Design Products, Services, Business Models

Exploit emergent technologies | Validate growth opportunities | Define growth strategies |

Develop go-to-market ecosystems | Design products, services, business models | Develop new growth ventures

Design products, services, business models

Developing new networked products, services and smart systems can be very challenging.

Do you know how to create empathy with users and customers? Which technologies, applications, and use-cases to focus on? Which business models to pursue? Which relationships to create?

Understanding the customer experience through the user’s eyes enables a much deeper human-centered appreciation of how solutions align with needs and customer experiences. Engaging customers and partners in participatory design fosters an acute understanding of the impacts of compelling user experience and a deeper appreciation of the underlying technologies and systems that inform new distinct solutions.

Smart systems design needs to transcend discrete product or service innovation. Business designers and developers need to creatively imagine fully developed systems and whole marketplaces.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

CLIENT CASES

CASE STUDIES

Industrial Components Manufacturer Leverages Digital Innovation to Enhance Selling

CASE STUDIES

Diversified Manufacturer Develops New Smart Systems Business Models

CASE STUDIES

Silicon Designer Examines Smart Home Software Developer Preferences

CONSULTING & RESEARCH CAPABILITIES

CAPABILITIES

Traditional strategy development and planning processes with their linear view and built-in bias toward the established and predictable, fail to prepare a company for change.

Research & Insights
Growth Strategy
>Solution & Venture Development

We have found our clients need more than traditional strategy, design and technical development firms provide individually. As a
result, we combine domain knowledge, strategy and solutions and venture design.

REPRESENTATIVE ARTICLES

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Smart Systems and the IoT Software Opportunity

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Smart Industrial Systems

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Creative Contention

^

BACK TO CLIENT CHALLENGES

SECTORS & CLIENTS

For 30+ years, Harbor Research has worked with clients on growth strategy and new business creation. At the core of Harbor’s approach is a deep understanding of core technologies, markets and business characteristics. We strive to generate deep insight into how emergent technologies drive value creation and competitive advantage in our clients’ businesses.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS AND SUPPLIERS

PRODUCTS MANUFACTURERS AND SERVICES

SEMICONDUCTORS & ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

Semiconductor, display technology, and related electronic component manufacturers have enjoyed strong profits over the past few years. But with so much uncertainty ahead, where will players make their next bets? Which applications, use cases, and emergent opportunities should players consider? Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

NETWORK EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS

A new generation of high-performance network technologies—5G, time sensitive and new field and sensor networks—are unleashing an age of pervasive connectivity that is fostering entirely new modes of customer interaction and services. Realizing this potential will require new ecosystems and business models. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

COMPUTING & CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE

Cloud computing and new infrastructure automation tools are providing unprecedented computing scale. This will allow the capture and analysis of massive data inputs to inform new applications and services. Understanding user and customer requirements as well as buying behaviors will be critical. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

SOFTWARE TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS

Containerization is ubiquitous, languages are less important, and microservices are available everywhere. All this changes how software is developed, but it also creates huge complexity. How should players organize offerings for diverse developers, subject matter experts, and business users? Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

SENSORS & INTELLIGENT DEVICES

New sensor and intelligent device innovations are rapidly evolving from established and emergent players. Determining how to move these innovations from the lab to the market requires creativity, unorthodox thinking, and deep domain knowledge of emergent technologies and markets. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS

INVESTMENT FIRMS

Investment players need a new playbook that enables new innovation models. Smart Systems are changing how portfolios will be managed and how new innovation will be fostered. Venture capital and private equity firms must enhance their ability to simultaneously drive new innovations as well as profitable growth in their portfolio companies. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

MOBILE EQUIPMENT

New technologies are driving significant discontinuities in the vehicle, mobile equipment and transportation arena. Traditional vehicle manufacturers as well as construction, agriculture, mining, and material handing machine suppliers will need to define new mobility business models to leverage the diverse innovations invading these markets. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

Smarter healthcare equipment and systems are becoming integrated with virtual digital systems. This allows the data from sensors, diagnostic machines and more to become an integral part of all healthcare information systems. Players will need to better anticipate how these systems will inform new unimagined capabilities for patient care and delivery. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY

The acceleration of smart systems and digital technologies is causing a revolution in the industrial machinery community. New business models, unexpected category dynamics, and disruptive technologies are challenging long-held beliefs and outdated strategy assumptions. Companies need to creatively evolve their business models and value delivery modes to respond to the ever-changing customer and competitor landscape. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

POWER & ENERGY SYSTEMS

Traditional power equipment manufacturers are facing new software and renewables competitors. These players need to step back and re-imagine customer solutions and re-think their delivery models. Energy technology companies need to evolve to creatively address competitive dynamics. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

BUILDING SYSTEMS

All of the sub-systems in buildings—including power systems, HVAC, lighting, security, people movers, and more—produce data that has largely gone unharvested and unleveraged. Understanding and acting on new information-based services will create extraordinary business advantages for both established and emergent players. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

MEASUREMENT, CONTROLS & COMPONENTS

Electrical, fluid, and pneumatic components, products and systems are all becoming networked and more intelligent. Leveraging data, measurements, and analysis will require new services delivery modes along with new business models—both of which present unprecedented challenges for component and portfolio players. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

IT & TECHNICAL SERVICES

IT professional services, as well as engineering and technical services providers are challenged in just about every way imaginable. Most, if not all, offerings and operating rules—the services, customer experiences, partners, and processes—are undergoing changes. IT services, engineering services, as well as distribution and channel services providers need to define and develop new differentiated offerings that will drive sustainable growth. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

COMMUNICATION SERVICES PROVIDERS

Communications services and carriers, as well as media and entertainment players, need to focus on new services that address evolving customer needs. They must respond to disruptive start-ups, while trying to break away from entrenched revenue models. Players will need to develop and deliver new innovative services across complex ecosystems, while mitigating risks to ensure continuing performance. Learn more… or… Talk to us about how we can help

SELECTED CLIENTS

EXPLORE OUR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

DENVER, CO

2601 Blake Street, Suite 100

Denver, CO, 80205

303.786.9000

BERLIN, GERMANY

Görlitzer Park

Lohmühlenstrasse 65

12435 Berlin

Harbor Research is a growth strategy consulting and venture development firm.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

BLOG

INSIGHTS

CASE STUDIES