January 2020 - Sated Design

Need a new challenge?

Sated Design have started 2020 with a strong order book and are looking to continue our growth by employing another middle weight designer. We take projects from the first sketch to finished product and require a designer with a portfolio of excellent concept design and an eye for technical detail to join our team.

Requirements for this very exciting role include:

• At least two years of post graduate product design experience.

• Solidworks, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite.

• Strong understanding of materials and manufacturing processes.

• Self-motivated, professional, and confident – You will participate in discussions with director level clients.

• Excellent communication skills – You will assist in preparing project proposals; communicate technical details to lay-people; and maintain lasting relationships with clients and suppliers.

• Prototyping skills – You will be able to develop your own solutions using a hands on approach in our workshop.

• Sourcing experience – both in UK and the Far East.

• Full UK driving license preferable.

• Must like dogs!

This role is based at the Sated Design office in Teignmouth, South Devon. This is a wonderful part of the world, and joining Hillside Product Design is a unique opportunity to develop your technical, creative, and organisational skills while enjoying a life by the sea; within reach of Exeter, Dartmoor, and Cornwall. Living in Devon is very affordable and the work life balance suits those who can work hard and enjoy clean air, countryside and blue skies.

To apply, please email louise@hillsidedesign.co.uk with a copy of your CV and portfolio.

Sated Design is a name used for marketing the specific expertise of Hillside Product Design Ltd in designing adult pleasure products.

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The Sex Tech taboo

Last week CES 2020, a major consumer technology show held in Las Vegas, opened its doors for another year. The event is hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), an international organisation which showcases innovation and new technologies.

Walk into this flagship innovation show and head to a far corner, tucked away near the toilets, you’ll find the Health and Wellness zone, this year’s home for Sex Tech. A welcoming change to see Sex Tech represented, but it is far from embraced. Sex Tech is still taboo for organisations like these who are supposed to be paving the way for innovation.

It is our opinion that Sex Tech should be given to the mainstream and shouldn’t be hidden away. This flagship show with its worldwide audience is a prime arena to remove taboos and allow centre stage for genuinely innovative products.
With a lot of media attention on health and wellbeing in recent years, Sex Tech has a real potential for growth in these industries. There is a strong desire for products that make you feel good about yourself. Innovative Sex Tech may genuinely have the possibility to improve lives.

There is so much potential for innovation to the mainstream with Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. Interesting new products at the show included; The Pulse Warming Dispenser which heats and dispenses oils and gels, thus removing the mess of traditional bottles. Also featured was OSÉ, an innovative robotic massager which moves and uses suction but does not vibrate. It has nine intellectual property patents and almost 250 parts. Despite this clear innovation, the product caused some Sex Tech Controversy last year. Having won an award, the CTA subsequently went on to take the award away, before months later giving it back again.

A needless and unnecessary dispute which leads us and other players in the industry to challenge, when will Sex Tech be accepted as innovative?

Here at Sated Design we feel that Sex Tech should have equal footing at this show and others like it. Innovative technology should be appreciated without taboos or conservative views.

Will we see more Sex Tech at the show next year? We hope so! And could it be you? If you have an innovative Sex Tech idea and want to make it a reality, contact us today – we may just be able to help you.

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Funding the next great product

The beginning of a New Year can often be the catalyst to make a change, whether it be personal or work related. The phrase “new year, new start” resonates through January and this is especially true when considering New Product Development (NPD). It can take a lot of time and resource to get an idea off the ground, find a suitable market and develop a new product. Even the most accomplished of businesses may require assistance both in terms of funding and in terms of expertise.

Grant funding is one way you can turn to finance your new product idea. The Innovate UK Smart Grant competition opens on the 9th January and businesses of any size can apply for a slice of £25 million. This open UK grant funding programme has a specific purpose of supporting game changing ideas to develop new products that have significant global market potential. The Sextech industry is reportedly worth over $30 billion and estimated to be growing at an annual rate of 30%.

To be in with a chance of winning a grant, the key to your application is to demonstrate you have clearly considered your new product’s innovation, global market potential and the target customer’s needs. This is where utilising a Product Design Consultancy like Hillside could be the key to your success.

We can assist with a feasibility study which will demonstrate to the judges that you have determined whether your NPD is do-able. We can undertake a risk assessment which will demonstrate that you have considered the end user of the new product. We can also assist you with completing your application for smart funding and if successful, most excitingly, we can help you make your ideas a reality, taking your product idea to the point of manufacture when it becomes a market ready product!

Our services can be tailored to suit your needs – we are well adapted to itemise our service and can step in and out at any stage. In our online portfolio you will find an extensive list of successful products we have helped bring to market across a broad range of industries. We have completed many projects over the last 13 years and our skills, experience and expertise are invaluable.

Once you have taken that “new year, new start” leap, it’s important you get it right.

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