Have you ever wondered what’s involved to bring a new product to market? Perhaps even now you have a juicy idea scrawled out on a napkin tucked away somewhere. Every time you happen across it you’re thinking “Without a doubt, this here puppy is the next big thing!” Problem is, you have no earthly idea how to get from paper to product in a single bound! Or, maybe being the maker type you’re a touch further along the path having just emerged from your garage or basement la-bor-a-tory beaming with delight over the widget you now hold in your hands. Then suddenly amid the brightness of full daylight, the thought hits you smack upside the head “My baby sure is ugly!” Without a doubt, you know your widget is not a product ready for primetime. What to do?
The short answer, follow this SkillCoach product design series. Over a number of posts, I will chronicle each phase of a recent collaboration with my son-in-law, Wesley Brubaker, a flight nurse/paramedic as we emersed ourselves in all it took to birth the XShear Brand. Our initial widget? Trauma shears, the “tool-of-the-trade” for EMT’s, first responders and emergency room staff the world over! Yep, we decided to undertake the task to design, manufacture, and market our own new version of trauma shears the workhorse product of the emergency response industry! But before we set to work in earnest, we enlisted the help of guys to cover cinematography and branding. With the cast of characters now in place, we were set to go!
Curious to know the process and outcome? Then read on! Let’s get this thing kicked-off with a quick look at the fruit of our labor, our current XShear product line-up and then Wesley’s story.
The Back Story
This first installment is Episode 14 of XShear TV from our Instagram channel. It serves wonderfully as a high-level overview of the entire process. Wesley shares the back story that is, the idea that started percolating inside of his head as he navigated the hustle and bustle of the trauma bay at various hospital emergency rooms. He explains the actions he took to begin working toward making his dream a reality. At about the 1:39 mark you get a peek at product sketches, prototypes and out in-process goodies.
Stay tuned for the next more in-depth post. In the meantime feel free to hop over to the XShear website or to our Instagram TV channel and catch some of the antics as we put the XShear through the paces in our “Will It Cut-It” series.
Enjoy!
