Free Planning Tools to Start Developing Your New Product Idea
Whether you're exploring concepts or ready to prototype, these tools help you estimate costs, find funding, and document your product requirements — all before your first meeting with Design 1st.
Design 1st has designed and prototyped over 1200 physical products since 1996.
1,200+
Products Developed
25+
Years of Experience
35
In-House Specialists
12
Industry Verticals
Stage 1
Concept Sketch
Stage 2
CAD & Engineering
Stage 3
Prototype & Test
Stage 4
Manufacture & Ship
Requirements
Meeting
Intro Call
Review
Budget
Project
Organize Your Requirements to Get Started
These tools are designed for Stage 1 — Concept Planning. Start here before engaging a design team.
Each tool is free, takes under 5 minutes, and gives you real planning data — no account needed.
Product Development Budget Estimator
Describe your product idea or pick from examples ranging in complexity. Get instant estimates for development cost, timeline, required engineering disciplines, and technical challenges.
Timeline estimateEngineering disciplinesComplexity assessment
Launch tool
Funding Search
Find grants, programs, and funding sources relevant to your product category and location. Covers Canadian and US funding for product development and commercialization.
Grants & programsCanada & US coverageFiltered by product category
Launch tool
Capture Requirements
Document your product idea with our guided Product Sketcher. Capture design requirements, target users, constraints, and functionality — creating a brief that any engineering team can work from.
Guided promptsDownloadable briefShare with your team
Launch tool
User Persona Generator
Describe your product and instantly generate 3 detailed user personas — complete with demographics, goals, pain points, and willingness to pay. Understand who you're designing for before you start building.
3 diverse personasDemographics & goalsEditable & exportable
Launch tool1,200+
Products developed
since 1996
since 1996
Need an Experienced Product Development Team?
Our integrated team takes products from concept through manufacturing, ready for first customer sales.