Celia has won design awards for her Doctor Cook saucepans, including the EUWIIN Design Award 2007, and is now marketing her products internationally

There's a terrible dilemma for every inventor and product designer in the early days. Their innovative idea will need prototyping and testing on users to know if it's technically and financially feasible. But secrecy to protect Intellectual Property in it will be paramount until the prototype or model is advanced enough.

An industrial product designer by trade, Celia Gates knows all about product development theory. But it was in developing her innovative Doctor Cook saucepans that she experienced the tension between product testing and keeping a new idea secret.

Video interview 5:11 mins (click on arrow in video below to play)

In this interview, Celia shares useful insights around:

• How she came up with the idea for her ergonomic saucepans that are easier to pick up - identify the problem and work back
• The hardest part to learn about is how to break into the market - it can be expensive, but doesn't have to be.
• Fail quickly and learn from making mistakes rapidly on a small scale, to avoid big costly mistakes.
• You can never prototype your product properly without taking it out into the market.
• But you have to keep your IP secret til you've protected it - then it's a game of speed.
• Celia has registered designs for her saucepans, first for a very general design and since for further detail in the design.
• Your IP and your brand are absolutely fundamental to the success of your invention.
• The stronger your IP, the less you'll have to fight in future.
• The faster you can move with your product, the more difficult it will be for anyone else to catch up.
• As well as protecting and prototyping an idea, designers and inventors need to have passion for their new product idea - a strong belief and commitment that will carry them through the tough times.

Find out more about Doctorcook saucepans for safe and easy cooking.

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