A common question in product development is:
“How can we reduce the cost of this product?”
The problem is, it’s often asked too late.
By the time a product is fully designed, most of its cost is already locked in. At that stage, reducing cost usually means compromises, redesigns, or pressure on suppliers (which often leads to quality issues).
A better question to ask is:
“What should this product cost, and how do we design for that from the start?”
That’s where design-to-cost comes in.
Let’s talk through it here…
Listen here
Listen to the episode or watch on YouTube
Episode Sections:
- 00:00:03 – Introduction & industry context
- 00:01:15 – Why reducing cost late rarely works
- 00:02:09 – How costs get locked in early
- 00:04:58 – What “design to cost” really means
- 00:06:59 – Designing within cost constraints
- 00:10:29 – The biggest cost reduction levers
- 00:11:29 – Cutting features without losing value
- 00:14:35 – Main drivers of product cost
- 00:19:04 – Common mistakes that increase costs
- 00:26:19 – Why simplicity improves cost and reliability
- 00:27:19 – Practical design-to-cost strategies
- 00:30:29 – Case study: the Coolest Cooler failure
- 00:31:49 – Final takeaway: design for cost from day one
Further content
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- The New Product Introduction Process Guide
- The Benefits of a Feasibility Study (during new product development)
- 7 Must Do New Product Introduction Tasks For Successful Product Launches
- The Design for X Approach: 12 Common Examples
- Elon Musk’s New Product Introduction Philosophy: What Can We Learn? [Podcast]
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