Seeking Outside Knowledge and Support

Feeling the headwinds that I faced within the company I sought out design and management conferences/seminars to learn from my peers and leaders within the Industrial Design community. Taking in knowledge from these conferences and seminars has helped me to grow my understanding of various design approaches within other companies. I would then distill that information and find ways to translate that back into The Master Lock Company while communicating the benefits to other departments.
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I have been cautious in not only attending Industrial Design events, but also events focusing on many different fields such as: UI/UX Design, Management, Strategic Foresight, Sustainability, Consumer Electronics, Branding, Furniture Design, Housewares, and Communication.

Design Awards

In 2009, I entered several projects that Industrial Design worked on into design competitions to help communicate the value Industrial Design could have for the company. We won four design awards from 2009-10. It was the most attention the company had received for new product development in over 20 years. 

​These awards helped build a case that new products needed Industrial Design to be part of the process from the start. 

Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Collaboration

In 2009, I started a relationship with the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD); developing a collaborative project with the Industrial Design Senior class to help us create new products and ideas. The relationship with the MIAD students help translate what Industrial Design could bring to our company for new ideas and approaches. Creating at least six products we may not have otherwise thought of over the last nine years.
 
Product managers now fight to be part of this collaborative, they enjoy working with the students and finding approaches to projects that they would have otherwise not thought about.

​Working with the students and helping them translate their skills into “real world” applications has been one of the most rewarding portions of my career. Leading young designers to extraordinary results and watching them learn and grow is something I genuinely enjoy.

Manufacturing Knowledge and Development

I was making good headway with the Marketing and Leadership team on expressing why Industrial Design is essential to new product development; I was still struggling to get on the same page as the engineering team. I signed the Industrial Design Team up for a crash course in materials and methods and set up a few days at our manufacturing plant to learn more about our processes. Giving the Industrial Design team a more robust vocabulary and knowledge base for communicating with the Engineering team; helping Industrial Design to gain credibility. I could now speak to our designs in a way that resonated with the engineers and made them more willing to listen. Communicating the reasoning for our design approach, and tying those choices back to manufacturing capabilities.

Master of Product Design and Development at Northwestern University

In 2013, I was beginning to realize that to move both my career and the Industrial Design department forward I would need a way to learn more about influence and leadership within New Product Development. After months of research, I decided to obtain my Master Degree from Northwestern University’s Management of Product Design and Development program. This program gave me the tools, vocabulary, and knowledge to move myself and the Industrial Design department forward within The Master Lock Company 

This is what kickstarted my path to redesigning the Industrial Design department and how it fits into The Master Lock Company.

Industrial Design Internship Program

I knew the Industrial Design Team needed more team members. However, I was not able to hire another full-time designer. This inspired me to start the Industrial Design Internship program.

Each year we choose one Industrial Design Student to work with us full time through the summer and part-time during the fall and winter. Each intern is with us for one year. 

​These interns have a lot of weight on their shoulders, they are treated as an entry-level designer, and by the end of their internship they are managing their own project.​

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Designing an Industrial Design Methodology 

In 2014, I began to develop a process for Industrial Design to become part of the existing New Product Development Process (NPD). Previously the existing NPD process had no mention or requirement of Industrial Design involvement. Industrial Design was included on an as need basis, typically far too late in the project. Creating long project lead times, frustration from the team, and project restarts. In response to this difficulty in NPD, I developed an independent Industrial Design methodology lining up with the existing NPD process. I did this independently using tools from my master’s program. Once I had a draft, I brought in key stakeholders from the NPD team to review and add to what I had put together. Resulting in an Industrial Design methodology that fit alongside the current NPD process.

​The methodology included examples and reasoning on why each step was necessary. It outlined and included checkpoints within the NPD process of when Industrial Design should be consulted to define relevance on the project. 

In 2015, I “launched” the Industrial Design methodology to the new product development teams. I went through each “phase” and explained why it was important, how it would affect their project, and gave an example. Each phase included checkpoints and a “cheat sheet” for the project managers.

The launch of the Industrial Design methodology resulted in shorter lead times of product development, better communication within teams, and less churn in the early phases of the project. 

Adding a Research Specialist

Before 2015 Industrial Design was responsible for all research efforts for new product development. Leading to unintended bias and lackluster research; I felt strongly that we should have an onsite research expert to help facilitate unbiased research for our new products.  

To help demonstrate the need for such a person, I conducted an extensive research study on our Speed Dial packaging and instructions. I noticed on many of the product reviews people were struggling to open the package and found the directions to be challenging to follow. I set up cameras and filmed several people (male and female, ages 9-88) who were not familiar with the product and asked them to open the package and reset the combination to the lock. The results were startling. The average time was 12 minutes and 38 seconds, a process that should have taken less than 5 minutes.  

​Because of the results of this project and with the help of Marketing leadership we added a formal position for consumer research, which has dramatically improved the outcome of our projects. We have 40% less product launch failures than before filling this position. 

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Company Wide New Product Development Process Redesign

The Industrial Design methodology launched in 2015 had such an impact on the company’s New Product Development process that it led to a complete redesign of the Gate Process. I was a leader in the development of this process to integrate all departments at the right time including Industrial Design. The redesign took approximately one year to complete and required working closely with all the business units to ensure that they felt confident in the structure and timing of the process. The process includes gates, checkpoints, and requirements for each department. It has become very successful and led to shorter development timelines, more informed leadership, and the cancelation of projects earlier in the process so that less time and effort is wasted on nonviable products.  

Headquarters Relocation Interior Design

​In 2016, the company had grown out of its current offices and needed a larger space. I led the interior design efforts for the new building working closely with our architecture firm to ensure the culture of the Master Lock Company was translated into the space. We moved into the new building in early 2017. See “New Headquarters Interior Design” in “My Work” to learn more.

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Project Design Review Document and Cross-Functional Collaboration

After launching the redesigned New Product Development Process, it became clear that there was still a gap in the early phases of the project between Marketing, Engineering, and Industrial Design. As a result, the leaders of Marketing, Project Management, Engineering, and I assembled a critical document that is to be completed as a team at the beginning of a project launch. It is a document that takes time to go through and requires all three departments to be present. The goal is to work through the questions each group may have in a structured form so that all parties are on the same page for what the requirements and needs of the project are. We are still early in the release of this document, however, the test projects it has been part of have had good results. The teams have worked together with less conflict and apprehension about why specific criteria exists. The document is designed to develop over time, so we can better learn from our mistakes made in the past.