Courses

Course: New Product Development


The course covers the entire product development process, from identifying customer needs, to generating concepts, to prototyping and design, to product launch. Participants will also learn how to build business cases to gain VC and/or angel funding, as well as protect their inventions with patents and trademarks. It uses the same book as well as many of the same techniques of similar courses offered at Stanford and MIT. Students in the New Product Development course will learn best practice examples from the industry using case studies, and will have an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a team project. This course is ideal for those aspiring to become successful product managers.

Course Description Syllabus
UCBX X405.8 New Product Development: UCBX
Comprehensive overview of new product development from an entrepreneurial perspective.
UCBX 405.8
UCBX IDP XXX; New Product Development: IDP
Comprehensive overview of new product development from an entrepreneurial perspective.
UCBX IDP XXX

Course Content: (abridged version)
Introductory chapters shown; Remaining chapters are Password-Protected.

The course content table below includes chapter content, case studies (with supporting files), web resources, and relevant videos. Only the introductory chapters are shown. To access the full content, please enter the password in the password area above.

Course Content Case Studies Web Resources Videos
Unit 1.
Introduction (pdf)
Introduction to New Product Development (9:39);
Video: Everyday Edisons PBS TV Program (9:43)
Sample Project.
Sample Project (pdf);
Presentation Pointers (pdf)
Entrepreneur: 100 Brilliant Companies: (Ideas for products and services);
Tuckman's Team Model
marketing metrics
Pimp My PowerPoint
(2:58)

Resources: Inventor-Oriented Firms

Resource Description
Afingo Description: Afingo is like Alibaba, but tailored for the fashion industry. Afingo holds a database of qualified fashion manufacturers, and matches vendors with the inventor/ designer's idea. Example: "The Shirt", as seen on Oprah. Benefits: Saves inventors the time and expense of hiring a consultant. By considering a variety of vendors (instead of dealing with only one), the inventor/ designer will not be over-charged by a particular vendor. Limitations: Limited to the fashion industry. Process: Pay $899 for three carefully matched vendors. Tell Afingo about the design, about your location, how many units you plan to produce, and your level of experience.
Alibaba Description: Alibaba connects inventors with thousands of different manufacturers all over the world. It allows inventors to compare different manufacturers quickly and easily. The company has 65 million users in 240 countries. Example: Sole Bicycles, which makes fixed gear bicycles. Benefits: Alibaba finds relevant manufacturers for different types of products, saving inventors the time and expense of going abroad or working with agents. Alibaba can reduce the time for inventors to source a supplier from 3-4 months (typical) to as little as a week. Limitations: Alibaba is not intended as a full-service company. It is positioned as more of a DIY approach. (But as a result, inventors do not give up their intellectual property or profits) Process: Go to Alibaba.com, look for different manufacturers that could do the job, then send out emails to them, telling them what you want. Select the manufacturer that works out best, get samples, and place an initial order.
Bay Area Prototypes Description: Bay Area Prototypes is a typical example of a rapid prototyping vendor. The company creates parts using fused deposition modeling (FDM), an "additive" manufacturing technology similar to stereolithography. It also can create prototypes using computer numerically controlled (CNC) manufacturing. Rates: Bay Area Prototypes charges $60 per hour for FDM parts and $85 per hour for CNC parts. See also Chapter 12.
IDEO Description: IDEO is a leading industrial design firm. See also Chapter 6 and 7. Example: Faraday Bike, an electric bicycle to inspire everyday riding.
Kano Diagrams Description: Kano diagrams can be used to model customer satisfaction and can assist with identifying customer needs. See also Chapter 4.
Lunar Description: Lunar is a full-service industrial design firm that also engages in product design, engineering design, and graphic design. See also Chapter 10. Example: Green Toys, classic children's toys made of recycled material from used milk jugs.
Pragmatic Marketing Description: An excellent resource for product managers, with good articles on every step of the product management process. Example: "How to Make Product Management Strategic." See also chapters 3, 4, and 5.
Quirky Description: According to an Entrepreneur.com article, Quirky bills itself as "Social Product Development," and indeed its aim is to "democratize design." Quirky has an online community of 65,000 members, who consist of hobby inventors, students, retirees, and product design enthusiasts. Example: Pivot Power, a flexible power strip that retails for $29.99. Benefits: "Democratize design" by allowing anyone to be an inventory, and by permitting online community members to provide suggestions for improvement. Quirky has pre-existing relationships with many retail partners, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, FrontGate, Office Max, Toys"R"Us, and others. Limitations: Products must retail for less than $150. Products must not require integrated software. Process: Click on the Submit Your Idea Now button. The online community votes on your submission. The two most popular ideas are sent to an in-house team of engineers and designers to research, render, and prototype. The user community provides comments during each step. The best suggestions are incorporated into the invention. Community members giving winning suggestions get a portion of future sales revenue. Surveys are sent to determine estimated volume. If enough units are pre-sold, Quirky will manufacture it.
Telebrands Description: Telebrands is a direct-response marketer that uses TV and other media to advertise its products. CEO and founder A.J. Khubani is famous for its "As Seen on TV" logo. If your idea is selected, you keep the rights, but Telebrands licenses them until the contract expires. Royalties differ depending on patents, uniqueness, and other variables. Example: Robo Stir, a gadget that sits in pots and automatically stirs the contents, such as soup or sauce. Benefits: Many products marketed by Telebrands sell over 10 million units. Limitations: Products must retail between $10-$20, and solve everyday problems. It can be difficult to differentiate your product from the many thousands of other ideas submitted. Process: Submit your idea to: InventorsDay<@>Telebrands.com. If you are selected, you will be invited to give a 5 minute pitch at an Inventors Day, which is held in various cities every 6 - 8 weeks.
ThomasNet Description: ThomasNet is used for product sourcing and supplier discovery. ThomasNet.com displays hundreds of thousands of suppliers, organized into more than 67,000 categories. See also Chapter 5 and Chapter 11.

Resources: Intellectual Property

Resource Description
Google Patent Search Ability to search over 8 million patents. Streamlined interface aids search process.
Inventor's Digest Online intellectual property information source, with topical articles, upcoming events, and Invention Radio.
Pat2PDF Delivers PDF versions of patents, based on patent number.
PatentPro $299 software package to prepare utility patents. Full featured, but said to be difficult to use.
Patent Wizard Online tool to prepare and file (via a law office) a provisional patent application.
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Comprehensive information on patents and trademarks, in addition to articles on IP law and policy. Authoratitive, but difficult to navigate and use.
"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results."
- Sir Winston Churchill