At IDEO, we have a saying: “We think to build, and build to think.” Our engineering teams — electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, and software — provide the backbone of our generative design process. Engineering has long been at our core, dating back to the earliest days of IDEO’s history as a company, and it continues to be vibrant and central to our work.

IDEO’s engineers help colleagues and clients see the big picture on the back end, from physics to factory. Through the early involvement in concept generation and evaluation, we help with the development of complex designs and systems, ensuring that the creative vision becomes a product in people’s hands.

Engineers at IDEO take products from concept to manufacturing, including detailed mechanism and circuit board design, CAD models, materials selection, and detailed analysis and testing. Our engineers help find and evaluate manufacturing vendors, compile design documentation, and conduct manufacturing tooling reviews.

Design Stewards
Engineers are often with a project from start to finish. They are responsible for maintaining a product’s design intent during implementation, and work as the stewards of the design. As part of this stewardship, they help shape the communication with a client’s technical staff and manufacturers. They also help with communication at other points in the design process, such as bringing concepts to life with prototypes or conducting technical interviews. They may speak with field experts, client engineers, and customers, as they help formulate logical storytelling and build a “case” for your concepts.

At IDEO, engineers generate, explore, and refine design concepts. This includes brainstorming, prototyping (works-like and looks-like models, parts acquisitions, working contractors), system architecture (black box) design, rough CAD or circuit layout, and providing rough analysis/initial calculations.

Throughout the process, engineers at IDEO lend confidence and credibility to design concepts by assessing their feasibility. This may be just a quick “gut check” or a more formal study, including background research, proof-of-concept prototyping and testing, reserve engineering, or full-blown analysis.