# Arne Lang-Ree | Hand Sketching, Defining Requirements, & Design Reviews

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2022-10-21
- Length: 49m
- Episode: 40
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/arne-lang-ree-design-reviews/

## Summary

Arne Lang-Ree, founder and CDO of Spanner Product Development, discusses his journey from working in his father's fabrication shop to designing consumer products like the Vortex Football and parachute toys. He emphasizes the critical importance of hand sketching for early concept exploration and defining detailed product requirements before committing to CAD. Lang-Ree advocates for 'making the right thing, then making it right' through storyboards and regular design reviews to ensure teams stay aligned with user experience goals. He also highlights the value of psychological safety in engineering teams and shares insights on managing senior versus junior staff in a consulting environment.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=0) Introduction: Arne Lang-Ree and Spanner Product Development
- [1:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=108) Early Influences: Fabrication Shop and Craftsmanship
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=400) Toy Design: Vortex Football and Parachute Mechanics
- [10:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=612) The Role of Hand Sketching vs. CAD in Concept Development
- [13:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=838) Team Structure: Senior Engineers and Junior Staff
- [16:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=1010) Accelerating Time-to-Market through Requirements and Storyboards
- [23:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=1390) Managerial Philosophy: Psychological Safety and Design Reviews
- [29:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=1789) Ideal Product Development Tools and Mythical Platforms
- [31:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=1917) Process: Storyboards and Gen Two Lists
- [38:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-10-21-arne-lang-ree-hand-sketching-defining-requirements-design-reviews#t=2307) Personal Stories and Recent Product Highlights

## Topics

- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Spanner Product Development (company)
- Vortex Football (product)
- Klutz (company)
- Susana (company)
- Emme (company)
- Bravo Oven (product)
- Miro (tool)
- Notion (tool)
- Harvest (tool)
- Google Sheets (tool)
- Sprint (tool)
- Microsoft Project (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [194: The Importance of Sketch Design for New Hardware Products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-09-21-194-the-importance-of-sketch-design-for-new-hardware-products) (Product Startup)
- [082: Smooth Product Flow from Visual Design to Engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-06-30-082-smooth-product-flow-from-visual-design-to-engineering) (Product Startup)
- [172: Early Concept Design for a New Hardware Invention](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-04-20-172-early-concept-design-for-a-new-hardware-invention) (Product Startup)
- [S1 E5: The Path of Product Design for Successful Development with William Burke](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-05-30-s1-e5-the-path-of-product-design-for-successful-development-with-william-burke) (The Builder Circle)
- [Design and Engineering Shouldn't Be Separate Islands | Pensar, Tactile, Mathscaper, Vector7 | Rob Leonard](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-07-27-design-and-engineering-shouldnt-be-separate-islands-pensar-tactile-mathscaper-ve) (TRADEOFFS)

## Citing this page

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