design and development, including product data management. Whether you need it as a stand-alone service or as part of a larger suite of services, Pivot is ready to help. Contact us today!

Top 10 Mobile Apps for Investors, Product Designers & Creative Thinkers

There are so many mobile apps out there these days that it’s almost impossible to keep tabs on what’s available. Photography apps, list-keeping apps, productivity apps, exercise apps…the list is never-ending and it’s growing by the day.
That’s why we decided to offer a list of the best apps we’ve found for creative thinkers—specifically, product designers, inventors, and others involved in the product creation business. While there are few, if any, apps out there geared at inventors in particular, all of these have great applications to the business of making things.

1. Vittle. This iOS app lets you create short whiteboard video recordings that you can screencast from your iPad. You can draw, use photos, or import PDF slide decks, and narrate the videos yourself. This is great for inventors or designers who are trying to sell their products to larger companies, or bring in business partners.
2. Wunderlist. Voted App of the Year in 2013, this productivity app allows you to make lists, assign to-dos, and collaborate with others on projects. You can set reminders and due dates to make sure you don’t miss deadlines during the product development process, or forget that big meeting with a manufacturer. And since you can share and collaborate on your lists with others, this is perfect for team projects.
3. Tayasui Sketches. This fun sketching app will bring out the designer in anyone. With brush choices including pencil, charcoal, and watercolor brush, the app allows you to make simple drawings of your product ideas—they won’t be professional, but they’re great for early-stage concepting.
4. Tapnotes. This note-taking and recording app brings the best of both functions together in a single app. You can record audio, then add notes and tags either on the spot or at a later time. Then you can jump to tagged spots in the recording, making it easy to find those important points in a meeting or lecture.
5. Asana. A product management app for teams to use, Asana has become one of the most popular in its category. For a mobile app, it’s got an impressive array of features—you can organize projects into sections to match your workflow, create tasks for yourself or someone else, and have conversations around projects, among other things.
6. Paper. This is another sketching app that allows you to create diagrams, drawings, and charts and organize them into virtual notebooks. You can also take notes, and draw on or highlight details in photos.
7. Slack. If you’re sick of keeping up with dozens of emails from everyone on your team, try Slack—it’s a 21st century chat room. Users can message each other instantly, and you can set up different conversations: one for product development, one for random ideas, and so forth.
8. GoodReader. This app lets you open nearly any kind of file, from PDF to text, and make notes, annotate, even add drawings. It’s quick and simple, and takes the hassle out of finding the right app for the right file type.
9. FlowVella. To create really beautiful presentations for your product, try FlowVella. This app lets you integrate text, video, photos, and sound, offering easy editing tools to make everything, well, flow. You can even create apps derived from your Flows.
10. Directr. Making a video for your IndieGoGo campaign to fund your product idea? If you’re a newbie to the medium, try getting started with Directr, which offers storyboard templates with a preset number of clips. You record the clips you need, put them in order, and there you have it: a finished video, without the hours of editing that making a video usually requires.

We hope these apps help you get your creative process going. If you find you need a little more help, contact us at Pivot International—we offer product design services, prototyping, manufacturing and more.