There are a number of reasons that many companies use industrial design teams when developing new mechanical inventions. The most obvious reason for using a strong ID team is that great product design can improve the commercial value of a product. Another, perhaps equally important reason, is that making ID part of the development process for new inventions can lead to an improved product, user and market understanding, as well as enhanced marketing strategies.

The ways that industrial design can enhance mechanical inventions are apparent in the shape of the current market. Shortened product lifecycles and increased variety of products mean that products without innovative design and an emotional connection with the audience have a high chance of being left on store shelves. Increasing the functionality of a product through design is one of the most effective ways to increase a product's chance of commercial success.

Innovation through design is the other key method of improving a product by using ID strategies. With an early commitment to strong, human-centered ID, a company may develop an understanding with their mechanical inventions that can reach beyond that of a normal, technical, or mechanical invention. ID can push the product to new levels of utility, including functions or usability that may develop directly from the ideas of designers.

How Designers Create Memorable Mechanical Inventions

Industrial designers must consider many aspects of a new product during that product's lengthy development process. Aesthetic form, ergonomics, and functionality are the three most apparent considerations, but designers must also keep in mind manufacturing concerns, such as what technologies the company has access to, the price of materials, and what types of manufacturing facilities are economically feasible to use. By balancing all of these concerns in a design that is memorable and appealing to the customer, the designer can create a successful body for a new mechanical invention with a great purpose.