Consumers who purchase non-customized cases understand that they may need to adjust or modify their cases to suit their needs. On the other hand, a case designed for a consumer product comes with more refined consumer expectations. For this reason, designing a carrying case for consumer products may seem more challenging than designing general purposes cases.
Whether designing cases for tech devices or exercise equipment, your project can be more successful if you concentrate on the features consumers value in cases for consumer products. To help you refine this process, here are six things you should consider when designing cases for consumer products.
Purpose
One of the essential considerations in designing cases for consumer products is how consumers intend to use the case. They may need cases to:
- Transport the contents through passenger air travel, railway, or car trips
- Serve as a portable workstation
- Store the contents for extended periods
- Shield the products when not in use
- Carrying the contents while walking various distances
The purpose of your cases affects all aspects of your design. For example, if you are designing a case suitable for carrying food, you may need to decide whether to include thermal insulation technology to keep the food hot. Your case manufacturer can implant heating elements directly in your cases or bag. For another project, you may need backpacks to carry cutting-edge drones to remote locations on foot. This task may require using lightweight materials and sufficient padding to protect the drones’ plastic blades.
Handling
Throughout the case designing process, you should consider how the consumer will handle and carry the product. Some of the influential factors are:
- The weight of the product
- The fragility of the product
- The size of the product
- The shape and style of the case
For example, a case that carries heavy sports equipment may need caster wheels or extra handles. Also, sensitive electronics may require additional padding or moisture protection.
Protection of Products
Protection is the primary concern for some consumer products, particularly items prone to breakage or malfunction from drops. For instance, most medical equipment falls into this category because the devices are often sensitive and expensive. The challenge is that you must determine the correct level of internal and external protection without disrupting the product’s functionality.
This complex challenge underscores the importance of collaborating with a reputable case manufacturer like Tetrafab to help you determine the best protection methods, including adding foam inserts and design modifications. Also, they can help you decide whether your case should be made with polyester, neoprene, or PVC material. With their help, you can provide proper protection and functionality for products such as:
- Defibrillators
- Portable digital computers
- First Aid Kits
- Digital recording devices
- Devices for permanent or temporary medical disabilities
Dimensions
Consumer products come in all shapes and sizes. A few decades ago, many electronic products required a large case or trunk for transport or storage. But today, many electronic devices can fit inside your pocket.
To take better advantage of these manufacturing capabilities, you need to take the time to consider the dimensions of the products that you’re creating a case for. This phase of the process includes getting accurate measurements of the exterior and interior of your cases, including the length, width, and height, as well as the dimensions of any accessories. Once you have those dimensions, you can use them to not only design your case but also to consider whether parts of your case will need additional support features.
Style
The influence of social media and digital marketing has made the consumer goods market highly competitive and trendy. So, choosing the right case style for these products is critical to your case design process. It can be as important as the quality and manufacturing of your cases. For example, designing cases for sporting equipment or apparel requires more than choosing between a backpack, hard case, soft case, or bag design. Functional and aesthetic innovations can set your product and brand apart from the competition. For this reason, working with a case manufacturer with unlimited capabilities and experience can make your design concept a reality and help your products stand out.
When you work with Tetrafab, we put our advanced design tools to work to create cases with complex designs consistent with your competitive features and brand signature. In addition, Tetrafab’s designers have industry-specific knowledge to help you design the best case style for your needs.
Accessories
Another important consideration for your case design is whether your cases will need to accommodate accessories. For example, some consumer products like photographic equipment have accompanying accessories, extension cords, and cables. Also, some cases that store food have separate chambers for sides or foods of different temperatures.
You may need to include foam inserts to compartmentalize your cases. On backpacks, you can add zippered side pouches or liners. Even if you have a rough idea of how to accommodate the accessories, your manufacturer’s design team can refine your concept before finalizing your design.
Completing Your Case Design for Consumer Products
If you consider these six factors while designing your cases, the process shouldn’t seem any more complex than designing a general-purpose case. Take your consumer case design to the next level by partnering with a manufacturer like Tetrafab, with over 30 years of experience designing and producing cases for consumer products.
