End-to-End Product Development for Connected Devices
From initial concept to mass production, we bring your hardware vision to life.
Complete Expertise Under One Roof
35+ senior specialists in design, engineering, firmware, embedded software, and manufacturing.
1000+ Successful Projects Since 1996
Award-winning team with products on shelves spanning medical, consumer, industrial, and AI/IoT connected devices.
Manufacturing Issues Caught Early
Our integrated process identifies production challenges during design phase, saving time and budget later.
meet design 1st
See how we partner with innovators to build the future of connected devices.
Trusted to design, engineer and setup manufacturing for the world's most innovative brands.
A Deep Bench of Talent, All Under One Roof.
Our senior experts collaborate as one integrated team to de-risk your project and accelerate your path to market. We build for manufacturing from day one, ensuring a direct path to a commercially successful product.
Research your category and lay solid project plans.
Transform your vision into a useful engaging product.
Our lean process is a proven method for harnessing our creative and technical capabilities to turn ideas into simple to use products that deliver conspicuous customers value.
Whether in the same room or collaborating from a distance with our state-of-the-art conferencing tools, we work closely with you and your team to brainstorm, develop concepts, and iteratively refine these ideas into a business-oriented product solution.
Engineer products that perform on every level.
Your new product must exceed user expectations about performance, quality, and cost. It may also need to meet stringent regulatory requirements.
Our expert engineering team has the analysis tools and technical expertise to help you reduce risk and solve tough problems. Tricky assembly; sophisticated materials selection; novel manufacturing processes; complex stress, thermal, or vibration concerns – whatever your technical hurdles, we can help.
Add intelligence and connectivity to your product.
From industrial instruments and medical devices to Internet-connected consumer products and everything between, we have the electronics design experience to reliably deliver the whole market-ready product.
Our engineering team has proven methodologies, intimate knowledge of the latest standards and frameworks, and years of experience designing, testing, and certifying hardware, firmware, and software applications.
Seamless integration of electronics into new products.
Embedded software plays a critical role in the optimal function of physical products. Our expert team of software and firmware developers works together to design compact software with a small memory footprint and low power requirements.
Using an interdisciplinary approach to integrating hardware and software into your product’s design delivers energy-efficient, highly reliable systems with built-in redundancy and fault tolerance.
Show and validate your design early, reduce your risk.
Prototypes are essential when developing physical products. With our in-house modeling and fabrication capabilities, and our established network of reliable prototype suppliers, we build thousands of models and prototypes each year for all kinds of physical products and demonstration units.
For low cost predictable development, we create virtual renderings, physical bench models and fully functional prototypes to evaluate and assess your products utility to customers prior to manufacturing.
Quickly get your design into reliable production.
To design a great product, you must know the process. 70% of a product’s cost is locked-in during the early design stage, so we apply our extensive knowledge of manufacturing right at the start of your project.
We engage component suppliers and potential contract manufacturers early in the design or work closely with your in-house production team. This removes surprises during the new product introduction process to minimize the development cost and reduce time required to complete manufacturing set-up for full production.
Why Companies Choose Design 1st
We’re the trusted development partner for ambitious startups and established OEMs serious about bringing successful hardware to market.
Richard Mineo
CEO, Swabbot Solutions LLC
Design 1st Exceeds Expectations in Responsiveness
Design 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.
George Tsintzouras
Director of Product, Christie Digital
Immediately understood what was needed
When 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.
Stephen Rayment
VP Engineering, Ericsson
Our trusted engineering partner for six years
Design 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.
Mike Tettenborn
VP Engineering, Caframo
Right balance of art and engineering
We 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.
Kurt Francis
Co-Founder, CTO, Molecule
Deepest bench of technical talent
I 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.
John Lupton
Director of Engineering, GeoSight
Got up and running fast
The 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.
Didi Horn
CTO, SkyX
Exceeded Our Expectations
The 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.
What Kind of Product Development Help Are You Looking For?
Whether you’re brand new to creating physical products, have an in-house development team or are a long-time veteran of product development, we have expert teams that work with you to strategize, design, engineer, fully document the details, and transfer product specifications to manufacturing.
Companies with in-house hardware product development
Companies without in-house hardware product development
Entrepreneur with a Concept, looking to Develop a Product
Our Proven Product Development Work
See how we’ve solved complex engineering and design challenges for 60+ clients, taking their products from concept to commercial success.
BlueKit – IoT Education Platform
SkyX – Drone Recharging Station
lūp – Magnetic USB Cable
General Fuel Cell
Swabbot
Lumenera Case Study
Molecule – Industrial Dehumidification
ARC Case Study
Ridemaster – Motorcycle Communication
Heatstone – Outdoor Radiant Heating
Zumio – Clitoral Stimulator
vSculpt – Pelvic Floor Toning
Awards & Certifications
Design1st projects have received 75+ awards and we hold 1000+ patents.
Case Studies
Learn how companies, like yours, have gotten their product to market faster with Design1st
Case Studies
Learn how companies, like yours, have gotten their product to market faster with Design1st
From Napkin Sketch to Manufacture-Ready Product, Designed Right the 1st Time
Design 1st integrates our knowledge and expertise with yours to bring your product idea to life
End-to-End Product Development Services
Our skilled team works collaboratively across specialized service areas. From start to finish, we find the right solutions to transform your initial idea into a reliable and useful product.
Transform your vision into a useful engaging product.
Our lean process is a proven method for harnessing our creative and technical capabilities to turn ideas into simple to use products that deliver conspicuous customers value.
Whether in the same room or collaborating from a distance with our state-of-the-art conferencing tools, we work closely with you and your team to brainstorm, develop concepts, and iteratively refine these ideas into a business-oriented product solution.
Engineer products that perform on every level.
Your new product must exceed user expectations about performance, quality, and cost. It may also need to meet stringent regulatory requirements.
Our expert engineering team has the analysis tools and technical expertise to help you reduce risk and solve tough problems. Tricky assembly; sophisticated materials selection; novel manufacturing processes; complex stress, thermal, or vibration concerns – whatever your technical hurdles, we can help.
Add intelligence and connectivity to your product.
From industrial instruments and medical devices to Internet-connected consumer products and everything between, we have the electronics design experience to reliably deliver the whole market-ready product.
Our engineering team has proven methodologies, intimate knowledge of the latest standards and frameworks, and years of experience designing, testing, and certifying hardware, firmware, and software applications.
Seamless integration of electronics into new products.
Embedded software plays a critical role in the optimal function of physical products. Our expert team of software and firmware developers works together to design compact software with a small memory footprint and low power requirements.
Using an interdisciplinary approach to integrating hardware and software into your product’s design delivers energy-efficient, highly reliable systems with built-in redundancy and fault tolerance.
Show and validate your design early, reduce your risk.
Prototypes are essential when developing physical products. With our in-house modeling and fabrication capabilities, and our established network of reliable prototype suppliers, we build thousands of models and prototypes each year for all kinds of physical products and demonstration units.
For low cost predictable development, we create virtual renderings, physical bench models and fully functional prototypes to evaluate and assess your products utility to customers prior to manufacturing.
Quickly get your design into reliable production.
To design a great product, you must know the process. 70% of a product’s cost is locked-in during the early design stage, so we apply our extensive knowledge of manufacturing right at the start of your project.
We engage component suppliers and potential contract manufacturers early in the design or work closely with your in-house production team. This removes surprises during the new product introduction process to minimize the development cost and reduce time required to complete manufacturing set-up for full production.