My favorite company product development story is from Crayola Crayons. Edward Binney and Harold Smith developed a colorful new update of European colored sticks of charcoal and oil which were orignaly, wax substitutes for the oil in they're dustless chalk. The intended use was to mark they're shipping crates and boxes. Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith realized that the new wax crayon they had developed would provide a neater and more affordable alternative to costly imported crayons for American schools.
In 1903, the first Crayola crayons were offered to the American public for the first time; they came in a box of eight and retailed for about five cents. Today, there are over one hundred different types of crayons being developed. New crayons include crayons that: sparkle with glitter, glow in the dark, smell like flowers, change colors, and wash off walls.
In addition, Crayola crayon product development efforts have created generations of fun with products such as:
Squeezable 3-D Paint and Silly Scents Crayons, Markers and pencils. The scents include crazy fun names such as Alien Armpit, Dragon Drool and Zombie Laundry.
What is Product Development?
It is the process of creating new, replacement or upgraded products for a company to serve the needs and or wants for consumers.
Every single product company in the world has some kind of product development department, team or individual working on one hypothesis - what will consumers buy?
* Pharmaceutical product development creates new medications
* Automobiles product development teams create sleeker, faster and or more functional cars / trucks
* Technology product development groups create the newest tech crazy gadgets such as Gigaball
Product developers take day dreams, words and concepts and turn them into sellable products. Proctor and Gamble was the original in creating the first career position of Product Development in 1924. This wasn't extraordinary technology business competition... It was soaps, candles and detergents.
Today, many companies select product development team members the way some people select medical doctors, on knowledge. When considering an addition to the product development team, they already have the first thing that comes to mind product concept. Potential product development employees should promote their primarily area of expertise or enthusiasm in order to secure a position in the industry of their choice.
Product Development is a fantastic career for those who love bringing to life new ideas. Some of the career responsibilities include:
* Social Design
* Product Life Cycle Management
* Brand Management
* Marketing
Education needed for Product Development
Depending on what area of expertise you want to enter will guide which degree you need to obtain.
* Food Product Development: A degree in Food Science and or Culinary Arts
* Software / Technology Product Development: A degree in Computer Science
* Consumer Product Development (shopping bags, coffee cups, unusual gadgets»»): A degree in Product Design
http://www.career-opportunities.net/ProductDevelopmentDesigningCareersJobsEducation
