Industrial Design Services

Industrial Design Services Overview

RKS logo small
“…It’s about how the design or experience makes you feel about yourself.”

– Ravi Sawhney, Founder

About RKS

As a top industrial design firm, we focus on human-centered industrial design services and innovative industrial design solutions. We have practiced industrial design for over forty years and have established ourselves in the product design field and industry. We collaborate and engage with clients at all product lifecycle stages, from strategy to ideation to design and development.

Psycho-Aesthetics is our advanced design thinking methodology, and we use it to create complex industrial design solutions. As one of the most established industrial design firms in Southern California, we offer unique experiences and expertise. Our designers, engineers, specialists, and researchers leverage their cross-disciplinary knowledge to imagine and design innovative product solutions.

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Year of Experience
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Awards
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Patents
Clients that have moved with us

Human-Centered Psycho-Aesthetics (P/A) Methodology

Psycho-Aesthetics™ is our human-centered methodology and compass that allows us to target the right combination of functionality and aspiration.

The decades spent developing and evolving P/A progressed into a highly advanced design-thinking tool. It allows designers a unique skill set to find solutions around the shared objective, pragmatic, and insightful approaches to design. Our human-centered product design methodology has seven phases and starts with research.

In the research phase of industrial design projects, we perform customer research, benchmarking, and word bank creation. In the second phase, we synthesize the research into competitive maps, triggers, personas, and the opportunity zone. From those insights realized, we identify, define, and forecast specific needs that a product should address.

For every product, there are particular target audiences. In our next phase of product development, we identify key attractors to engage the target audience for the specific product. Each target audience has a defined “Moment of Truth.” This design process leads to product design that is ready for execution.

Research Capabilities

Ethnographic Research

Competitive Benchmarking

Auxiliary Research

User Interviews

Opportunity Zones

Human-Factors Testing

Research Kits

Industrial Design Services

Our process is thorough and drives innovation, ensures client success, and leads to improved quality of life. We have defined design principles and address project risk at every step of the process.

Our industrial Design process is a transformational creation, design, and innovation starting from an idea. In the design phase of our process, our designers transform Key Attractors into tangible elements.

Often elements of a new product pose unique technological, engineering, or design challenges. In those cases, we sometimes have to invent new technology or use existing technologies or materials in new ways. We overcome these challenges by focusing on those issues first. Once solved, these issues provide the foundation to design and engineer the rest of the product.

Industrial Design Capabilities

Concept Visualization

Aesthetics Refinement (CMF)

Human factors & ergonomics analysis

Functional invention and feature exploration

Physical model making & validation

Material and detail specification

Packaging design

Sustainable design

Integrated Design and Development

Emerging Technology Integration

Business Model Design

Experiential Prototyping

Design Research for Industrial Design Projects

Human-centered research, when applied to industrial design, is a collaborative and cross-functional process. We begin our industrial design engagements by understanding the target customer for our clients. In this stage, we primarily focus on primary and secondary user research for problem-solving. Though we often use our ethnographic research capabilities.

Visualization and Sketching

Our visual design team has years of experience in concept design. With the help of 3D modeling software (CAD – Computer-Aided Design), we develop computerized 3D models of the product. These 3D models help us identify any problematic areas of the product. They also allow us to focus on individual components that may require special focus.

Visualization and sketching enable our engineers to create a product that meets the user’s needs. They also take into account COGS constraints, manufacturing, and production timelines.

Human Factors Design

Human factors in industrial design are focusing on optimizing how people interact with products, systems, and environments. Integrating human factors ensure that products are safe, efficient, and user-friendly. It also ensures products meet the needs and capabilities of their intended users. Our human-centered design approach takes human factors into consideration at every step of the process.

Beta Prototyping

Beta Prototyping is a quick and effective way of bringing proof of concept to life. It allows potential consumers the opportunity to evaluate, test, and share their feedback on a product. We use this feedback to make improvements to the design and functionality of a product. Internally, beta prototyping helps our team form accurate estimates of production and manufacturing times.

We specialize in wireframing prototyping as well as physical prototyping. We use 3D printers, CNC Machines, and laser cutters to create prototypes in the studio. Having an in-studio prototyping lab allows our designers to quickly and efficiently bring sketches to life.

Microlab Prep

Compact Laboratory Pipetting Automation that scales with your medical lab to increase efficiency.

UX and UI Design

User experience design (UX) and user interface design (UI) are essential components of our holistic design process. Together they define user-centered design, the overview of how a user has a positive interaction with a product or service. Our interactive designers integrate UI and UX design to create products that are a perfect blend of form and function.

Intellectual Property Support

Patenting new device technology is critical in creating lasting value for our clients and end consumers. We routinely assist attorneys and agents with the technical muscle to support the patent applications and information architecture for our clients.

Our experts help patent professionals draft effective and comprehensive claims based on the invention and the characterization data. In addition to data, we provide clear technical support throughout the entire application. In the end, patents allow our customers to own outright the innovations we build together.

Execution​

Our work spans nearly every sector. We use our experience to cross-pollinate ideas to create Moments of Truth and viral adoption.

Our designers create designs that enhance the lives of millions of people around the world. The products we have developed have created new opportunities for thousands of companies. We create successful products because of our experience in industrial design, consulting, advertising, and mechanical design. We help you optimize your budget and come up with a design that will be effective in the target market.

Execution Capabilities

Design and Development

Emerging Technology Integration

Business Model Design

Experimental Prototyping

Qualitative Resonance Testing

Pilot Design and Testing

Rollout Support

Discus Dental

Advanced dental composite syringe to enhance usability for dental assistance and outperform the competition.

Commercial Products​

Over our long history, we’ve designed and consulted some of the most well-known industrial products around the world. We work in the background to help companies reimagine industries, products, and the processes around them. Commercial product design projects are often incredibly demanding: low tolerances, high precision, and longevity.

Medical Devices​

Industrial product design for medical devices is the process of turning a medical device design into a commercially viable solution. Medical device development allows us to use emotional resonance to save lives and help people at their most vulnerable. We’ve worked in complex stakeholder environments to engineer mobile ventilators that help people breathe. We’ve designed DNA sequencers to help technicians work with doctors to diagnose genetic diseases.

Open Innovation​

Some solution categories go beyond or blend traditional market categories. The problem they seek to solve has no solution yet. In some cases, the solution has not yet found a designer to solve it.

Our designers thrive in environments of uncertainty and bold ideas. The best design can come from a problem where just testing solutions are at the forefront of technology or industry. Our cross-collaborative environment is perfectly suited for generating and confronting bold ideas. We solve problems by finding the best innovation design solutions.

Digital​

Emotionally connected digital experiences are more important than ever. We create digital experiences by using our P/A framework. Psycho-Aesthetics helps us solve deep and important needs for users worldwide. We utilize it in our digital product design projects.

We’ve created digital experiences for medical, consumer, and industrial devices. These solutions increase efficiency and decrease the risk of error. In each case, we’ve combined our cross-functional expertise with the latest technologies to deliver engaging and relevant digital experiences.

Cue

Truly wireless headphones with hybrid driver technology for uncompromised sound.

Consumer Products​

We have more than forty years under our belt spent solving complex consumer product design challenges. RKS has led the design of hundreds of consumer products, many well-known in their industries. We specialize in logo, branding, and packaging design for consumer products.

RKS designed Gamevice, which allows mobile gamers to turn their devices into ergonomic controllers. We lead FloWater in leading the reduction of plastic bottles in workplaces, gyms, and competitive sports worldwide. Our team draws upon this experience as we create entirely new products and product categories.

FAQ's

Industrial design is a field that involves the design and development of a wide range of products used in everyday life. It is concerned with the creation of products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional, efficient, and user-friendly.

Industrial design encompasses a broad range of industries, including furniture design, product design, automotive design, packaging design, and many more. The ultimate goal of industrial design is to improve the overall user experience by creating products that are both attractive and functional.

Industrial designers work closely with engineers, manufacturers, and marketers to create products that meet the needs of the user while also being economically viable to produce. They typically use a range of tools, including sketches, computer-aided design (CAD) software, 3D modeling, and prototyping to develop and test their designs.

An industrial design firm is a company that specializes in designing and developing a wide range of products for various industries. The primary focus of an industrial design firm is to create products that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly.

Industrial design firms typically have a team of experts who have expertise in various areas, such as engineering, product design, material science, user research, and marketing. They work together to create products that are not only visually appealing but also meet the needs and desires of customers.

Industrial design firms typically engage in the following activities:

  1. Product research and development: They research and develop new products, starting from ideation to the creation of the final product.

  2. User research and testing: They conduct user research and usability testing to identify user needs and improve the user experience.

  3. Concept design: They create sketches and mock-ups to visualize product concepts and develop product specifications.

  4. 3D modeling and prototyping: They use 3D modeling software to create product prototypes and test them for functionality and durability.

  5. Manufacturing and production: They work with manufacturers to produce products at scale and ensure that the products meet the required quality standards.

Industrial design often happens in conjunction with product engineering. Industrial design is the process of defining the requirements of a new product and then turning those requirements into a visual, tactile, or digital product. Product engineering determines what and how technologies can be used to fulfill the design requirements. Often there are many iterations of a product at various stages of completion to allow key stakeholders to make decisions. There can be multiple phases of design, including an ideation phase, a sketch phase, a CAD phase, and multiple prototyping phases. Product engineering should happen in conjunction with design to ensure that decisions can be manufactured while maintaining a viable price point for market acceptance. Product engineering is the process of combining or creating technologies and materials to implement the designs.

There are three main types of design: experience design, interface design, and product design. Experience design usually encompasses the second type of design because it refers to the holistic experience of a product. Interface design, also known as user interface design, is often for digital products and refers to the way users interact with digital elements on a screen. In the world of XR, interface design can also refer to pseudo-real elements. Industrial design is a type of product design referring to physical products which may or may not be used for industrial purposes.

Our core design process is Psycho-Aesthetics, a human-centered design-thinking methodology created by RKS Founder Ravi Sawhney. Psycho-Aesthetics has seven main phases: Research, Synthesis, Key Attractors, Hero’s Journey, Design, Execution, and Moments of Truth.

One of the best ways to become a industrial designer is by designing! Formal education can help you build a portfolio, which is critical in attaining a position at a design firm or on a design team. If you don’t have a formal design education, then you should create some side projects that show your design ability. If you already have a portfolio you can apply to a designer role at a design firm like RKS: RKS Careers

Industrial Design Project Spotlight

Intel

Creating a new business unit to position Intel into a service provider and not just a chip manufacturer.

FloWater

A more premium, refreshing and sustainable alternative to disposable water bottles.

FreshRealm

A zero waste solution that provides healthy meals from the farm to the table in two days.
Experience more of our Industrial Design Products
Industrial Design Firm Header - Xcinex Product Image

Industrial Design Firm

RKS is an industrial design firm based in California that focuses on human-centered industrial design services.

RKS logo small
“…It’s about how the design or experience makes you feel about yourself.”

– Ravi Sawhney, Founder

About RKS

As a top industrial design firm, we focus on human-centered industrial design services and innovative industrial design solutions. We have practiced industrial design for over forty years and have established ourselves in the product design field and industry. We collaborate and engage with clients at all product lifecycle stages, from strategy to ideation to design and development.

Psycho-Aesthetics is our advanced design thinking methodology, and we use it to create complex industrial design solutions. As one of the most established industrial design firms in Southern California, we offer unique experiences and expertise. Our designers, engineers, specialists, and researchers leverage their cross-disciplinary knowledge to imagine and design innovative product solutions.

1 +
Year of Experience
1 +
Awards
1 +
Patents
Clients that have moved with us

Human-Centered Psycho-Aesthetics (P/A) Methodology

Psycho-Aesthetics™ is our human-centered methodology and compass that allows us to target the right combination of functionality and aspiration.

Research Capabilities

Ethnographic Research
Competitive Benchmarking
Auxiliary Research
User Interviews
Opportunity Zones
Human-Factors Testing
Research Kits
Industrial Design Firm process

Over the decades spent developing and evolving P/A, it has continually progressed into a highly advanced design-thinking tool that allows designers to solution around the shared objective, pragmatic, and insightful approaches to product design. Our P/A product design process has seven phases that begin with research. Within the initial research phase, we usually perform customer research, benchmarking, and word bank creation. In the next phase, we synthesize this research into competitive mapping, triggers and personas, and the Opportunity Zone. At this point in the process, we examine, identify, define, and forecast the needs that the product should address. Next, we identify and define the Key Attractors that engage particular target groups. For each target group, we focus on the “Moment of Truth.” Here, we narrow these attractors to those that attract and engage these groups and cause them to adopt the product and become a Hero evangelist. This design process leads to product design that is ready for execution.

Benchmarking for Industrial Design​​

Industrial design is a consecutive and interactive process that begins with the research phase. Research provides a foundation for all later decisions in the design process. However, at times research is also revisited to understand why and how key features or design decisions drive emotional resonance. This research phase usually begins with customer research. Our research team works with our clients to understand who their consumers are and how they live their lives. We use primary research tools such as surveys and ethnography, as well as secondary sources such as internal client documentation. In addition to customer research, we also do market research through benchmarking. A product or service’s success is usually measured by its performance against its competitors. We create a landscape of potential competitors, how they position themselves, and what their key differentiators and attractors are in the marketplace. We use the P/A Word Bank to create a library of common descriptors for benchmarking that can be later used to develop a brand or product’s design, look, and feel. These research approaches are used to establish holistic and important understandings that are later synthesized into actionable consumer insights that drive design choices.

Industrial Design Services

Our process is thorough and drives innovation, ensures client success, and leads to improved quality of life. We have defined design principles and address project risk at every step of the process.

Industrial Design Capabilities

Concept Visualization

Aesthetics Refinement (CMF)

Human factors & ergonomics analysis

Functional invention and
feature exploration

Physical model making & validation

Material and detail specification

Packaging design

Sustainable design

Integrated Design and Development

Emerging Technology Integration

Business Model Design

Experiential Prototyping

Our industrial Design process is a transformational creation, design, and innovation starting from an idea. In the design phase of our process, our designers transform Key Attractors into tangible elements.

Often elements of a new product pose unique technological, engineering, or design challenges. In those cases, we sometimes have to invent new technology or use existing technologies or materials in new ways. We overcome these challenges by focusing on those issues first. Once solved, these issues provide the foundation to design and engineer the rest of the product.

Industrial Design Firm Zyliss product image

Design Research for Industrial Design

Human-centered research, when applied to industrial design, is a collaborative and cross-functional process. We begin our industrial design engagements by understanding the target customer for our clients. In this stage, we primarily focus on primary and secondary user research for problem-solving. Though we often use our ethnographic research capabilities.

Visualization and Sketching

Our visual design team has years of experience in concept design. With the help of 3D modeling software (CAD – Computer-Aided Design), we develop computerized 3D models of the product. These 3D models help us identify any problematic areas of the product. They also allow us to focus on individual components that may require special focus.

Visualization and sketching enable our engineers to create a product that meets the user’s needs. They also take into account COGS constraints, manufacturing, and production timelines.

Human Factors Design

Human factors in industrial design are focusing on optimizing how people interact with products, systems, and environments. Integrating human factors ensure that products are safe, efficient, and user-friendly. It also ensures products meet the needs and capabilities of their intended users. Our human-centered design approach takes human factors into consideration at every step of the process.

Beta Prototyping

Beta Prototyping is a quick and effective way of bringing proof of concept to life. It allows potential consumers the opportunity to evaluate, test, and share their feedback on a product. We use this feedback to make improvements to the design and functionality of a product. Internally, beta prototyping helps our team form accurate estimates of production and manufacturing times.

We specialize in wireframing prototyping as well as physical prototyping. We use 3D printers, CNC Machines, and laser cutters to create prototypes in the studio. Having an in-studio prototyping lab allows our designers to quickly and efficiently bring sketches to life.

Industrial Design Firm process

UX and UI Design

User experience design (UX) and user interface design (UI) are essential components of our holistic design process. Together they define user-centered design, the overview of how a user has a positive interaction with a product or service. Our interactive designers integrate UI and UX design to create products that are a perfect blend of form and function.

Intellectual Property Support

Patenting new device technology is critical in creating lasting value for our clients and end consumers. We routinely assist attorneys and agents with the technical muscle to support the patent applications and information architecture for our clients.

Our experts help patent professionals draft effective and comprehensive claims based on the invention and the characterization data. In addition to data, we provide clear technical support throughout the entire application. In the end, patents allow our customers to own outright the innovations we build together.

Execution​​

Our work spans nearly every sector. We use our experience to cross-pollinate ideas to create Moments of Truth and viral adoption.

Execution Capabilities

Design and Development

Emerging Technology Integration

Business Model Design

Experimental Prototyping

Qualitative Resonance Testing

Pilot Design and Testing

Rollout Support

Our designers create designs that enhance the lives of millions of people around the world. The products we have developed have created new opportunities for thousands of companies. We create successful products because of our experience in industrial design, consulting, advertising, and mechanical design. We help you optimize your budget and come up with a design that will be effective in the target market.

Commercial Products​​

Over our long history, we’ve designed and consulted some of the most well-known industrial products around the world. We work in the background to help companies reimagine industries, products, and the processes around them. Commercial product design projects are often incredibly demanding: low tolerances, high precision, and longevity.

Medical Devices​​

Industrial product design for medical devices is the process of turning a medical device design into a commercially viable solution. Medical device development allows us to use emotional resonance to save lives and help people at their most vulnerable. We’ve worked in complex stakeholder environments to engineer mobile ventilators that help people breathe. We’ve designed DNA sequencers to help technicians work with doctors to diagnose genetic diseases.

Industrial Design Firm process

Open Innovation​​

Some solution categories go beyond or blend traditional market categories. The problem they seek to solve has no solution yet. In some cases, the solution has not yet found a designer to solve it.

Our designers thrive in environments of uncertainty and bold ideas. The best design can come from a problem where just testing solutions are at the forefront of technology or industry. Our cross-collaborative environment is perfectly suited for generating and confronting bold ideas. We solve problems by finding the best innovation design solutions.

Digital​​

Emotionally connected digital experiences are more important than ever. We create digital experiences by using our P/A framework. Psycho-Aesthetics helps us solve deep and important needs for users worldwide. We utilize it in our digital product design projects.

We’ve created digital experiences for medical, consumer, and industrial devices. These solutions increase efficiency and decrease the risk of error. In each case, we’ve combined our cross-functional expertise with the latest technologies to deliver engaging and relevant digital experiences.

Consumer Products​​

We have more than forty years under our belt spent solving complex consumer product design challenges. RKS has led the design of hundreds of consumer products, many well-known in their industries. We specialize in logo, branding, and packaging design for consumer products.

RKS designed Gamevice, which allows mobile gamers to turn their devices into ergonomic controllers. We lead FloWater in leading the reduction of plastic bottles in workplaces, gyms, and competitive sports worldwide. Our team draws upon this experience as we create entirely new products and product categories.

FAQ's

Industrial design is a field that involves the design and development of a wide range of products used in everyday life. It is concerned with the creation of products that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional, efficient, and user-friendly.

Industrial design encompasses a broad range of industries, including furniture design, product design, automotive design, packaging design, and many more. The ultimate goal of industrial design is to improve the overall user experience by creating products that are both attractive and functional.

Industrial designers work closely with engineers, manufacturers, and marketers to create products that meet the needs of the user while also being economically viable to produce. They typically use a range of tools, including sketches, computer-aided design (CAD) software, 3D modeling, and prototyping to develop and test their designs.

An industrial design firm is a professional service organization that specializes in providing design and product development services to clients in various industries. These firms offer a range of design services, including research and analysis, conceptualization, prototyping, testing, and production support, to help clients bring their products to market. Industrial design firms work with a variety of clients, including manufacturers, startups, and established companies, to help them create innovative and competitive products. The design process is typically a collaborative effort between the industrial design firm and the client, involving input and feedback from multiple stakeholders, including engineers, marketers, and manufacturers. An industrial design firm is an invaluable resource for companies seeking to create products that meet the needs of their customers and stand out in their market. By combining expertise in design and product development with a deep understanding of industry trends and customer preferences, an industrial design firm can help clients achieve their goals and create products that succeed in the marketplace.

Our core design process is Psycho-Aesthetics, a human-centered design-thinking methodology created by RKS Founder Ravi Sawhney. Psycho-Aesthetics has seven main phases: Research, Synthesis, Key Attractors, Hero’s Journey, Design, Execution, and Moments of Truth.
One of the best ways to become a product designer is by designing products! Formal education can help you build a portfolio of products, which is critical in attaining a position at a design firm or on a design team. If you don’t have a formal design education, then you should create some side projects that show your design ability. If you already have a portfolio you can apply to a designer role at a design firm like RKS: RKS Careers

There are three main types of industrial design: experience design, interface design, and industrial design. Experience design usually encompasses the second type of design because it refers to the holistic experience of a product. Interface design, also known as user interface design, is often for digital products and refers to the way users interact with digital elements on a screen. In the world of XR, interface design can also refer to pseudo-real elements. Industrial design is a type of product design referring to physical products which may or may not be used for industrial purposes.

Product design often happens in conjunction with product engineering. Product design is the process of defining the requirements of a new product and then turning those requirements into a visual, tactile, or digital product. Product engineering is determining what and how technologies can be used to fulfill the design requirements. Often there are many iterations of a product at various stages of completion to allow key stakeholders to make decisions. There can be multiple phases of design, including an ideation phase, a sketch phase, a CAD phase, and multiple prototyping phases. Product engineering should happen in conjunction with design to ensure that decisions can be manufactured while maintaining a viable price point for market acceptance. Product engineering is the process of combining or creating technologies and materials to implement the designs.
Packaging is usually customized for each product. There are varying degrees of this customization. In some cases, the customization is simply the branding, fonts, colors, and choice of label. In other cases, the packaging is designed from the ground up, from the actual industrial design to the engineering and material selection. Determining the extent of the customization is often determined by multiple factors:  budget, marketing needs, product type, and regulations. Many products require packaging to comply with relevant regulations. In such cases, the packaging must be tamper-evident, hermetically sealed, or child-proof. Therefore, finding the right packaging for your product is often a combination of research and design.

Industrial Design Project Spotlight

Intel
Creating a new business unit to position Intel into a service provider and not just a chip manufacturer.
FreshRealm

A zero waste solution that provides healthy meals right to your doorstep.

FloWater
A more premium, refreshing, and sustainable alternative to disposable water bottles.

Experience more of our Industrial Design Work.

Clients that have moved with us

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