Robert Brunner

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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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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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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I was just going back through notes and resurfaced this article on pitfalls of hardware product development. I have so many stories about how these have sidelined great ideas. If you're thinking about designing or developing hardware, think through how you'll avoid these issues! https://lnkd.in/eYqXgsRw

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It's so nice that Ben is now in the position to tell the story of his first to world 1000 Volt multitool I developed for him a few years back. Such a useful and beneficial product that would help protect so many electricians in their work day while also making their lives a little easier. The recent successes Ben has had on his road to commercializing his product are all thanks to Trevor Holmes and his team at Advivo. His approach is scientific, proven and backed up by deep and thorough research, it doesn't guarantee results but it guides you with pinpoint clarity to your targets and make sure you are committing resources in the exact right direction for the best possible chance at success.

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Any Director-plus folks who are serious about elevating their design organizations, this masterclass is for you. Yes, you'll have to give some effort, but what we heard from the first cohort was that much of the material was directly relevant to their jobs, and improved work they had to do any way. Each addresses a different subject: - Defining Your Design Team (organizational health and charters) - Shaping Your Design Team (organization design, teams, capabilities) - Build a Flexible Career Architecture (skills, practices, levels, roles) - Recruit and Hire Effectively (hiring team, candidate profiles, process) - Clarify the Value of Design (metrics, value outcomes) And not only do you learn from me, but esteemed partners each of whom improved my thinking: Jose Coronado, Venessa Bennett, Lena Kul, Brian Chien. See below for more, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

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Most deep tech brands lead with complexity. Quantum breakthroughs. AI models. Patents and roadmaps. But luxury brands learned long ago that the story of craft matters more than the craft itself. Taste isn’t about elitism—it’s about restraint. It’s knowing what not to show, what not to say, and when to let silence do the work. As deep technologies like AI and quantum computing move from the lab to the world, the companies that lead will be the ones who communicate with elegance, not excess. Because when everything is powerful, taste becomes the real differentiator.

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I would rather have a traditional user interface with a solid or perhaps a translucent blurred background, but not a transparent refractive Apple #liquid #glass #ui, which violates several fundamental design principles around readability, context, and focus. 

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“This is bigger than a rebrand or partnership,” said Chris Gielow, President of UX Speakeasy. “This is a rallying cry. Our region benefits from a local, mission-driven anchor to champion ethical, inclusive, and forward-looking design–and that’s exactly what we’re building together.” The timing couldn’t be more urgent. Despite labor headwinds, the World Economic Forum continues to rank UX Design as one of the fastest-growing global professions, and with San Diego serving as World Design Capital 2024, Southern California is already commanding the world’s attention as a creative and technological hub.

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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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If you care about why some products take off—and others quietly disappear—this is worth a listen. Over the years, I have seen highly sophisticated ideas fail while simpler ones gain traction. The difference is rarely the technology. It is whether the experience connects with the person using it. I spoke with Alex Shevelenko of RELAYTO AI on the Experience-focused Leaders Podcast about a principle that has shaped my work for more than four decades: people do not adopt products because of what they do, but because of how those products make them feel about themselves. That dynamic is more predictable than most teams realize. It is also what led me to develop Psycho-Aesthetics® and, more recently, explore how these patterns can be modeled through PA-AI. 🎧 https://lnkd.in/gPUZdEGH #PsychoAesthetics #HumanCenteredDesign #DesignThinking #InnovationStrategy #ProductDevelopment #UserExperience #CustomerExperience #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #PAAI #Leadership #DesignLeadership #FutureOfWork #DMI #IDSA

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AI is already part of the product design cycle. But the challenge we are facing now isn't in adoption, but in how to integrate it without losing authorship, craft, and critical thinking. Schools like ArtCenter College of Design are setting great examples by prioritizing clear guidelines that prioritize transparency and ethics, ultimately making the creative process visible. AI is powerful, but it’s also a data system. As long as we keep human judgment and creativity at the center, AI can serve our product design well.

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Color isn’t complicated — if you use the right framework. Choosing color doesn’t have to involve guesswork or visual gymnastics — not when tools like the Nix exist. But the industry still clings to old myths like “undertones.” Nix Sensor Ltd. I've transformed color science into a repeatable, evidence-based system you can use to master color in any environment: Hue Value Chroma LRV 🎯 Designers and color consultants who use the Four Pillars don’t waste money on samples or second-guess color choices — they know when a color works (and why). Learn more at campchroma.com — your mastery starts here. #ColorScience #ColorStrategy #IndependentPaint #ProfessionalDevelopment #InteriorDesign #ArchitecturalColor #CampChroma #ColorConsultant #ColorExpert #ColorStrategist

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🎨 Did you know? Up to 90% of someone’s first impression of your brand comes down to color. It’s not just about “blue feels calm”, it’s about design physics. Every hue, button size, and placement impacts how fast users act and how much they trust. Smart design isn’t art, it’s science. 👉 Watch the full podcast now on YouTube: youtube.com/@urated #URated #UIDesign #UXDesign #DigitalMarketing #DesignMatters #ColorPsychology

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✨Designing hardware with Chinese innovation partners should be smarter. Communicating on #Slack means faster alignment, smoother feedback loops, and fast manufacture progress-unlocking new efficiency in hardware #productdevelopment across continents.😎 #hardwaredesign #industrialdesign #collaboration #Slack #productdevelopment #globalteam

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Nothing devalues a six-figure design faster than a box that won't stay closed on the shelf. If you’re moving away from a standard "library" box to create something unique, you aren't just buying a "tool." You’re buying Manufacturing Capability. Think of it as the "Systems Problem" in action. You can spend $100k on the "What" (the strategy and the brand), but if you skimp on the "How" (the tooling), the whole system fails. Here is why that investment matters: Precision is the "Premium" feel: The difference between a luxury unboxing and a "cheap" one is usually less than 0.5mm. Custom tooling is the only way to hold those tolerances across a 50,000-unit run. Without it, your "innovative" closure becomes a functional nightmare. Scale is the silent cost-killer: Custom dies are engineered for speed. If a "budget" tool jams a folder-gluer for even 10 minutes, that downtime can cost more than the tool itself. At high volumes, precision isn't a luxury—it’s a profit protector. It’s "Success Insurance": The tool is the physical bridge between your PDF and your profit margin. It’s what ensures the final product actually looks like the render the CEO signed off on. The Reality: Design creates the value, but the tooling realizes it. If a custom shape is critical to your brand strategy, the tooling isn't a "fee" to be negotiated—it’s the final step in protecting the investment. Do you see tooling as a cost to be cut, or the floor of your brand’s quality? #PackagingDesign #Manufacturing #SupplyChain #BrandStrategy #FMCG

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