Category: New Idea Process

Pulling the Plug

A patent protecting the broad concept of “teledildonics” has recently expired, potentially paving the way for a wave of sex toys that can be controlled over the internet.

Teledildonics, also known as cyberdildonics, is a term to describe sex toys that can be plugged into a device, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone, and link to other sex toys and interactive applications over the internet, giving users the possibility to interact with sexual partners over long distances.

The patent, originally filed in 1998, includes descriptions of systems where stimulation devices are linked via transmitters to computers equipped with video cameras, capable of then connecting to and interacting with other such systems and pre-recorded video across the internet.

Many view this particular patent as having stifled development of this technology for several years, with the company that had owned the rights filing 10 lawsuits alleging infringement between 2015 and 2017, leading them to be labelled a “patent troll” and gaining notoriety in the industry. The expiration of the patent now potentially removes a large barrier to new development in this area.

However, despite cheers and applause from sex toy innovators, expiration of this single patent doesn’t necessarily mean a green light to a free-for-all for new teledildonics products. While on the surface it may look like a golden opportunity, other inventors will no doubt hold patents and intellectual property covering different areas of this technology, so even with one significant obstacle removed the wider legal minefield remains present. You are just a bit less likely to get sued.

As always, it’s important to continue to do your due diligence to ensure that your product doesn’t infringe anyone else’s intellectual property and land you and your business in hot water. Make use of the services of a patent attorney to help you discover the potential pitfalls and barriers to your product development early on in the process to avoid costly legal action and redesigns later on. It is important that you have a good understanding of the intellectual property landscape of your industry.

We as your product designers can then help you to come up with solutions that circumvent the rights held by your competitors and put valuable IP into your own hands.

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Are There Advantages of Outsourcing Your Design Requirements?

Here we look at why it may be the better option rather than building your own in-house team of designers.

Experience:
Consultancies deal with a wide range of products across a variety of markets, giving them a greater breadth and depth of skill and knowledge. This knowledge helps to fast track ideas to becoming a reality, whereas working within your own confines can potentially take much longer, especially if it is proving difficult to know where to begin.

Working with many projects and different clients, here at Sated Design we can cross pollinate insights and knowledge gained from a host of different varying projects. Our depth of experience coupled with your knowledge results in original thoughts which develop into original products that standout not just in terms of aesthetics but also in functionality.

Cost:
Hiring external design services at first glance may seem expensive, but in the long run will prove to be cost effective. By paying for design services only when you need them, this not only saves on the cost of salaries but also all of the other extra expenses such as software-licences, workstations, prototypes and testing equipment.

Design consultancies not only help to save time and money by designing your product but also help you save when it comes to manufacturing. By using your design-house’s suppliers, you will be able to receive competitive quotations and manufacturing experience, which is not easy to find on your own.

Flexibility:
Designing might not be your full time job, it may be your hobby therefore you may not have sufficient time to focus on achieving your goals for your project. Seeking external design expertise will help you prioritise the workload or assist you at critical phases of the design process. It is always a good idea to seek help or even advice during the development of your product. Any delays in launching products or missing a design opportunity can end up costing you far more than the cost of hiring external help.

Conclusion:
By helping you to refine your ideas to a good product for your intended market and ensuring that the end result can be manufactured we may just save you time, money and a catalogue of unexpected challenges.

If you need something designing, or to compliment your current design capabilities, or even just a fresh perspective on a project, please contact us here at Sated Design.

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Is It Possible to Satisfy Everyone?

If someone said your laces were undone you would simply bend over and tie them without a moment’s hesitation wouldn’t you?  If they asked you to describe how you tie your shoe laces you would have to think it through and possibly find it difficult to adequately describe all the movements required to achieve this. Think of these movements and how difficult this simple task would be for someone who has mobility issues – you would be right to suggest ‘not easy’. Now imagine the struggle for the same person attempting to use an adult toy for pleasure!

Have you ever considered the phrase “to walk in someone else’s shoes”? This means to understand some aspect of life from another person’s experience and point of view. Not surprisingly this methodology is often referred to when designing products for the less abled and the associated problems that go with it. As product designers we apply this approach every day and most of the time it is not easy as you may expect. At the very simple end of the scale it might be possible to sit in a wheelchair and experience the problems of self-closing doors or reaching for items on the top shelf in a supermarket, but the majority of the experiences designers try to understand are often much more complex and perhaps none more so than when sexual satisfaction is in question.

How many of us have given any thought to the difficulty a less able person might have in achieving sexual satisfaction? What about a person who needs continual care and support? How do they satisfy their own needs when it might be impossible to even reach ‘down there’? How do you talk about this with a carer, especially if they are a family member? There are no easy and uncontroversial solutions for this particular situation but there are answers for people who experience difficulty in their reach, twisting, or gripping in everyday situations. Why should matter of sexual satisfaction be any different? It is arguable that what works for a less able bodied person will work even better for an able bodied person so it is beneficial to everyone to make the design of adult toys as inclusive as possible. Consider this, why should an able bodied person struggle just because they can adapt to make an inconsiderate design work?

The adult toy industry often talks about everyone having the right to sexual happiness and fulfillment but can it honestly say it offers all that it could?

Get in touch to discuss your ideas today.  We can help guide you through the journey of making your desirable product a reality.

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Another Sated Design on its way to completion

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Lead times

Lead times are important to a project whatever the time of year. During the last few months of any year it is even more important to be aware of lead times than usual. This is because Christmas and Chinese New Year are on the horizon and their effect on a project’s lead time should always be borne in mind. At Sated Design we always make sure to advise clients of the effects of upcoming events to their schedule and if enough notice is given make sure they get to production with parts reviewed, checked and shipped before the factory finishes for the holidays.

Progressing Projects

Sated Design look to progress projects swiftly so that our clients can see samples return from the manufacturer as soon as is possible. We recently worked on a project which ran from concept to production issue in just over a month. This was an involved project that included Sated Design providing research, testing and a fully functioning prototype as well as the CAD design, costing and a comprehensive production issue.

Quick Lead Times

Sated Design make it possible to achieve quick lead times by using time compression techniques, an example of which was used at the start of this project. Concept design is progressed with the use of hand sketching this has a faster turnaround time than CAD and is suited for quickly exploring lots of different options. Throughout the project, up to the point of the production issue we maintain a dialogue with the tool maker to ensure a smooth hand over.

Communication

But Sated Designs involvement does not stop at the production issue. We communicate with the tool maker as tooling progresses to help ensure that the project arrives on time and at the agreed quality. It is very satisfying to work in cooperation with manufacturers and clients so they can arrive at a point where tooling commences promptly with samples production following on.

If you have a new adult product idea or an existing product you want to develop for this fast moving market, we are the people to help you get there and succeed. Give us a call on 01626 774881 for a free of charge, confidential initial consultation.

Let’s Create Something Great Together
Contact us today
info@sateddesign.com

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Is my product idea feasible? Part 2

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Feasibility Studies are a crucial tool in ensuring your project gets off to the best start in the right direction. Catch up on Part 1 of Is my product idea feasible? Which explains the benefits of Feasibility Studies, how to get the best from them and how they help you to visualise the end goal.

3) Understanding Design Standards

It is important to be aware of statutory requirements for your product before you develop your design any further. These standards will govern elements like size, shape, materials, construction, emissions and immunities, and end of life considerations of the product, so having an understanding of them ahead of time is a big advantage. This is especially true if you plan to sell the product in multiple territories, each with different standards. A brief summary based on a cursory investigation should be included. Depending on the product this may include information relating to the following:

“CE, General Product Safety Regulations, European Commission Directives, Underwriters Laboratories (US), Trading Standards, Food Standards Agency, Food and Drug Administration (US), Federal Communications Commission (US), Consumer Product Safety Commission (US), standards relating to children, standards relating to electrical devices etc…”

4) Manufacture and Assembly

It is helpful to be aware of manufacturing constraints for the known components and to get the manufacturers advice during the quotation process to ensure that the design is optimised for performance and unit cost. Other constraints include:

– Geographical location and logistics
– Investment cost and amortisation
– Mechanical requirements of parts
– Manufacturability
– Method of assembly
– Quality assurance

5) Running the Numbers –
Preliminary Costings

To determine a realistic budget for a product, it is important to compile a cost breakdown for tooling, parts manufacture, and assembly from manufacturers. This is normally done by submitting requests for quotation along with part and assembly specifications.

Sated Design can prepare specifications for manufacturers to quote against, and depending on the client’s requirements Sated Design can provide this as a pack for the client to issue, or Sated Design can perform a costing exercise and present the client with a finished cost breakdown.

Sated Design’s feasibility study service can help you to make the best decisions for your business before you take the leap into the industrial design process. Get in touch to discuss your project and begin the journey.

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Is my product idea feasible? Part 1

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What is a feasibility study?

In product development, a feasibility study asks whether or not your project is do-able. It should be conducted at the outset of a project against the background context of the business, and it takes into account all factors likely to have an impact, including economic, technical, legal and scheduling aspects.

Will the project achieve the desired effect within the set budget and timeframe? Can you adequately fund the project? Do you have the technical resources to transform your project into reality or will you need to outsource? Will there be any legal considerations or conflicts that arise from your project? Can you achieve your goals within the specified deadlines?

These answers and many others allow business leaders to decide if there is enough potential for the project to succeed or that it is worth allocating resources towards pursuing it further.

1) Prepare – Where Do I Start?

To make the best use of a feasibility study, you should collect together all of the relevant information you have relating to the project. Each project will be different but the following should be considered:

– Costings and budget
– Material preferences
– Target market
– Anticipated life cycle of the product
– Aesthetics & Styling
– Pre-existing or problematic Intellectual Property (IP)
– Funding and investment
– Technological requirements
– Legal requirements and standards
– Milestones and deadlines

2) Visualising Your Product

In most cases, visual images of a product are one of the quickest ways to get feedback from interested parties, collaborators, stakeholders, and users. Most projects will require some form of visual material to communicate ideas effectively. A picture tells a thousand words and Sated Design can help you to tell the best story.

Mood boards, hand-drawn sketches, shaded industrial design illustrations and 3D CGI renders are all examples of visual presentation techniques. The number of images and the techniques used to communicate ideas will vary dependant on time, budget, intended use, and the complexity of the subject.

Coming up in Part 2 – Understanding Standards, Manufacture and Assembly, and Running the Numbers – Preliminary Costings.

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The client-consultancy relationship

 

The client-consultancy relationship within an adult toy product design company

If you have worked with an adult product design company before, or are considering working with one in the future, then this article asks you to consider how the following elements combine to make sure the client-consultancy relationship is effective and achieves the best outcome.

Have a plan for your adult product design

You are both about to embark on a creative journey during which you will discover the needs and requirements of the product or service, given its intended user and environment. The aim is to provide innovative, functional, satisfying solutions using the experience and resources of both parties.

There can be a lot to manage and control within a design project so having a clear plan is vital in making sure that the end goal is met. Both parties should agree on this plan so that key stages throughout the project can be communicated effectively through project meetings and reviews.

These stages might include the processes the project needs to go through, such as concept development or CAD modelling and the date and or time this process needs to be completed by. That being said, some projects can involve very complex development where realistic deadlines need to be considered.

Effective control over the project stages and deadlines will also benefit the other aspects of a product journey which might include meetings with potential investors, manufacturing or trade shows.

Share your knowledge for the adult toy product design

Good communication between the two parties will ensure that the final product is as good as it can be. Product designers are experts in design, but the client is the expert in their particular market. The client generally has valuable information that the consultancy can use to improve the design and vice versa. For example, clients will often conduct market research prior to approaching a consultancy to ensure their product idea has a market to target and sell to successfully.

For a client to share that market research with a consultancy, a full understanding of how the product will be used and who will be using it means the consultancy can return valuable information on obtaining intellectual property or certain standards the product will need to meet. Most importantly from the design point of view is that the consultancy can fully understand how they can create a product that will be a success and meet the needs of the user and the intended use.

Aim to grow the adult toy market

Once a client and the product design consultancy have worked together, developed a successful product and created a strong relationship it often opens the way to working together again. It creates a great basis on which to extend a client’s product range, helping both businesses to grow and improve competitiveness within the respective markets.

This is how Sated Design sees the key ingredients of a successful client-consultancy relationship. If you have a similar vision, let’s start talking and improve the outlook for our existing and potential customers.

Follow the link to our portfolio to see the success we have had with other clients.

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Ever had a new sex toy idea?

New sex toy idea - Making your sex toy idea happen

Adult Industry Product Design Specialist Company

Some of us at one time or another, may have had a new sex toy idea and we thought it could be the next big thing. The journey between the initial idea and seeing it on the shelves can be a very rewarding experience. However the road to success is littered with hidden pitfalls. Many companies and inventors struggle, or even fail, to develop a new product without appropriate assistance.

First and foremost, our role at Sated Design is to assist businesses in developing a new sex toy idea or improving an existing product so it is ready for its intended market.

Turn your new sex toy idea into reality

A typical sex toy project process would include one or more of the following stages:

1. Review – the new idea may be good, but does it tick all the boxes to be a successful and commercially viable product? This is the first step along the road and allows you to decide whether it is worth continuing or not.

2. Funding – Developing, protecting, manufacturing and distributing a product will require a substantial financial investment. How are the necessary funds going to be raised?

3. Protecting – There is no point having a great product if a copycat competitor steals your market advantage. What type of intellectual property protection is most suitable?

4. Developing the product – To take an idea from a rough sketch on the back of a paper napkin to a physical product rolling off the production line involves several stages. From the initial concept sketches, prototyping and testing, to producing data files ready for manufacturing, there are many elements to consider in development of a product.

5. Selling the product – All the hard work getting the product developed and manufactured will be for nothing if distribution and marketing fails. How are you going to get a good return on your investment?

Even the most accomplished will require assistance with a new sex toy idea which is where Sated Design’s expertise is invaluable. We work closely with all our clients to ensure they have all the support they need throughout the product development process.

Who we are – adult toy consultants

Sated Design was founded in 2003. We are a focused company who want our clients to achieve business success with innovative adult products that address the key factors of performance, reliability, cost and aesthetics.

We have designed many new sex toy ideas within the Adult industry. To date, our products have won Best Male Product for ETO, Winner of XBIZ Best Male Pleasure Product, Winner of Erotixx Highest Potential Product as well as several nominations for other Erotica Awards.

Adult Toy Product Design Company

We offer a complete product design for manufacturing service, including concept design and development, 3D CAD modelling and analysis, product visualisation and animation, prototype build including 3D priniting to production detailing and manufacturing implementation.

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