Howard Nuk

The most important parts of product development aren’t taught in school. They’re earned through practice. Over time, you learn how to: → Anticipate and avoid costly pitfalls → Develop sharp intuition for partners, clients, and customers → Adapt strategy to shifting objectives → Increase efficiency while protecting margins Experience builds judgment. And judgment drives better outcomes. I’m Andrew Bowen, Founder & Director of Unbox Product Design, an award-winning San Francisco–based product development firm. I work at the intersection of design, engineering, manufacturing, and business strategy, bringing over 15 years of product development experience and nearly a decade in marketing and client relations. Beyond leading Unbox, I dedicate time to mentoring and speaking with emerging professionals. Giving back to this industry matters. Stronger designers build stronger products. If you’re building something ambitious, experience matters. Let’s talk. #Innovation #DesignExcellence #IndustrialDesign #ProductDevelopment #Leadership

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AI is impacting how we think about sustainable products and packaging. Tools like MechStyle show what’s possible when generative AI is paired with real-world physics: designs that are customized, material-efficient, and structurally sound. Instead of overbuilding “just in case,” AI can identify weak points, reduce waste, and design only what’s needed. That’s a quiet but powerful sustainability win.

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The Flat-Pack Revolution: A Timeless Masterclass in Efficiency. More than just a chair, it's a blueprint for intelligent manufacturing and global reach. Ever thought about design redefining an industry? That's the Thonet No. 14 Chair. Michael Thonet pioneered steam-bending for lightweight, strong forms. But his true genius was designing it for early mass production and global distribution. Flat-packing 36 chairs into a cubic meter crate drastically cut shipping costs, democratizing elegant design worldwide. ✨ In this series, we'll explore some truly #IconicDesignStories — the game-changing creations that have shaped our world and continue to inspire us. Stay tuned ✨ The No. 14 became an icon of material innovation, manufacturing foresight, and logistics-driven design. It proved elegance can be simple, efficiently made, and robust enough to stand time's test. So, what can this chair teach packaging for sustainable innovation? Plenty! The parallels are profound: 🔶 Manufacturing Innovation: Let advanced processes (molding, forming) drive packaging form for optimized function. 🔶 Flat-Pack Imperative: Design packaging to minimize empty space, maximize shipping density, dramatically cutting logistics costs and carbon. 🔶 Material Efficiency: Achieve protection with minimal material, creating lightweight, robust structures. 🔶 Simplicity & Enduring Appeal: Uncluttered, durable packaging builds long-term brand identity. The Thonet No. 14 Chair is a tribute to revolutionary, elegant, and globally impactful design. Its legacy pushes us to see packaging as a critical lever for efficiency, sustainability, and intelligent systems design across the value chain. Thonet's chair was a shipping marvel. What's an example of packaging that you've seen (or designed!) that truly innovates in flat-packing or logistics to reduce its environmental footprint? Share your thoughts below! #IconicDesignStories #PackagingInnovation #SustainablePackaging … I’m Luis Carlos V., an industrial designer with 10+ years driving innovation across industries. Currently #opentowork on groundbreaking projects. Enjoyed this read? Like, follow, and let's connect! #industrialdesign

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Ready to elevate your product innovation game in 2025? 🚀 . 3D reverse engineering isn’t just about copying old parts anymore—it’s a power move for precision, speed, and nonstop innovation. Thanks to ultra-accurate 3D scanners capturing every detail, paired with advanced design tools, companies today are slashing development time and costs while creating designs that truly impress. From aerospace to automotive, laser scanning and 3D metrology are the secret weapons for top-tier quality control and rapid design iteration. Digitizing your products in 3D isn’t optional anymore—it’s the solid foundation for AI-driven optimization and next-gen manufacturing. With 15 years sharpening our skills and mastering high-end surface modeling, PSH Design is here to help you stay ahead of the curve. Curious to see how? Check this out: https://lnkd.in/gW7_VUGB

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Performance frames demand precision: balance, airflow, structural integrity, weight, and aesthetics all working together as one system. nanoFORGE is that system. It’s how we preserve performance integrity while expanding what’s possible from a design perspective.

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With no affiliation, sharing this as I know it will be good. Peter Merholz's ideas have been instrumental in my shaping of design teams. As iF Design point out here - the right environment around the design team is key to producing a successful team. The role of the leader is to create that environment.

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We’re not just evolving from hardware-defined to software-defined vehicles. We’re moving toward experience-defined vehicles — where emotion, expression, and adaptivity are just as core to the product as performance or design. What defines a car is no longer just how it drives, but how it feels, sounds, and connects. This shift changes everything — from UI systems and spatial layout to brand strategy and business models. At NXT NXT, we’ve been helping future-focused brands navigate this exact transformation. Because experience is no longer an output — it’s the core product. nxt nxt - the future experience innovation platform #NXTNXT

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4: Design & Planning – Part 1: Design https://lnkd.in/gxsF8znQ A Hardware Product Development Lifecycle article by Mike Freier. In the next chapter in our series on taking a hardware product from idea to scale, we move into the Design & Planning stage.

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Merging design and hardware isn’t a handoff, it’s a handshake. That’s where the real magic happens. I’ve been spending a lot of time deep in the details lately, figuring out how to align design intent with the realities of hardware development. And one thing is clear: This isn’t something you just toss over the fence once the concept is “done.” The further you go, the more voices enter the room—engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, operations. That’s a good thing because bringing an idea to life at scale requires collaboration, flexibility, and a strong design foundation that can adapt without breaking. Why does this matter? Because the best products—the ones that actually make it to market and perform—are the result of designers staying involved. Not just in the concept phase, but all the way through. #hardwaredesign #productdevelopment #eyeweardesign #industrialdesign #collaboration #smartwearables #designthinking #designengineering #designleadership

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The disposable era of hardware is, thankfully, coming to a close. Right to Repair laws are sweeping the hardware industry, requiring a shift in how we think about product design and development. I wrote about what's changing and what's possible for Fresh Consulting. https://lnkd.in/gM9seBhp #sustainability #innovation #design #industrialdesign #righttorepair #repairability

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Genesis announced the opening of Genesis Design California, a state-of-the-art design facility located in El Segundo, Calif. The studio will drive a wide spectrum of creative work, from production and advanced automotive projects to explorations in air mobility, robotics, and cutting-edge CMF trend research. Take a glimpse into their top secret clay modeling studio. Full details here; https://lnkd.in/eu9Sh-GQ #genesisusa #genesis #cardesign #clay #automotivedesign #automotivenews #automotiveindustry #eugenegalison #clay

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You shouldn't have to choose between speed and accuracy. But that's what traditional workflows force. --Fast, low-fidelity analysis that misses critical issues OR --Weeks-long high-fidelity analysis that locks in designs too early We're hosting a webinar to show how nTop eliminates this compromise entirely. For Engineers: Stop spending weeks on "design → mesh → analyze → redesign" cycles. See parametric aircraft models drive real-time CFD analysis and performance predictions—geometry changes instantly propagate through your entire analysis chain. For Engineering Leaders: Watch your teams explore design alternatives 10x faster in the same timeframe. This isn't about working harder; it's about removing the friction that prevents thorough design space exploration when it matters most. For Program Leaders: See how faster, more credible design exploration translates directly to stronger proposals and higher PWin. When you can show up with data-backed alternatives instead of single-point designs, technical credibility becomes your competitive advantage. What you'll see in action: Parametric aircraft sizing with automatic wing loading and thrust-to-weight calculations driving geometrySeamless integration where geometric changes instantly update mission profile analysisnTop Fluids generating pressure distributions and drag predictions without mesh generation delaysAnalysis-ready tessellation creating CFD meshes in minutes, not hoursReal-time design validation enabling true design space exploration Speakers: Todd McDevitt (Director of Product Management) and Daeho Hong (Senior Product Manager) Register here: https://lnkd.in/ecWvvg7h Can't attend live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording. Shout out to Todd, Daeho, and the entire team who've been working directly with engineers at primes and startups to build these capabilities. This represents a major step forward in our mission to get teams from requirements to design faster.

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#CES2026 was a whirlwind, and also reminder that the most meaningful innovation doesn’t happen overnight, but is built through vision, craft, and long-term collaboration. A few moments that stood out: - Spending time with Nex at their CES showcase. Their continued momentum is a clear example of what’s possible when strong design is paired with enduring partnerships. Grateful to David, Jorge, Paul for building with intention. - Seeing Percy represented on the busy showroom floor (congrats Conner Herman, BCBA, MBA) - Reconnecting with longtime collaborators and meeting the next generation shaping hardware at memorable gatherings - informal, KeyShot/Nova, Baukunst (thanks for the mystical tiki drink!) And in between the chaos, napkin sketches and impromptu meetings. As we look toward 2026, the opportunity in hardware feels especially clear. If you’re building something ambitious in hardware this year, we should talk.

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Everything seems easy when it is done! The thought process which has gone behind developing ATOM is something we at Sickle Innovations Private Limited are going to cherish for a lifetime. I am so proud of my team for their unstoppable innovation engine. This innovation of ours is going to change the way apple trade takes place! It is a perfect example of classic bottom up approach of design thinking. This is the simplest possible product which can turn any mechanical grader into an optical grader at a fraction of cost. Let me give you a detailed write-up on how we came to this design and how this is going to revolutionize the apple industry. I am going to write this on the framework of design thinking: Desirability: More than 90% of apples in India are graded on mechanical graders (basically a size grader machine) and all those people now want to buy optical grader with capability of grading based on color as well. Here the problem is that they already have mechanical machines but they don't want to throw them away. Hence they want something which can convert their mechanical grader into an optical grader. Atom Does This. Feasibility: Technically it was possible but in general optical graders need huge space. Making this product under the size of 5feet x 8feet was a big task which included many engineering challenges. ATOM is smaller than 5' x 8' Viability: A farmer producing 500 boxes annually cannot afford a fully-loaded optical grader because his ROI will be very high. We had this mission to make this product viable to individual farmers so that they can buy this machine and enjoy the benefits of this advanced technology by investing little extra than mechanical grader. Optimising industrial cameras, GPUs, sensors and whole R&D to develop these high performing systems is not that easy. We optimised all our systems and worked out a cost which was just perfect for individual farmers to adopt this. ATOM is affordable. Sickle Innovations Pvt Ltd Profit making company generating profits for farmer:)

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https://lnkd.in/ecWaEvHd What Bubbles Up listeners! With the ground finally thawing, we heat things up with our yearly dispatch from CES, courtesy of frequent guest Val Vacante! We explore the overall impressions of the event, the practical applications of technology, and unique innovations that stood out. Val also shares insights from her panel discussion on experience-driven retail, emphasizing the importance of safety, privacy, and accessibility in technology. The conversation also touches on the growing significance of fandom cultures in retail and the definition of success in innovation. We also delve into the power of Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, both marveling at its potential and recognizing the power of in-person shopping experiences. Enjoy!

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The creative force behind Jaunt Motors - cofounder and CEO Dave Budge - recently spoke to Play&Co Creative Group about building electric vehicles that put experience first. Dave shares his journey from digital innovation to hardware, the joy of tactile design, and why great products hide their complexity. From satisfying switches to platform strategy, it’s a conversation about design, storytelling, and doing things the right way - even if it’s the hard way. On this episode: me and Jason McGinnity   Podcast Link: https://lnkd.in/genHXQBN Subscribe to Play&Conversations to listen to new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music. #Creativity #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #ElectricVehicles #ClimateTech

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