WhiteBoard – Remote Innovation for Your Organization We have adapted our proven innovation workshops to a hybrid approach to bring an in-room experience to your team from anywhere in the world. Book your innovation workshops now. Check out our website and call to discuss how WhiteBoard Product Solutions can bring innovation to your organization today.

““We’re excited to partner with WhiteBoard on their King of the Ring game this fall at Target exclusively,” said YULU Co-Founder Thijmen de Schipper. “They’re super innovative developers and they brought us a really fun game that we know kids are going to love playing over and over again.” From simple beginnings to 2019 “Target Top Picks” “King of the Ring” is a fun n’ frantic skill and action game that needed the right idea, execution, timing and licensing partner to make it all happen.

As new clients tour our facility, they're often shocked to learn about our many prototyping capabilities. "We had no idea!" is a common reaction. To get the word out, we've improved our prototyping web presence. 15 different capabilities have been highlighted, complete with detailed descriptions and a series of photos for each. We invite you to take a virtual tour - maybe you, too, will be saying, "I had no idea!"

WHITEBOARD INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING

This product is still as relevant today as it was back in 2012 when we first designed it collaborating with the Ecowater team. It is still selling well today and is one of the best selling water softeners of all time. SOFT WATER…REFRESHING STYLE ORIGINALLY BLOGGED NOVEMBER 8TH, 2012 Asking the Right Questions Leads to Value-Added Solutions

Blip Toys and WhiteBoard Product Solutions have had a 15 year history in creating dynamic products in the toy category, including the Zoom-o Launcher Series. Blip and WhiteBoard have had success in their partnership because of their ability to work quickly through all phases of development – from early concept development, buyer feedback, to final production – in such a way that allows them to get a successful product on the shelf that sells. In early 2016, Blip Toys and WhiteBoard decided to collaborate again when an opportunity to innovate in the construction set category became apparent. Particularly, with the current push in childhood development and STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and math) toys, both Blip Toys and WhiteBoard felt it was a timely opportunity to launch a unique construction set that costs less than many competitors on the market. By blending the familiarity of traditional wooden blocks with fun, colorful, and creative connector pieces, Smarty Parts stands out on the shelf as a fresh take on traditional building block sets.

One of our product partners, 50 Strong from Lima, OH, were featured on Fox Business recently showcasing their approach to designed for made in America products. Take a watch, and check out their product at Be50Strong.com and the design story in Our Work.

Last week, one of our employees ordered the new FugooXL Bluetooth Speaker for their home entertatinment. Ordering this $200 speaker wasn’t a light decision (most purchases above $20 are), but after the copious amounts of reviews that touted its performance he found it hard to resist. One of the key factors of his decision making process was the its Waterproof & Dustproof ratings, especially with their outdoor lifestyle needing to be uninterrupted. It can handle mud, snow, water, and (reasonable) drops with ease while still looking stylish. That in addition to boasting true 360-degree sound and a 35 hour battery life, and we were sold.

WE’VE UPGRADED!Our Blog has moved from Blogger.com to a feed on our new website. WhiteBoard recently made the change to offer content to you, our customers and readers, faster and more often. This upgrade to our new Website and Blog format will help bring you better and more focused content. Moving from our old format to a new one, we’re really proud of what we have created and can’t wait to show you what we have in the near future!We’re continuing to add project on a monthly basis, bringing to you a clearer vision of our full list of capabilities and expertise. From Medical and Commercial to Consumer and Toys, we’re able to bring your ideas to life. Let WhiteBoard show you how it can help you!

WhiteBoard designers courageously braved hot-humid weather on Wednesday for the Aquatennial Festival’s Torchlight 5K. The course starts at St. Mary’s Basilica, winds down Hennepin Avenue, and eventually finishes by St. Anthony Main. Great job guys!

WhiteBoard was honored to have Congressman Erik Paulsen, an Eden Prairie resident, visit WhiteBoard this past Monday, along with his staff member Angie Hasek, to not only understand the world of WhiteBoard but also discuss the state of medical device design in Minnesota.

The American Flag Insulated Bottle was selected for inclusion in 4,000 VIP gift bags at the Republican National Convention on July 18th. WhiteBoard designed, engineered, prototyped, and provided the graphic design for this bottle, manufactured in America, by 50 Strong in Lima, Ohio. The bottle is currently being sold by Walmart as part of their Made in America initiative.

Precious Plastics is attempting to increase plastics recycling through open source sharing of blue prints to create your own machines – letting the little guy get in on the action too!

The Thingmaker by Mattel utilizes a variation of an autodesk app to make a kid-friendly 3D printer for creative families. Allowing kids and parents to make pieces that snap together into a wide range of configurations. They work from an existing template of a drag and drop option, then push the print button and your print is ready. Coming in October of 2016.

Introducing Boomerang from Instagram from Instagram on Vimeo.

PROBLEM – STORE BOUGHT SHOES DO NOT ALWAYS FIT PERFECTLY. SOLUTION – JAPANESE DESIGNER MASAYA HASHIMOTO CREATED SHOES THAT HAVE NO LACES AND INSTEAD WRAP AROUND THE FOOT.

Designed in America! WhiteBoard Product Solutions Made in America! 50 Strong Sold in America! Walmart Inspired by Everything WhiteBoard

…OR PUSH IT AWAY SAYING “NO THANKS!” ARE WE READY FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOD? ARTICLE WHITEBOARD INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING!

WHITEBOARD INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING

Three busy and amazing days exploring the Javits Center, braving subzero weather and blustery winds. Elevated excitement presenting top secret concepts with working prototypes to back them up! Pitching “the only… the first… the best…” in a high-rise suite, in the hall of a hotel, the back room of the convention center or under a table in front of Starbucks anywhere to get a chance to show your stuff! We came prepared so only time will tell if a WBPS perfected concept will appear in a store near you!

WhiteBoard hosted a Saturday morning sketch workshop for the students of the University of Wisconsin Stout Industrial Design Program. The focus was on quick idea generation and communication, teaching the value of sketching as a collaborative tool in development. In the second half of the workshop, students learned the technique of grayscale marker rendering for form development and styling. We were able to help students gain valuable inside knowledge as they prepare to enter the industry. We enjoyed having them here and look forward to hosting another event in the future!

The wheel has been reinvented by Michelin. They are introducing airless tires with shear beam and wheels that are connected by high-strength poly-resin spokes. Will this new tire innovation let the “Air out” of the competition? Check out the new X® Tweel® for Skid loaders and riding lawnmowers.

Packaging is the first impression many consumers have with a new product and has a lasting impact. Apple vs Microsoft. A great example of how different marketing approaches can completely change the image of a product. Even though this is an older video, it is still relevant and portrays how consistency in a brand, good or bad, really makes an impact. Inspired by Everything. WhiteBoard.

Camera technology as well as software image processing is making huge strides. New cameras can now take images at super high resolution, pan around a single location, much like Google street view does, and stitch an image together to the tune of over 20 billion pixels. Fans that were there can zoom in on their individual faces and tag themselves on social media for a fun and interactive experience. Check it out here.

Ever wondered about going Solar? Can I put Solar on my roof? What would it cost? What tax credits would I qualify for?Stop wondering and check out Geostellar . Visit the site and enter your address to see an infrared satellite image of your house. Then see what your “estimated” cost, tax breaks and offset you would have. All in colorful charts, graphics and comparison graphics. To get an even more accurate cost offset assessment send them your 12 month electric bill showing your actual KWPH use.

LifeLogger is taking sharing to a whole new level. Forget fumbling with your phone to snap a pick or capture a video, LifeLogger is a head mounted video camera system that is ALWAYS capturing your life. It’s the personal body camera that is linked to a cloud server saving more than just video but also where, when and with who. No need to remember your last trip just search, sit back, and enjoy. He said – she said arguments? Let’s go to the replay to see exactly what happened. Constant logging can have a fun side and a dark side, as seen in an episode of Black Mirror | The Entire History of You, where this moral dilemma of unlimited access can harm as well as help.

WhiteBoard will be speaking at the Concurrent Innovation: Optimizing Time to Market event on June 2nd at the 3M Innovation Center in St Paul. Paul Pilosi VP of Product Develooment at WhiteBoard will be speaking at 11:45am. 3D Printing continues to have an incredible impact on Product Development everyday. Shortened timelines, decreased costs, and the ability to explore more options are just a few of the benefits.

The new robot pal from Spin Masters takes Summer blockbuster movie animatronics even JJ. Abrams would geek out over and makes it easy for the rest of us to live out our robot fantasies. Coming to a toy shelf near you, Meccaniod is the all new, advanced robot building system in the Meccano™ line. I can’t wait to get a hold of one of these so I can start building my mechanized army of minions to tackle my “honey-do” list and spend more time binge watching Orange Is The New Black on Netflix. Inspired by Everything. WhiteBoard.

Some of WB contributed products released in 2014:

LifeScience Alley is the largest state-based life science trade association in the U.S. WhiteBoardwill be participating in its 2014 conference next Wednesday, Nov 19th at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The conference focuses on Healthcare and its impact on business, it includes interesting speakers, breakout sessions, and exhibitors. Stop by and see some WhiteBoard designed devices in our booth (#204).

WhiteBoard will be speaking at Megatech 2014 at Century College in White Bear Lake this coming Tuesday, November 11th. The theme of this year’s conference is 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing and WhiteBoard will be illustrating the role of rapid prototyping in the Product Development Consultancy environment and the impact it has had throughout the years.

A few WhiteBoard team members went up on the roof between 5-6pm with both a Nikon D7100, Canon 6D, welding helmets and heavy shades.

WhiteBoard Product Solutions and Octane Fitness are presenting the Zero Runner at the Symmetry Solutions SolidWorks 2015 release event, October 9, 2014. Presenting the development of the Zero Runner, and the collaborative effort between Octane and WhiteBoard, the two companies will be highlighting the ability to use the platform SolidWorks as a collaboration tool. By utilization of the same platform, the two companies were able to seamlessly collaborate, leading to pushing the envelope on function and design.

WhiteBoard product designers Rick Polk and Jason Ness went to the largest bicycle industry trade show in North America, The Interbike 2014 show in Las Vegas. There they checked out what was new in the bicycle industry and to meet new and existing clients. Below is a list of what they found inspiring:‍

One of the products that WhiteBoard helped develop is being released for people to buy on Amazon or through JamStik.com. It is called the JamStik. The JamStik essentially is a MIDI controller you can play through your iOS device that senses where you place your fingers on the neck and what strings you strum. What makes this different from other MIDI controllers is it feels like a real guitar because it has real frets and real strings.

WhiteBoard came across this DesignBoom article on innovation in the world of reduce, reuse, recycle: “Coca-Cola Gives Old Bottles ‘2nd Lives’ With 16 Functional Caps” from toys to food to cleaning, the possibilities seem endless. Although Coca-Cola decided to start with 16 of their best ideas to distribute across Asia. Innovative designs with brand longevity in mind paired with the goal of environmentalism is a winning strategy. This will inspire many more ideas to come.

The League of American Cyclists have named May National Bike to work month, with May 12-16 National Bike to work week, and May 16 National Bike to Work Day. Being 39 degrees this morning in Minnesota, leads us to the conclusion that the decision makers are not from Minnesota. Though, here at WhiteBoard, we have folks that bike to work during the winter months as well, so bring it on frosty morning! Cheers to another summer season filled with getting outdoors! Next stop, this weekend, the Almanzo 100 mile gravel race…

Director of Product Development Jason Ness, and Industrial Designers Caleb Summers and Eric Polk took the weekend to attend the IDSA Midwest District Conference in Chicago. There they met with students and professionals from around the Midwest area.

One of WhiteBoard’s photographers, Ryan Chernik, had the unique opportunity last month to visit the Superior Ice Caves up in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Trips like this offer an opportunity for inspiration and perspective. Here at WhiteBoard, we are Inspired by Everything!

Congratulations to Rick Polk, President and CEO of WhiteBoard Product Solutions, on making the list of the (Real) Power 50 of 2014! The article “The (Real) Power50” can be found in the May issue of Minnesota Business Magazine. This list represents some of the best people to know when conducting business in the state of Minnesota. Thanks to Tiger Oak Publications for putting on a fun event last Thursday, April 26th, at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis honoring the (Real) Power 50 of 2014. Key WhiteBoard team members attended along with Rick Polk.

Product development centers around process and material, which is why a Core77 blog about the improvements in material science caught WhiteBoard’s eye. In the past, the process was a long and arduous one, full of frustrating trial and errors resulting in a lot of dead ends. With the rise of the supercomputer, materials can now be virtually created and tested, cutting the time and effort exponentially. “This new process is called high-throughput computational materials design and its poised to change everything.”

WhiteBoard designers Rick & Eric made their annual trip to Toy Fair in New York to discover what is new in the world of toys and to meet with new and existing clients.

The engineering department at WhiteBoard had a little fun this morning in our cold Minnesota winter. At -22 degrees Fahrenheit, they threw a cup of boiling water into the air and watched it turn into vapor and ice…or in their words “a cloud in a cup.”

Twin Cities Biking PathsAlmost 1/3 of the WhiteBoard team bikes in to work and with a shift in seasons comes our shift in gear. Winter gear is one of our favorites so a few weeks ago our sights were set on finding the best fat bike for this season. A few of us are avid fat bikers and so picking out our top candidates was easy. We tested the new Borealis Yampa, Salsa Beargrease XX1, and TrekFarley. Kevin at FreeWheel Bike set us up and we were off to ride some single track.

For those who regularly read our blog, you know that we have more than a few bikers who work here (see Specialized Turbo Review). ICEdot, an innovative young company in Oklahoma and a WhiteBoard client, makes emergency identification and notification systems for bikers, skiers and snowboarders (ICE stands for In Case of Emergency). So we were thrilled when they came back, after the successful launch of their first product, for help with their next: the Crash Sensor.

LifeScience Alley is the largest state-based life science trade association in the U.S. WhiteBoard will be participating in its 2013 conference next week at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The focus of the conference will be to discuss the impacts of the national and global healthcare transformation and the new business models that are emerging.Stop by and see some exciting new devices in our booth (#715).WhiteBoard Product Solutions – whiteboardps.com

WhiteBoard recently donated this vintage Tonka Fire Truck to the Tonka Toy Museum. We have done a lot of work for toy companies over the years (including Tonka Toys), so we certainly appreciate classic toy designs like this one. We imagine the Form Follows Reality™ matrix for this product must have been something like: Must be Tonka tough Must be made from stamped steel in the factory overlooking Lake Minnetonka Must be dip painted with minimal decoration WhiteBoard Product Solutions – whiteboardps.com

Swing by booth #444 at MD&M Minneapolis next week (October 29th and 30th) to see some recently released devices designed by the WhiteBoard team. Also, we still have a few VIP passes available for clients who would like to attend the show. Contact us if you would like a pass.

Years ago, WhiteBoard Product Solutions (then known as Leisure Design) had a website feature with a huge fun factor. Each employee had an onscreen miniature version of themselves, which when moused over, would morph into an alternate view. As the years went by, the site got overhauled and the cool people feature got eliminated. Recently, however, by popular demand, the decision was made to bring the people animations back to the site! It communicates to potential clients and employees WhiteBoard’s dynamic creative culture.

WhiteBoard was honored to host a team from the Innovation Fellows Program from the University of Minnesota’s Medical Device Center. The Medical Device Center is a valuable asset to the medical device community as it combines basic research, applied and translational research, and education and training. The Innovation Fellows Program seeks to train the next leaders in medtech through a full immersion educational and product development program for medical device creation. The program concentrates on developing medical devices for a broad variety of clinical areas, with an emphasis on identifying and addressing unmet clinical needs.

WhiteBoard keeps on top of trends research, and never has it been so much fun than investigating the new Specialized Turbo e-bike! For years WhiteBoard and its staff have gained valuable knowledge by keeping on top of new product innovation from a wide range of product categories. The bicycle category is one of the oldest consumer product categories, and although the basic shape and size has not changed much in over 100 years, it is very diverse in its product offering. Bicycle manufacturers target an extremely wide range of consumers, in many different channels of distribution, at a broad range of price points. The amount of design and engineering that goes into the category is very large considering the size of the market. If there is a new material or manufacturing process, you can most likely find it in a bike shop.WhiteBoard keeps up on new innovations so we can apply what we learn from one industry to others. So when a game changer comes along, we want to be at the front of the learning curve, and the Specialized Turbo is a game changer.

WhiteBoard is known for its product development, industrial design, engineering, prototyping and package design; but only a few clients know about a little secret in the back of the building called Purespeed R&D. Purespeed is a race shop dedicated to the support and fostering of club racing and the spirit and camaraderie that go with it. On March 1st, some of the WhiteBoard team, with the help of Purespeed, decided to take part in the “24 hours of LeMons” at Gingerman raceway in late April…only 6 weeks to prepare. However, with WhiteBoard’s design, engineering and prototyping at our disposal, anything was possible. Now maybe you’re thinking to yourself “Don’t you mean Le Mans?” Well, no, the premise of this race is to purchase a $500 car (or less), install a roll bar, along with a small list of other safety equipment, and prepare for 24 hours of driving fun.

JamStik was featured in the May issue of Popular Science as one of ten products in its 7th Annual Invention Awards.WhiteBoard collaborated with the inventor and the Zivix team to design, engineer and create working prototypes of the JamStik. That enabled the inventor’s technology to come off the work bench and into the hands of the Zivix marketing team to create the “double wow” needed to generate all the buzz. “Double wow” is WhiteBoard speak for what some products need to succeed. The first wow is what you say when you first see the product. The second wow is what you say when you see it work.Even a double wow product will only succeed if it can be made cost effectively and is able to communicate the double wow in its retail environment. The WhiteBoard process, which centers on Form Follows Reality™, enabled the WhiteBoard team to make sure that the proposed design could be cost effectively manufactured and look great. It also guided the package design, to make sure it has stopping power and conveys what it does, how it works, and how it changes the game. WhiteBoard continues to work with Zivix and its vendors towards production release.

Star Tribune writer Dee DePass did a remarkable job writing a story about WhiteBoard based on a two hour tour and conversations with clients that ranged from medical devices to consumer electronics and power equipment. In the short time she was here, she was able to capture the culture, diversity, competency and vibe of WhiteBoard.The WhiteBoard team had a great time with Dee and photographer Bruce Bisping. We love talking about the thousands of diverse projects that have made our People, Place, and Process possible. WhiteBoard designed its facility around its process to promote collaboration and inspiration from everything. Much of our inspiration comes from things we have done in the past, so they are displayed everywhere and function as muses as Dee noted in the article. Each of those objects is a unique case study that we have learned from, which helps improve our staff, process, and facility.To understand how WhiteBoard can be so diverse and get such great results requires an in-depth look at the individual projects. Our goal is to optimize the function, value and appearance of products/devices for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. The end result is to get the best possible return on investment for our clients, to be profitable ourselves, and to be an inspirational place for our staff to work.

When a client comes to WhiteBoard for the first time, they expect to see our industrial design and engineering capabilities, but they are always amazed when they see how extensive our prototyping capabilities are. Product development is a very iterative process. The ability to quickly create prototypes in our facility enables us to “discover” early and often. It also enables us to quickly validate our designs, and leads to more creative solutions. Combine that with WhiteBoard’s collaborative process, and we are able to get our clients’ products to market faster and better.

WhiteBoard Critique of the “Beats BY DRE PILL“ Beats by Dre has taken the headphone market by storm. Celebrities, the Olympic team, and the average Joe on the bus, can be caught wearing a set of their stylish headphones. However, Beats makes more than just headphones. The Beats Pill is the extension of the head phone collection that brings the rest of the room in on the music experience. The Beats Pill is a compact speaker for listening to music and answering calls. One can connect to the Pill either wirelessly, with Bluetooth, or through the supplied 3.5 mm head phone jack.

WhiteBoard, and WhiteBoard designed products attend Toy Fair 2013. WhiteBoard designers Rick & Eric made their annual trip to Toy Fair in New York to check out what is new in the world of toys and to meet with some important clients.

JamStik Rocks CES. For the past 6 months, WhiteBoard has been collaborating with Zivix, a Minneapolis based company, to develop a functional and sleek device for their patented guitar playing technology. The device connects wirelessly to smart phones, tablets and computers to play digital music with an authentic guitar feel.

On November 27th WhiteBoard hosted a group of students affiliated with the North Star STEM Alliance, whose mission is to double the number of underrepresented students receiving bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. The students toured the WhiteBoard facility and were given an overview of WhiteBoard’s product development process. The objective was to inspire the students and give them a glimpse of what a career in product development looks like. The students were very engaged and asked many questions during their visit.

WHITEBOARD PARTICIPATES IN THE MD&M SHOW. The WhiteBoard booth featured industrial designer Nicole Parks sketching concepts on the Wakum tablet.

WhiteBoard inspires students to succeed one sketch at a time. A team of industrial designers at WhiteBoard recently hosted 14 industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout for a 3-hour sketching workshop and tour of the WhiteBoard studios and model shop.

Asking the Right Questions Leads to Value-Added Solutions. A fundamental part of the WhiteBoard product development process is the “discovery & definition” phase. During this time, the WhiteBoard team partners with the client to identify and understand all the realities that need to be considered in order for the product to be successful (see “Form Follows Reality” below). When Ecowater, a leading OEM of water softeners, needed a new design for a key customer, the WhiteBoard team started by asking a lot of questions.

Our Approach: Form Follows Reality™ You have heard the phrase “form follows function.” It was coined by architect Louis Sullivan in 1896 to emphasize how a building’s design should always reflect its intended purpose. It has since been adapted by product designers to guide product development. We at WhiteBoard Product Solutions believe that function is only one of the essential requirements for a truly successful product design. Our mantra is Form Follows Reality™. Form Follows Reality is rooted in the original appreciation for function, often one of the most important realities, but it also understands that there are other factors that determine the success of a product. Every project has multiple requirements, constraints and needs that must be defined to enable a product to succeed in the marketplace. These are the realities that inform the decisions that drive the design process. Form Follows Reality recognizes that function, aesthetics, cost of goods, timeline, R&D budget, tooling investment, manufacturing capabilities, distribution channels, merchandisability, and a product’s competitive environment are sometimes competing realities that need to be identified and weighed against each other to drive a project to achieve success. How does WhiteBoard do this? We collaborate with our clients to identify and rank each project’s most important realities. We listen. We question. We challenge. We ideate. We define. Once a project begins, we use those ranked realities to drive the decision-making process. And we make sure that every member of the team understands how those realities fit into the end result. That means marketers, engineers, manufacturers, and designers are all working toward the same goal from the very start of a project. Say we are designing a retail product that our client wants to sell in large quantities. Along with a variety of other factors, we will determine at the start of the design process how many units will fit on a 12-inch shelf. If reducing the size of a product or its packaging by just a fraction of an inch can make the difference between five or six products being displayed, our entire team works together to determine the most successful solution. If this collaborative approach sounds like common sense, it is. But it’s also too frequently missing in product design, where departments often operate as separate fiefdoms and lack of communication between each department can lead to late-stage changes that escalate costs and delay schedules. By following Form Follows Reality, iconic product designs can be created that not only meet or exceed our client’s needs and expectations, but succeed in the marketplace and quickly become industry standards. WhiteBoard