The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the global stage where new hardware products are introduced and technology trends are defined. This year was no different — we came away from CES with a clear picture of where the future direction of technology is headed, and how consumers, hardware products and development teams will be impacted. In this blog post, Ian Kayser, VP of Operations at Design 1st, discusses three of technology trends he encountered at CES — and how the relationship with end consumers is about to change.

High Tech pet products are everywhere It's a great time to be a pet. A wave of new high-tech pet products and innovations have just hit the market. And there are many more in development. So, if you are a pet owner, entrepreneur or investor - now is the perfect time to get up to speed on the hottest pet tech devices.

Companies in need of hardware product design—particularly hardware startups looking to launch new products—have a lot riding on how they choose to bring their products to market. To ensure manufacturable design concepts, it’s crucial that companies get specialized expertise in both electronics and materials from their design, prototype and manufacturing partners. Why is it so important? Poorly designed and engineered products can sink not only product launches but also careers … and companies. In this blog post, Kevin Bailey, President of Ottawa-based Design 1st, discusses three of the biggest hardware […]

Floods are becoming more common around the world. What was once a 100-year phenomenon is now a seasonal trend that homeowners must deal with. And the main solution deployed to fight these rising water is sandbags – 1000’s upon 1000’s of sandbags made from burlap or polypropylene. But is this the most effective method? As product designers,  we began thinking about the challenges of floods and exploring other product solutions already on the market. See what we found below: Water gate is a clever PVC device that uses the pressure of […]

Prototype costs can range from a $100 to upwards of $30,000 for high fidelity connected devices.   Video: Reasons why we prototype One of the most common questions we get is how much does a prototype cost to make? This is a tricky question, as prototypes can be free or cost upwards of $100,000. It all depends on why you want a prototype.   So, why do YOU want a prototype?   If you ask any of the recent people we talk to, many will have a different answer. Some […]