Catapult Design is a non-profit design firm providing engineering and implementation support to the thousands of organizations in need of technologies or products capable of igniting social change. We are engineers, designers, implementers, and educators – we design products, introduce technologies, and foster trends that are appropriate, self-sustaining, environmentally friendly, socially responsible and culturally sensitive.
The majority of our world’s population lacks access to life’s basic needs. Catapult Design’s mission is to develop and implement human-centered products to help them thrive. Technology can empower and liberate. A single, effective product has more potential for worldwide impact – by providing clean water, food, shelter, or income – than any other existing development approach. Through the introduction of inexpensive and simple yet life-altering products the lives of more than 2 billion poverty-stricken people around the globe can be dramatically improved.
Services
In the assessment phase of the design process we help you determine your technical and end-user needs as well as clearly identify both your project objectives and constraints. At this stage of the project it is essential that our designers visit the field to spend time with your end-users, observing their lives and conducting interviews. Following our initial field research we evaluate existing technology solutions and explore a wide range of new concepts with the goal of proposing the technical approach most likely to accomplish your goals. Finally, we help you evaluate the root-causes of the problem you are working to address as well as assist you in selecting the best possible next-step to ensure your success.
Design Development focuses on product/technology research and development. Catapult Design employs a creative approach to product development that begins with product concept generation and evaluation based upon our findings in the Needs Assessment Phase. After working with you to select the most promising design concept(s) we proceed to prototyping and testing – this stage is iterative: we build, test, and build again based upon what we have learned. This cycle repeats until a viable design is produced and we can then move on to design documentation before finally delivering the end product to you.
Implementation is often the most challenging stage of any developing world technology initiative: how do we get the product to the people who need it? how do we then get the people to purchase it? to use it? to build businesses around it? Catapult Design can help you with these considerations and many more. From establishing manufacturing processes to implementing distribution chains and developing culture-specific marketing strategies, our experience in bringing products to market in emerging economies will prove instrumental in ensuring the success of both your product and your mission.
How do you prove that your product performs as you believe it does? Evaluating real impact is a vital and yet often overlooked part of any product introduction. This unique Catapult Design service offering emphasizes strategies for defining, collecting, and analyzing environmental, social, and/or economic data for use in evaluating the efficacy of a product. We work with you to define appropriate metrics that will prove how effective, and valuable, your product is. This data frequently proves instrumental in efforts to improve your product, secure additional funding, and to establish your design as a proven and recognized success.