
Acclaimed product design and experience innovation company Whipsaw has introduced thousands of products over the past two decades. Now Dan Harden, the firm’s CEO, founder, and principal designer, has started a new initiative called Whipsaw Design Lab (WDL). It’s a place where the internal team explores different concepts just for the sake of design instead of focusing on a client problem—without specific requirements, timelines, or limits.
Yet even with the collective experience of the group, which includes designers, engineers, and strategists, there are still several elements that get in the way of a seamless process, from budgetary concerns to fixed deadlines. The WDL allows the freedom necessary for creative exploration that’s often in short supply. “We wanted to be freed from the type of restraints that can sometimes compromise a design, such as client marketing or brand requirements, cost, schedule, or technical limitations. I have always sketched random concepts, and it was time to implement some of them,” Harden said.
When working with clients, a problem-solution-based approach is employed, which is efficient, especially when you have a staff with varied skill sets. No matter how difficult a particular challenge their procedures yield the best possible results. “At Whipsaw we have designed products from consumer electronics to housewares and robotics. Our mix of complementary disciplines ensures that our solutions are precise and thorough,” Harden said. “We use strategy to understand and frame a problem, and to establish the best method to go about solving it. There are other firms that offer these services, but the way that we integrate them so tightly makes them unique.”

Consultants often describe the market in terms of red ocean or blue ocean strategy. The red ocean is the known market space, where industry boundaries are defined and companies try to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of the existing market. The blue ocean denotes the unknown market space, unexplored and untainted by competition. Like the ocean, it is vast, deep, and powerful—in terms of opportunity and profitable growth.
Harden considered a third option, which informs the work of WDL. “We wanted to explore what I call a ‘white ocean’ strategy, which is pure design innovation without worrying about a gain to be had other than the sheer joy of it. The WDL process has no schedule. It can be fast since there’s less external complexity, or slow until we marinate on it or perfect it,” he said. With the luxury of more time, they have already designed eclectic pieces, including three chairs, a walking aid, a roadside safety device, and yes, even an acoustic piano.

Some will eventually be put into production, while others are simply exercises. Indeed, that’s why Harden describes WDL as a playground, because all of the designers embrace exuberance and take delight in the everyday, whether envisioning a piece of furniture or a lunchbox. He believes that fresh perspectives often come from the unexpected, and he shares this philosophy with employees and clients. “I think design seeing is more interesting than design thinking. Find inspiration in marginally related, non-figurative ideas. You’d be amazed at what you’re capable of conjuring up,” he added.

As people reflect on the pandemic, there is a continued debate about too many products. In an era of more responsible consumption, why launch WDL? For Harden, it is a moment to showcase the transformative power of making and to share the vitality that comes with it. “We are doing it now because we sense the need for a renewed design optimism in society. People want connection in design as they do in relationships.”

He explained that substandard goods are an issue that has to be addressed, and that industry leaders can contribute by insisting on the best possible materials, fabrication facilities, and conservation of precious resources. “Considering all of the junk in our world, I think products must earn their right to exist. As a designer, your job is to always create and insist on quality, sustainability, and wider responsibility.”

Harden’s Whipsaw client roster includes heavy-hitters like Google, Nike, Samsung, and Uber on the list. With WDL though, there’s no pressure to add another notable name, but to just have fun. Harden noted that he was actually surprised by the response of the designers who have eagerly dived in. “WDL is pretty new, so we are just going to play around and see where it goes. We aren’t limiting it, so it is likely to net a range of interesting things, from real products to non-material abstract ideas.”