Working in development of devices, we typically used “research” to refer to 1) the technology development that precipitated the product development aka the “R” of “R&D” OR 2) Market research/user research done by HF&Marketing including clinical evaluation.

Of course, research is a broad term and could apply to almost every dept at some point (patent searches, material properties, obscure standards, industry best practices, lessons learned including adverse events and recalls of predecessor products, you name it).

I spend a lot of time giving clients this overview and walking them through what to expect for a product development lifecycle all the way through to manufacturing as it applies to their product type and risk analysis. Feel free to let me know if you have more specific questions M&M Consulting can help with.

Probably longer response than a post. Happy to do a call if need be.

Whatever the definition of research, or the type, or the stage of development, there’s a great reason for founders to engage third party help: confirmation bias.*

When Founders get an idea they need money to develop it, and the best way to get that money is to devise a story that “sells” (or leads to an exit). That makes it very easy to “find what you’re looking for”, ignore hidden pitfalls, and go after the biggest fish in the sea rather than a smaller one that you can get into the boat. Your good idea can quickly turn into a brilliant idea, and subsequently fail, because you decided to climb Everest rather than a short flight of stairs.

Here’s a link to our resource library which is a great place to start:
https://www.namsa.com/resources/library/

* the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories.