Case Study Analysis: IDEO Product Development IDEO's business model began as an open-minded place to design, develop and manufacture products. new products. The past 20 years of building proven products, driven by innovation, have resulted in profit margins for their customers and continuous refinement of IDEO's processes. IDEO pioneered “concurrent engineering” where design and engineering work together to produce aesthetically pleasing and highly functional products. This was different from many other similar companies that placed more emphasis on industrial design than engineering. IDEO's strengths were born from its ability to master this capability with high-tech clients. Companies turned to IDEO because they had a proven system to develop the best products using their key ingredients for an innovative strategy. IDEO built on the success of the Palm Pilot, which at the time had become the best-selling computer product of all time. This was a market they were familiar with, having previously worked on the Newton handheld computer at Apple. The Newton was an example of revolutionary technology, but the need for a truly portable handheld computer could not make up for the shortcomings in the technology or the value proposition in the market. Working on these types of projects has strengthened IDEO's stature in the industry for not only producing award-winning products, but also for guiding consumers to new ways of interacting with technology. The skills of team members within IDEO reflect the company's doctrine of open innovation and the benefits of bringing these diverse teams together. From their clients, IDEO assimilates best practices and then integrates those practices back into their own business and processes...... middle of paper ...... their knowledge base through lessons learned from working with a multitude of 'companies, each with their own distinct characteristics, they have been able to evolve from a product development company to a strategic partnership company providing innovative solutions focused on the business as a whole. Today, IDEO creates and improves some of the most creative organizations in the world. A major shift in the paradigm established in 2000 focuses on invention and the individualistic nature of product design. Innovative companies like Procter & Gamble have benefited enormously from the years of innovative evolution and learning experienced by IDEO. The more IDEO learns, the more its customers learn. This helps IDEO deepen its knowledge base by creating a continuous loop of design thinking seemingly driven by a perpetual engine that breeds success..