Transform your ideas into manufacturable products.
Specialists in product development for the real world, integrating the latest in sensor tech, power and wireless connectivity.
One of North America’s largest award-winning product design firms.
Hi, we’re Design 1st.
We specialize in custom design and engineering of useful and innovative physical products. Users are unforgiving and expect their devices to be convenient and reliable. We know how to do this. Our core competencies are all in-house.
Design
- Technology research
- Product marketing support
- Human factors design
- Industrial design
- Interaction design
Engineer
- Mechanical engineering
- Electronics engineering
- Embedded firmware
Prove
- Part and product prototyping
- Experimental testing
- Regulatory & certifications
Make
- Manufacturing set-up
- Supply strategy, manage builds
- Quality assurance specifications
- Documentation control
- Packaging & graphics design
We can make it a reality. We’ve done it hundreds of times, successfully.
We work with you to define and create a product to meet your business and marketing goals. Since 1997, we’ve specialized in physical product design and development, delivering products with conspicuous customer value. Our team has helped startups and established companies in many markets.
Trusted by startups and established companies
Let us share our experience with you.
We’ve spent over 25 years refining our 4-stage process that reduces product-to-market time and lowers development costs by up to 50%*, whether your product is simple or highly complex.
Detailed engineering
Product prototype testing
Transfer to manufacturer
* When designing devices, a poor decision building and testing product prototypes will create immediate landfill, and the error can cost as much as the entire development program.
How we do it.
How the Design 1st process helps clients to maximize the opportunity and mitigate the risk.
Proven system
We have a proven, predictable process that has been refined over a thousand-plus real-world products developed. Our unique system is based on user value thinking and rapid design iterations that produce working physical prototypes. We verify performance and quality, so they are ready for your first customers.
Collaborative development
We are a team of cross-functional, hands-on experts in all the critical areas of development (product-market fit, user behavior, industrial design, mechanical engineering, custom electronics, firmware, supply and manufacturing), guiding the entire product development process.
Risk assessment & opportunity experts
We identify user, market, supply and product risks early on. We derisk what we can, considering the overall product lifecycle, and focus on the high-value new product features. We overcome the technical challenges and configure solutions that fit the user needs and business strategy.
What Clients Say About Working With Design 1st
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Richard Mineo CEO, Swabbot Solutions LLC 
Design 1st Exceeds Expectations in Responsiveness
Read Case StudyDesign 1st took our Cobot from initial concept through final product testing, handling electrical, mechanical, software, and manufacturing needs all in one team. They efficiently developed our tank access system, finalized our swabbing robot, and created a benchtop version, keeping us updated and responding quickly to every change request.
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George Tsintzouras Director of Product, Christie Digital 
Immediately understood what was needed
Read Case StudyWhen we wanted to transition our older generation projector models to a more modern look and feel, Design 1st was a valuable asset. Given the depth of their design and engineering experience, Design 1st immediately understood what was needed. They worked with our internal engineering team through the process to provide us with compatible solutions to meet our needs.
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Stephen Rayment VP Engineering, Ericsson 
Our trusted engineering partner for six years
Read Case StudyDesign 1st has been our trusted industrial design and mechanical engineering partner for over six years and they have proven themselves to be valuable, competent and committed to our success. They add value because they understand the tradeoffs between user value and cost, the need to balance both the business and product objectives, along with excellent knowledge of materials and manufacturing / tooling options.
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Mike Tettenborn VP Engineering, Caframo 
Right balance of art and engineering
Read Case StudyWe selected Design 1st because their designers and engineers demonstrated the right creativity and technical understanding. With their CAD and modelling tools they were able to address the numerous design challenges encountered with this type of product. The end result was an easy-to-install, powerful marine hatch fan – unlike any on the market.
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Kurt Francis Co-Founder, CTO, Molecule 
Deepest bench of technical talent
Read Case StudyI did a lot of due diligence on product development companies and Design 1st had the deepest bench for technical capability. They worked on such a broad range of products with successful commercialization. Design 1st’s early efforts in prototype development helped us move from a powder substrate into a commercial product for testing.
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John Lupton Director of Engineering, GeoSight 
Got up and running fast
Read Case StudyThe whole design was my idea and I had patents on them. The team’s main work was to solve the functionality issue of a piece of my design. On top of that, they helped identify one of our manufacturers.
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Didi Horn CTO, SkyX 
Exceeded Our Expectations
Read Case StudyThe Design 1st team exceeded our expectations and helped us deliver an exceptional product to the market. As a startup, we were working within a budget but expected the highest quality product. Design 1st identified the risks up front, had the vast network of partners to find the right components, and customized it to meet our unique needs.
Meet the team.
Kevin Bailey
CEO and Founder
James Henderson
VP Design
Matthew Bailey
VP Engineering
Yih-Shyang Tsai
VP Embedded Software
Donovan Wallace
VP Electronics Engineering
Jenna Bailey
Operations Manager
Allan Kerr
VP Analytics
David Ingram
VP Manufacturing
Ian Kayser
VP Sales
Joan Highet
VP Design Strategy
A bit about our history and values.
25+ years creating real-world devices
We leverage suppliers globally and serve clients in Canada, the USA and around the world.
Our cross-industry experience is critical to delivering physical products that connect emotionally with users and drive revenue.
We truly believe that with the right design partner, any entrepreneur, startup or corporation has the ability to successfully bring a new physical product innovation to market.
Milestones
- 1996 Company launch
- 2002 Doubled staff
- 2006 300 projects completed across telecom, medical and consumer
- 2011 European clients
- 2012 Named one of the top 10 fastest-growing companies in Ottawa
- 2015 Acquired an electronics division
- 2016 Doubled staff to address demand for integrated team design
- 2018 Robotics innovations: the SkyX remote drone garage and the GeoSight rugged scanner for mining
- 2019 Clean-tech innovations: Molecule’s air-to-water generator using desiccant nanomaterial, and Tiny Farm’s indoor smart gardening system
- 2020 First named to Clutch’s Top Global Creative and Design Agency listing
- 2022 70 new products developed yearly, with 45% growth in connected projects
- 2025 Working on 104 new products across 12 markets
Awards & Certifications
Design1st projects have received 75+ awards and we hold 1000+ patents.
Ready to get started?
Let’s talk and make your product idea or re-design a reality.