The Power of Concept Generation in Product Design | IDC

Industrial

Exceptional product journeys begin with a spark. That spark turns to creative, structured, strategy-led concept generation, and from there creation can begin. It’s this critical first step which shapes success, ensuring ideas emerge from a foundation of user insight and design intent.


What is Concept Generation & why is it so Important?

At IDC, concept generation is where our design expertise, creativity, and user research converge to generate design solutions that truly address client briefs. By exploring multiple directions, from themes and use cases to sketches and physical models, we build a robust basis for informed development.

product testing

IDC’s Creative Process: Merging Insight with Action

Our structured yet flexible approach to concept generation includes:

  • User insight and thematic framing: Early ideas emerge from deep understanding of user needs and contexts.

  • Collaborative ideation: Brainstorming sessions across disciplines, supported by techniques like storyboard sketches, card and foam models, and block CAD.

  • Visualisation & rapid iteration: By visualising ideas—through sketches, mock-ups, or physical forms—we enable fast evaluation and refinement before advancing to high‑fidelity modelling.


How Early-Stage Thinking Sets the Foundation

  • Guides development with clarity: Early concepts aligned with user insight sharpen direction right from the start.

  • Reduces risk: Testing ideas in quick form helps uncover challenges, from ergonomics to manufacturability, long before they become costly.

  • Aligns cross-functional teams: Whether it’s industrial design, engineering, or electronics, everyone works from a shared conceptual vision.

product testing
product testing

Client Collaboration is Built In

At IDC, collaboration is central to concept generation. Whether through sketch reviews, ideation workshops, or co-creation sessions, clients actively contribute - ensuring that early-stage exploration is grounded in business realities and real-world needs. This partnership helps us deliver work that is imaginative, feasible, and aligned with strategic objectives.


Tools and Techniques That Unlock Creativity

IDC backs creativity with proven tools and techniques:

  • Sketches and storyboards: For visual storytelling and concept clarity.

  • Physical mock-ups: Including card and foam models for tangible interaction.

  • Block CAD and early models: Enabling form exploration and quick iteration.

  • Rapid visualisation: From hand sketches to 3D prints and CAD, providing multiple mediums to test and evaluate ideas swiftly.

These tools keep ideation fast, visual, and collaborative - empowering both designers and clients to converge quickly on promising directions.


IDC team

Integration with Broader Industrial Design Strategy

Concept generation doesn’t happen in isolation - it is part of a broader industrial design system that includes:

  • Visual Brand Language (VBL): Concepts that carry brand expression through shape, colour, texture, and material.


  • Colour, Material & Finish (CMF): Thoughtful choices made early ensure products are both visually coherent and manufacturable - from medical devices to consumer goods.

IDC Case Study: Quantel LiveTouch Studio Sports Highlighting System

IDC’s concept generation for the Quantel LiveTouch Highlighting System demonstrates how user insight drives form and function:

  • User need identified: Operators needed a comfortable jog wheel that would reliably scroll and freeze frames without "bounce."

  • Solution through concept work: The team designed a refined, curved form with soft-touch materials, solved the bounce issue, and added a finger‑friendly dimple for accurate frame capture IDC UK.

This early-stage thinking resulted in an intuitive, high-usability design that was widely praised for its comfort and operational simplicity. Take a look at our other industrial product case studies for further examples of our team’s ability to shape concept generation.

LIVETOUCH

The Future of Concept Generation at IDC

As design challenges evolve, our global team at IDC remains at the forefront by:

  • Embracing emerging technologies: From advanced visualisation tools to rapid prototyping platforms.

  • Elevating human-centred design: Further embedding user insight, ergonomics, and usability studies, especially critical in regulated sectors.

  • Deepening integration with manufacture and compliance: Ensuring concept ideas are immediately viable, safe, and producible.

By continuously refining our concept generation process, we ensure the ideas we craft today are resilient, relevant, and ready for tomorrow’s demands.


Concept Generation can be Your Strategic Edge

Concept generation isn't just a starting point - it’s the engine that powers innovation.

At IDC, we combine user insight, creative exploration, structured tools, collaborative client involvement, and industrial design thinking to set products on a confident path from day one.

Curious how this foundational stage can elevate your next product? Explore our concept generation services to see how early-stage thinking can turn possibilities into powerful solutions.

23 October 2025