Pittsburgh Chapter "ROI of Design" March Event Recap

Over 50 people packed the Carnegie Mellon Integrated Innovation Institute on March 12 for the sold-out Pittsburgh Chapter panel discussion "The ROI of Design: Using Design to Grow Your Business." 

 

Design experts Matt Beale, Kris Kaneta, and Randy Rossi provided attendees with great insight into the world of design. They opened the discussion by explaining that design is more than just aesthetics. Design is the purposeful creativity and development of products and services. Design also involves empathy, ergonomics, and creating customer experiences.

 

The panelists then shared their thoughts and experience on multiple design topics including measuring the ROI of design, using tools and techniques that make the design process easier, how technology impacts design, and much more. Key takeaways from the discussion included:

Attendees were engaged throughout the discussion and asked great questions. We would like to thank Matt Beale, President of Daedalus; Kris Kaneta, Sr. Vice President of Marketing at TeleTracking Technologies; and Randy Rossi, President of Bally Design for helping attendees gain a greater understanding of how design can impact a business. 

On April 17, 2018, the Utah Chapter of the Product Development Management Association (PDMA), in conjunction with Workman Nyddeger (WN) IP Law firm held a highly informative meeting on Protecting Your Product IP to Protect Your Business.  Attendees learned from speakers Levi Brown and Mike Frodsham of WN on the 4 forms of Intellectual Property Protection:  Trade Secrets, Trade Marks, Copyrights, and Patents.  Levi and Mike spoke about the key changes in patent law and how they affect your business.  Filing for protection first, prior to public disclosure, is the best protection that a business can have.  Firms like Workman Nyddeger can help with this process and help develop cost-effective strategies to protect your IP for the good of your business, as well as help defend against infringement.

 

Robert Male, President of the Utah Chapter of PDMA, spoke briefly about the relationship of PDMA with Workman Nydegger and the Chapter's mission to bring innovators in Utah together to network and learn about aspects of product development that will help keep our economy vibrant through organic growth from New Product Introductions.  Participants were excited about the opportunity to network with other product developers and speak informally with the members of Workman Nydegger.  One respondent to the event survey said, "I got all my [IP] questions answered!"

 

Our next Chapter Meeting will feature Cydni Tetro of the Women's Tech Council.  Cydni is a master at marketing and has worked with companies such as Disney, the NFL, Microsoft, DreamWorks, Facebook, and Walmart, to name a few.  She will be sharing her experiences and wisdom around Smart Market Validation: Nailing Your Customer's Needs and Wants.  Set the time in your calendar for June 19 and join us!