I’ve been freelancing for almost 2 years now and consulting for 12 years prior to that. One thing I’ve realised is that no job is ever the same. That being said, I have noticed that the levels of engagement between clients can be grouped quite well, each with a varying outcome in mind.
I’m making a change to how I work with New Zealand and Australian hardware businesses. Rather than push generic industrial design expertise, my goal is to productise offerings to allow ID support in a more relatable fashion.
Over the years, I’ve found most businesses fall into one of three categories:
-
They have a continuous product pipeline and need ongoing design depth.
-
They have a defined project that needs to be executed properly.
-
They have a specific technical or strategic question and need clarity before committing further.
Each scenario requires a different level of involvement and associated design thinking. For example, continuous product pipelines focus on roadmaps, iterative improvements, and continuity. Whereas project based work focusses on specific output, constrained budgets, sprint cycles and clear cut output. Either way, these models are a result of the relating buisness and their situation. Neither is better or worse, it jsut comes down to the project and what it needs.
What doesn’t work well is a vague, open-ended “can you help us with design?” arrangement. That usually leads to unclear expectations, under-scoped work, or reactive decision-making, which ultimately results in costly reworks or misaligned expectations.
To remove ambiguity, protect capacity, and ensure the right level of support, I’ve made changes to structure my services into three clear engagement tiers. This allows:
-
Defined scope where appropriate
-
Protected capacity where continuity matters
-
Fast access to expertise when decisions need to be made
The result is straightforward: you choose the depth of engagement that matches your product development stage.
Embedded Design Support
Fixed-term, in-depth engagement
This is the highest level of involvement.
I commit to your business for a defined contract length and operate as an embedded industrial designer within your team. Development capacity is reserved and integrated into your workflow.
This typically includes:
-
Attending product development meetings
-
Supporting engineering and manufacturing decisions
-
Reviewing tooling strategy and production readiness
-
Developing concepts and production-ready CAD
-
Providing ongoing DFM/DFA refinement
-
Collaborating directly with suppliers where required
This model works best for:
-
Established NZ manufacturers
-
Auckland-based hardware companies
-
Businesses with active product pipelines
-
Teams not ready to hire full-time design staff
The key difference is continuity.
With embedded support, product knowledge compounds over time. Early design decisions are informed by manufacturing realities, capacity is secured rather than reactive, and your development pipeline becomes more predictable. Instead of restarting context at each stage, momentum and ownership are maintained through to production.
You’re not purchasing deliverables, you’re securing capacity and product depth.
Project-Based Industrial Design
Clearly defined scope and outcomes
This is structured, project-based engagement.
You have a defined objective:
-
An injection-moulded enclosure
-
A sheet metal product ready for fabrication
-
A prototype that needs development
-
CAD refinement and production documentation
-
A new product taken from concept through to manufacture
We begin by clearly scoping the work, defining deliverables, and aligning timelines and expected outcomes. From there, the project is executed in a structured and focused manner, concluding with manufacturing-ready output and comprehensive documentation to support production and supplier handover.
This is ideal when:
-
The problem is specific
-
The outcome is measurable
-
The timeline is contained
It’s focused, efficient, and built around defined manufacturing outcomes.
Product Strategy Sessions
Targeted 60-minute working session
These are a work in progress and I will expand on as time progresses, however the intent is sometimes you don’t need a full project, you just need clarity.
A strategy session is a focused 60-minute working call where we tackle a specific issue, such as:
-
Is this product commercially viable?
-
Is injection moulding the right process?
-
How should this enclosure be split for tooling?
-
Why is this part expensive to manufacture?
-
How should we structure our product development pipeline?
You leave with direction and actionable steps forward.
For early-stage founders, growing hardware businesses, or teams navigating new product directions, this is often the fastest way to avoid expensive mistakes and move forward with confidence.
Why the shift?
It might sound like I’ve reinventing the wheel, however I’ve learnt that every product and team sits at a different stage. The key is matching the level of support to the level of complexity. Whether you need embedded involvement, defined project delivery, or targeted strategic guidance, the objective remains the same. Steady progress toward production. If you’re ready to move forward with clarity, let’s discuss the right fit.
