How can design and manufacturing work together?
Design is not only about what a product looks like. Design integrated into product development at the right time can help identify usability problems, false assumptions and areas for collaboration before a product reaches the costly production phase. This is precisely the focus of the practical EIS workshop on cooperation between design and industrial companies, taking place in Tallinn on 9 October.
A company may spend months developing a new product, solving complex technical issues and ultimately producing a fully functional product. But then it turns out that the product is inconvenient for users, some functions are unnecessary, production is too complicated, or solutions already implemented have to be redesigned.
In such a situation, the problem is not necessarily that the engineer did a poor job or that the designer chose the wrong form. Often, the problem arose much earlier – the key stakeholders started talking to each other too late.
Design does not begin with a colour or a logo
Product design is still often associated with form, colour, materials and visual appearance. These are important, but only one part of design.
In the early stages of product development, design can play a much more practical role: helping to understand whose problem is being solved, how people use the product, which features are actually needed, and where obstacles may arise.
Changing an idea, sketch, or prototype is usually easier than reworking finished components, a production process, or a product that has already reached the market. That is why it is worth asking the important questions as early as possible.
One product, four different questions
People involved in product development look at the same product from different angles. This is exactly where the greatest value and the greatest conflict can arise.
Engineer
Does the solution work technically, and can it be manufactured reliably?
Manufacturer
Can the product be made in a reasonable amount of time, with reasonable material costs and at a reasonable price?
Designer
Can the user understand how to use the product, and does the solution meet their needs?
Company
Does the customer need this product, and are they willing to pay for it?
All four questions are valid. The problem arises when they are asked one after another and the next party is brought in only after the previous decisions have already been set in stone.
What problems can be spotted earlier?
A good product development process does not mean that all mistakes disappear. Rather, it means trying to uncover as many questions and false assumptions as possible while they are still relatively easy to change.
- whether the user understands how to use the product;
- whether all the planned features are actually necessary;
- whether the structure makes production unnecessarily complicated;
- whether the choice of materials meets the needs of both users and production;
- whether the designer, engineer, manufacturer, and client understand the end result in the same way;
- whether the company solves a problem that is genuinely important to the customer.
EIS brings designers and industrial companies to the same table
It is precisely these kinds of collaborations that the practical EIS workshop “How to Create Effective Collaboration Between a Design Company and an Industrial Company”, taking place in Tallinn on 9 October, focuses on.
According to EIS, the workshop does not focus on design solely as the visual design of a product. The aim is to view design as a strategic competence of a company that can help increase product value, support innovation and create a competitive advantage.
One of the workshop’s strongest features is the format itself. Participants are divided into groups and work from the perspectives of different stakeholders to solve design and product development case studies based on real businesses.
- what problem design solves within a company;
- when a design partner should be involved in product development;
- how to manage cooperation between the company and the design partner;
- where the most frequent points of tension arise in collaborative projects;
- how to use design strategy and design management tools.
Who will lead the workshop?
The workshop will be led by industrial designer and design strategist with international experience Adrián Larripa.
Ta on tööstusdisaini ja tootestrateegia konsultatsiooniettevõtte bigD asutaja ja tegevjuht, PACO Design Collaborative’i kaasasutaja ning Navarra Ülikooli dotsent.
According to EIS, Larripa has spent the past ten years leading the physical design and development of complex industrial machinery and high-tech hardware solutions. His work combines user-centred research, industrial design and hardware manufacturing.
Who could benefit most from the workshop?
- for managers of industrial and technology companies;
- for people responsible for product development and innovation;
- for product and industrial designers;
- for companies engaged in strategic design;
- for companies preparing a new product or looking to further develop an existing one;
- for companies that want to make cooperation between designers, engineers and manufacturers more systematic.
Practical information: EIS design and product development workshop
📅 Date: 9 October 2026
⏰ Start: 09.30
⏳ End: approximately 14.20
📍 Location: Tallinna Ettevõtlusinkubaator
🌍 Language: English
💶 Participation fee: 35€
✅ Status: registration open
The value of design becomes apparent before the final product
Good design does not necessarily mean a more expensive product, a more complicated process, or a more impressive appearance. Sometimes, good design results in an unnecessary feature not being developed, a user’s problem being discovered earlier, or a solution not reaching production when it would later be costly to change.
That is why collaboration between design, manufacturing and the company is often most valuable not at the end of a project, but right at the beginning—when choices can still be changed.
Frequently asked questions
The workshop takes place on Friday, 9 October 2026 in Tallinn. It starts at 09.30 and is expected to end at 14.20.
According to information published by EIS, the participation fee is 35 euros.
No. The workshop is intended for designers as well as managers of industrial and technology companies, and people responsible for product development and innovation.
At an early stage, it is possible to test user needs, the product’s usage logic, and the assumptions of various stakeholders, when solutions are still easier to change than after production has started.
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