Embedded Product Development Support
For NZ and Australian hardware companies requiring consistent development capacity without expanding headcount.
When Internal Capacity Becomes a Bottleneck
Product teams often experience fluctuating development demands. Hiring full-time design staff isn’t always viable, but ad-hoc freelance support lacks continuity or on-going depth.
Embedded support provides consistent, senior-level product development capacity without the overhead of permanent employment.
Internal capacity stretched?
Lacking product range continuity?
Need ongoing manufacturing-ready design?
Not ready for a full-time hire?
Contract Industrial Design Expertise
Consistent capacity without expanding headcount.
Product teams often experience fluctuating development demands. Hiring full-time design staff isn’t always justified, yet ad-hoc freelance support lacks continuity and long-term ownership. Embedded support provides reserved weekly capacity integrated directly within your engineering and product workflow.
Working 1–2 days per week across a minimum 3 month engagement, I collaborate on ongoing product development, providing industrial design expertise, injection molding and sheet metal optimisation, production-ready CAD, DFM/DFA refinement, and supplier documentation. This structure provides consistent development momentum without the headaches.
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Continuity across development stages
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Deeper integration with engineering teams
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Faster iteration cycles
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Reduced onboarding overhead
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Long-term ownership of product decisions
Who Embedded Support Is Best Suited For:
Ideal for:
- Established hardware manufacturers
- Engineering teams requiring complimentary design capacity
- Businesses launching or refreshing product lines
- Companies preparing for tooling and production
Not Ideal for:
- One-off requests
- Short term engagement
- Unfunded start-ups
Evan quickly developed a new aesthetic design for our wearable tech product also producing high-quality renders that we used to engage early prospects. He then collaborated closely with our in-house team to refine the design for production. Evan quickly developed a good understanding of our business, target customers and constraints offering practical solution options.
Chris Komatas // COO – StretchSense
FAQ’s
How is embedded support different from hiring full-time?
Embedded support provides consistent weekly development capacity without the overhead of permanent employment. You gain senior-level expertise integrated within your team without recruitment costs, additional software licenses, onboarding delays, or long-term employment commitments.
How many days per week are typical?
Most engagements range from 1–2 days per week depending on workload and product stage. The goal is to maintain steady development momentum rather than reactive bursts of activity.
Is there a minimum commitment?
Embedded support typically operates on a 3-6 month rolling engagement to ensure continuity and meaningful contribution across development stages.
Why use an embedded designer rather than project based freelance?
Embedded support secures consistent weekly capacity and monthly spend while increasing design depth over time. Continued involvement means greater understanding of your products, constraints, suppliers, and pipeline priorities. Rather than redefining deliverables, seeking PO approval and restarting with each phase task, a contract designer progresses with sustained ownership, more flexibility, and more informed decision-making.
Freelance/project work is also transactional. It solves immediate tasks but does not future-proof capacity or compound design understanding. As new tasks arise, my availability may be booked out elsewhere.
For teams with active product pipelines, embedded support delivers both predictable capacity and deeper product engagement.
Do you work on-site or remotely?
Both and addressed on a case-by-case basis. I am setup to work on-site where appropriate and working closely with your team however a hybrid collaboration is common depending on the tasks at hand.
What types of products are best suited?
Embedded support is best suited to hardware products that are being manufactured. I am well versed in designing parts for injection molding, die casting, sheet metal fabrication, enclosures, or multi-component assemblies preparing for tooling and production.
Is this suitable for early-stage ideas?
Embedded support is designed for teams with active development pipelines or clear production intent. This would benefit funded start-ups intending to manufacture, or hardware business with new product initiatives.
If you are a founder with an early-stage idea, I recommend my Product Strategy Session or engage in project based work.
How is pricing structured?
Pricing reflects reserved weekly capacity rather than hourly ad-hoc work. Engagements are invoiced monthly based on agreed allocation.
Need Consistent Product Development Support?
If your team requires additional development capacity without committing to full-time headcount, let’s determine whether embedded support is the right fit.
