Design Insights & Best Practices

Have tariffs, changing trade policies, freight costs, or supply-chain risks affected your business? If so, it may be worth asking a broader question: Does every product you manufacture need to be produced in the same country? For many small and mid-sized manufacturers, the answer may be worth re-evaluating. As global trade conditions continue to evolve, adding Canada to your manufacturing strategy can create another option for supporting customers across multiple markets. Tha

Risk Management is not only about finding and minimizing potential problems, but accepting the reality of risk in pursuit of opportunities. When is it advantageous to take a risk? Example: If an early prototype is redesigned to add a new feature, the extra complexity might overheat the electronics in the existing shell, or the plastic around the new buttons could warp in the updated tool. Result: Either it works, or the prototype design is modified. The cost is time and new t

Market Sizing is a form of research and analysis that identifies who will buy your product, who might buy your product, and who could be persuaded to buy your product under the right conditions. Understanding this distinction is crucial to a successful product launch. It shows you the sales potential of your offering. Let’s break it down: TAM – Total Addressable Market is how much opportunity is out there for your product, assuming that you could capture 100% market share. S

On June 6th, ACIDO (Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of Ontario) hosted the 24th annual Rocket Awards, celebrating the next generation of industrial design talent from Carleton University, Humber Polytechnic, OCAD University, and Sheridan College. Tensen Design + Manufacturing was proud to have Jacob Edding, CID participate as part of this year’s jury, judging the Extreme & Specialized Environments category. Events like Rocket are a valuable reminder of what indu

Product Design Specification (PDS) is a document that outlines the requirements and features of a product, as agreed upon by the designers and the client. The PDS keeps everything on track; it ensures that the design is focused and driven by core goals. It begins with a value proposition: Why make the product in the first place? What does it do, who would use it, who would buy it? Next, the scope: What are the product requirements? Form, function, usability, safety? The PDS s

Quality costs money. Poor quality costs more! Most people look at quality activities as a cost: inspections, audits, training, documentation, supplier evaluations, FAI, control plans, etc. But the real cost comes from situations when those activities are skipped: rework, scrap, line stops, delayed shipments, customer complaints, expedited freight, warranty claims, lost trust, and loss of future business. That is why it’s important to evaluate your Cost of Quality early in the

Ergonomics (designing to fit humans) is fundamental to product design – after all, what good is a product if it doesn’t fit the user? Performing a ‘human factors analysis’ helps us figure out how people interact with the products and systems in their work environment. From there, we can solve real-world problems based on the needs of the user. And it isn’t just about comfort, safety, and knowing our limits. Good ergonomic design maximizes human capability, making users happy

Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) is used to stop failures before they happen – and cost you! It determines all the possible ways a design could fail, then prioritizes the risk level of each. Think of it as putting your design under the microscope. Whatever you do, don’t enter production without performing a DFMEA! Here is the process: 1. Start by defining your parts, their function, and specs. 2. Identify a failure: What would result in a loss of function? 3.

Feature creep, also known as featuritis, happens when stakeholders add too many features to a product.