Hardware Podcasts

S7E16 Chad Walters | Constraints, Iteration, & Industrial Design in Product Development

Being an Engineer · 10 Apr 2026 · 51m · Episode 15

What this episode covers

Chad Walters, an industrial design leader with experience at companies like APR, LLC and Viking Range, LLC, discusses the role of industrial designers in product development, emphasizing user research, storytelling, and collaboration with engineering teams. He explains how industrial designers define product behavior and brand identity early in the process, using tools like SolidWorks and Adobe Illustrator to iterate on concepts and resolve constraints. Walters highlights the importance of embracing failure through rapid, low-fidelity prototyping to uncover true user needs, such as reducing battery size by rethinking a device's charging cradle, and using narrative to build trust with clients and engineers.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
APR, LLC, Viking Range, LLC
Products
Coca-Cola Freestyle
Tools
SolidWorks, Adobe Illustrator, Sketchbook Pro, Pro/E

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