Either way, preparation is the key. The amount of detail you provide is up to you, but here are some questions you might consider whilst preparing your design brief:

# 1: What is your Vision?

Ahead of all else, your Vision is the guiding principle or ultimate outcome of your project. Describe your vision in terms of “this product will do…” or “this product will be…”. Try to imagine the top-level benefit or “wow-factor” that the product aspires to in order to be successful for your business.

# 2: What are your Goals?

What do you want to achieve with this new product? Are there unique personal, community, market, industry, environmental, financial or other benefits that will be more in reach if this product is successfully developed and launched? Your goals and objectives form the basis for decision-making throughout the development – and they can provide guidance during difficult times in the project.

# 3: What is the background behind your idea?

Describe where the idea for your product came from, what inspired you to pursue this idea over others, what ideas, thoughts and concepts you may have already explored and any other preliminary work you may have done. Without this background information, your designer may inadvertently go over old ground, present irrelevant or redundant concepts or pursue ideas and research that is not applicable or appropriate. Include any sketches, thumbnails, drawings, models, photo’s and research (internet pages, brochures, posters, media clippings and so on).

# 4: What market needs, insights and customer expectations must be fulfilled?

I regularly hear the statement: “I’ve got this great idea for a product which I reckon everyone would buy…” or something along those lines. If you ever hear yourself saying these words, my advice would be to do some market research. Get a feel for similar products on the market, even if other products don’t do exactly what your idea will do. Educate yourself about what is available, what these products strengths and weaknesses are, and whether you have a substantially differentiated, innovative and unique solution. Seek to understand not just what you think is a good idea, but what others think – ask friends, family and colleagues, check out internet forums, and/or do some independent surveys. Search for unique and objective perspectives and insights – and be open to critical evaluations – don’t be defensive after you ask someone for their opinion about your product idea. Once you feel you have obtained a good cross-section of feedback and research around your product or  opportunity, summarise your findings within the design brief.

# 5: What will make this project win… what will cause it to fail? (a.k.a. Critical Success Factors)

It doesn’t hurt to detail out how you think this project will succeed AND fail… risk management is all about considering what might go wrong… so what better way to prepare yourself for the best and worst outcomes than by thinking about it in advance?

CSF’s provide a road-map for decision-making and a way to determine if certain product features, functionality, styling or other technical aspects are worthwhile.

Brainstorm your CSF’s with colleagues, friends, prospective buyers and end-users… and try to pin-point those fundamental aspects and outcomes you need to develop an attractive, appealing, sort-after product after it is launched.

For help in determining what your CSF’s might be, check out one of my earlier articles here that discusses the Jameson principle of “Better / More / Cheaper / Wow”. I hope you find it useful.

# 6: What are your technical & functional requirements?

Here the nut’s and bolts are spelt out – including how the product should look; how it should work; what it should be made of; where it should be made; information about existing components, subassemblies or complete systems that should be incorporated into the design; and so on. Environmental considerations, ergonomics and point-of-sale requirements may also form part of your formal requirements. Bullet points are good for this – makes them easier to read and check-off later in design reviews. Whilst detail is much appreciated, it is not always available at the briefing stage. Be aware that a formal “Product Design Specification” or “Requirements Specification” may need to be developed by your designer (for a fee) once the project has commenced.

# 7: Specifically, what do you want your designer to provide? (a.k.a. Scope of Work)

Many design consultants and agencies offer “multi-disciplinary” and “end-to-end” services. These are just fancy ways of saying “we can do it all”. Not surprisingly, every time you want to talk about your project with your designer, or if you need them to coordinate and/or liaise with other suppliers and stakeholders – the billing clock is usually ticking. This is to be expected – consulting designers, unless you have negotiated royalty or other financial arrangements – only have their time to sell, thus will endeavour to maximise the amount of “billable hours” to clients. Unfortunately, although the designer’s time and expertise is required to conduct these incidental activities, it can come as a surprise when clients see this time billed within invoicing.

The Scope of Work gives you and your designer the opportunity to spell out exactly what types of services and deliverables you need before commencing the project. It is also your opportunity to discuss and agree on how incidental activities (such as phonecalls, emails, data-management, document preparation) are to be billed and for how much. This process also enables you to discuss how variations, additions and unforeseen issues may be dealt with.

# 8: What is your budget and timeframe?

I am sometimes greeted with an awkward silence when I ask: “What is your budget is for this project?”. I don’t mean to be rude or confronting when I ask this question – the fact of the matter is, if you need design assistance on your project, it will cost at least something. So, rather than wait for the designer’s proposal to arrive and be shocked at what could be some big figures, try to estimate how much you can afford to spend to get this project completed, and provide this information to the designer. Open communication (be it relating to design development, project and financial management) is the bed-rock of a great design program and will minimise any nasty shocks or surprises when your designer needs to provide you with quotes and invoices.

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If you have been able to answer all of these questions, you should be looking at a comprehensive and useful design brief. There may be gaps and omissions here and there, but at least it will allow the designer to get a running-start at understanding what you want, how you want it, when you want it, and for $ how much!