Going from concept to completion is not always easy, but knowing and following the general steps of the engineering process will help you on the road to success. Today, we do a deep dive on the engineering process from start to finish.
Research and Analysis: Market research to understand consumer needs, preferences, and trends (in this case, evaluating the leading putters and looking at what is popular while also screening for possible similar products to our concept)
Concept Development: Brainstorming and ideation sessions to generate a range of concepts as well as sketching or creating rough prototypes to visualize ideas (this was mostly just Jordan doing CAD concepts though)
Concept Refinement: Narrowing down concepts based on feasibility and market fit while also elevating style, finishing details, and ensuring it meets requirements of engineering (this would be the inclusion of mass placement and Moment of Inertia [MOI]) and of USGA standards
Prototyping: Developing prototypes to test functionality, ergonomics, and aesthetics; iterating on prototypes based on user feedback and testing results (mostly done with 3D printing, but then also with metal)
Evaluation: Conducting usability testing with target users to assess ease of use and satisfaction and gathering feedback from stakeholders and making necessary adjustments.
Refinement/Finalization: Iterating on the design based on testing feedback and performance evaluations; fine-tuning details such as colors, finishes, and branding elements