Blog

Product Development and Interface

25th May 2022
Written by: Glen Rutter, Interface

What is product development? 

If you are working on bringing an innovative product to the market, you should not underestimate the importance of product development. Contrary to what you may think, product development is not simply coming up with a brilliant new concept or idea, but rather taking all the appropriate steps to deliver that idea to market. Product development is not just important for new ideas, but vital when updating an existing product, or bringing an existing product to a new market.

It is widely understood that there are several stages to the product development process, and whilst there are various lists available, the steps often look like this:

  • Concept – coming up with your new idea/product/service
  • Assessing the market – conducting market research to understand the landscape
  • Research and development – prototyping and testing the product  
  • Analysis – where does the product sit in the market?
  • Marketing & launching – creating a marketing and financial strategy
  • Continual Development – continuous upgrades and improvement

Excellent product development means that your new, or updated, product reaches its maximum potential and is seen by the widest audience possible. No matter which step of the product development journey you are on, Interface will be able to help you accomplish your goals.

Product development - represented by a lightbulb

Product Development and Knowledge Exchange 

We are specialists in knowledge exchange. This means we connect businesses or organisations who have innovative ideas to Scottish universities, research institutes and colleges.

Through these collaborations businesses and organisations gain access to world leading expertise and technologies, which help further develop their product, idea, or service. This collaborative approach to working makes their products become more competitive, more profitable, and more sustainable.

So far, we have connected over 3,000 collaborative projects, to astounding results. You can discover some of our clients’ testimonials, by clicking here: testimonials.

A testimonial showing our commitment to the product development journey

If your business or organisation is currently on the product development journey, but you are unsure about how to take the next step, we are here to help. Contact our Business Engagement team today, and they will be able to talk you through the process. You are only a conversation away from accessing world-leading expertise and the full range of specialist facilities throughout Scotland’s educational institutions.

The next step for innovative ideas

At Interface we work with businesses and organisations to grow their innovative ideas. With this in mind, we’ve drawn up a list of potential projects which we would be able to help you with. This list is not exhaustive, but rather an indication of the scope of projects we can help take to the next level:

  • Research and development of your prototypes
  • Innovative marketing and digital strategies
  • Diversification into new markets
  • Research into developing systems
  • Business planning, financial planning, and procurement
  • Ideas around enhancing customer experience – perhaps through Augmented/Virtual Reality
  • Ways in which to embrace the circular economy/sustainability/improve green credentials

Look around your business to see what else could benefit from academic input. Better waste disposal? Quicker processes? Improved products? As they say, two minds are better than one and you never know where a new collaborative partnership might lead.

Product Development: Interface Case Studies

The range of organisations Interface have supported is vast. Here is a collection of case studies to highlight the scope of projects we have worked on.

Celestia UK

Celestia UK is a deep tech SME, developing ground-breaking technologies to solve bandwidth issues for the satellite communications market. They came to Interface seeking specialist facilities within Scottish Universities. After an initial conversation it was clear that the company was keen to establish R&D partnerships for longer term product development.

This award-winning collaboration has been highly successful for Celestia UK, leading to:
 

  • Huge team growth
  • Relocation to permanent facilities & established a 2nd office & lab space
  • Continued financial growth

Find out more, by reading the full case study here.

Touchless Innovation Ltd

Touchless Innovation Ltd are disinfection specialists who have developed a hand-hygiene device, using ultraviolet to kill micro-organisms. This new product was made possible by their collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University, as it had the laboratories, expertise and bacterial strains required to carry out the microbiological aspects of the work. 

Find out more, by reading the full case study here.

Discover all our Case Studies here.

Interface Free and Impartial Services

To find our more information about how Interface can help with your product development, simply contact us. A member of our Business Engagement team would be delighted to help. If you would like to stay in touch, feel free to sign up to our monthly newsletter.