"Solving two problems at once in a single, hybrid product," writes Atlanta-based industrial design consultancy Thrive, "means challenging the status quo at every point—from performance expectations to manufacturing to marketing." Here we'll look at how this philosophy was applied in their case study for Irwin's Speedbor drill bits.

MAKING A BIT THAT'S MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS BITE

Legacy tool company Irwin was looking to enter the wood-boring accessory market with a competitive edge. The problem? The category consisted of two types of bits: flat and auger, and neither offered a strong point of entry. That's when THRIVE stepped in to add a new product profile to the mix.

BRING NEW THINKING TO OLD MARKETS

The wood-boring category was primed for a shake-up. Flat drill bit sales were declining and auger bits were too specialized a category for a newcomer to break into it easily. We began looking for a sweet spot between the two product types that would introduce fresh expectations and set Irwin apart.

GET INTO THE HEAD (AND HANDS) OF THE USER

Conventional wisdom suggested that faster drill time was better, so Irwin's competitors were in a constant race for drill bit superiority based solely on speed. We questioned that wisdom, querying contractors of all types to see what really made a difference on the job. We discovered that faster wasn't the issue—effort was. With hundreds of holes to drill each day, arm fatigue was a huge problem.

CHANGE THE CONVERSATION AROUND QUALITY

Despite our findings, the feeling internally and in the market was pretty set: faster always equaled better. To shift this mindset, we developed a testing protocol to compare competitors' claims. It turned out that "faster" only meant 50 seconds a day or .5 seconds a hole gained. The current gains were doing little to help work sites win.

TAP THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Returning to current options, we found that both types of traditional bits had their issues. Flat bits were cheaper, but were slower because they required more effort to push through wood. Auger bits were easier to use, but generally more expensive. We combined the two to capture the best of both and came up with the Speedbor bit: screw tip and auger head with the body of a flat tip. The result: a faster bit that also immensely reduced effort and hand fatigue.

REINVENT THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Since our design was more complex than previous product types, typical modes of manufacturing proved expensive. We traveled the world searching for a cost-effective process and found it in South America. There we pioneered the process, then adapted it for mass manufacture in Asia to keep costs competitive with traditional drill bits.

CHANGE THE MARKET FOREVER

In the past, wood-boring bits had been a quiet, unremarkable staple on hardware store shelves for decades. Focus groups that used the Speedbor bit, however, were so effusive that it caught the attention of both of the U.S.'s largest home improvement retailers. Each incorporated the product into their house line of tools. Thus, through research and ingenuity, we created a distinct, hybrid product that improved speed, ease-of-use, manufacturing practices and the standard for excellence in an otherwise staid market.