Sean Flickinger
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About
• Hands-on, can-do attitude, with a passion for exploring diverse aspects of industrial design, and a willingness to take on risk. Ability to convey design concepts through strong visual and verbal communication skills.
• 10+ years consumer and commercial product design and messaging in multiple industries including Automotive, Consumer Goods (appliances, commercial cleaning equipment, power tools), and Outdoor Gear / Sporting Goods (cycling, firearms accessories).
• 10+ years as a highly creative, lead designer and product champion creating and delivering successful products from concept to production that achieve superior customer satisfaction and business objectives.
• 10+ years contributing to cross-functional teams including development, engineering, marketing, brand and packaging, international offices and vendors (China, Taiwan, Europe), licensing and sales. Adept at collaborating to eliminate roadblocks in project progress.
• 5+ years leading and developing teams to evolve solutions to create market advantage by selectively blending user experience, aesthetics, and product cost to match business strategy.
• 1+ year managing direct reports (4): performance evaluations, coaching and feedback, and mentoring. Build teams of talented and energetic people, create an environment where obstacles are removed, the vision is clear, there is room for creativity and people are energized to give it their all.
• Experienced project manager with a global view of the product development process (NPD) who pro-actively addresses critical project elements to prevent delays or project redesigns. Finds innovative solutions to seemingly conflicting requirements by resolving assumptions and requirements with user needs.
• Skilled at executing and blending ethnographic research, contextual customer research, user research and design research with innovative methods to generate meaningful solutions.
• Blue Ocean strategist who looks for opportunities the competition hasn’t identified. Tactical design approach to the existing market to create meaningful advantage over competitors and force them to remain competitive.
• Able to create early concepts from limited information and predict the viability of developing the concept into a design. -
Education
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B.S. Transportation Design Transportation DesignArt Center College of Design1989 - 1992
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Experience
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Industrial Product Design Consultant | Freelance DesignerBullseye Design WorxNov 2009 - Present (15 years)• Provide customized, innovative new product design services, project management, business planning, marketing, and sourcing services to entrepreneurs, start-ups, design firms and engineering firms.
• Train clients to identify new product ideas and develop concepts beyond the initial idea.
• Developed a brand language to deliver a unified product appearance. It was successfully adopted and resulted in great industry reviews.
• Demonstrated an opportunity to increase a client’s product performance and usability via prototyping and conducting user research. -
Industrial Designer (Project)Vapor Technologies, Inc.Feb 2013 - Jan 2014 (11 months)• Reported to the CEO and Engineering Manager in development of a product vision and user experience for new Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) manufacturing coating equipment.
• Initiated and facilitated mind mapping sessions with internal stake holders from manufacturing, installation, purchasing, accounting and technical development to identify internal challenges with the existing products and create solutions. Worked with the engineering team to keep a customer-centric design while maintaining simplicity and cost.
• Created new framework for project decision making by providing training on Lean Product Development (LPD), project economics, small batch methodology, risk management and information theory.
• Reduced preparation time for quotes by 88% and eliminated the need for an additional staff member by implementing SolidWorks EPDM as a CAD management solution. This also allowed the product development team to utilize the same system and avoid over writes and file sharing confusion in their data management.
• Deployed ethnographic and contextual customer research to target critical problems with the existing product and prioritize customer needs to prevent repeating issues in the new product.
• Demonstrated the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method of quantitative customer research. Secured buy-in and organized site-visits to observe current machinery and interview customers. Integrated the results as key drivers in the design of the machine.
• Procured and managed outside resources in the development of a full-scale model of the design concept to test ergonomics and evaluate maintenance procedures in physical reality. -
Industrial Design ManagerMagpul IndustriesMar 2011 - Apr 2012 (1 year 1 month)• Reported to the Engineering Manager in developing a more robust development process, process improvements, and streamlining design approval through standardized check lists and final design presentations. Recommended matrices for product scorecards to rank and review projects within a Product Portfolio.
• Created and implemented a highly effective formal Design Stage within the New Product Development Process (NPD). Resulted in acceleration of time to market, generation of more viable solutions earlier in the design process, and ensuring projects were correctly documented for release to manufacturing and production.
• Relieved a back order of over 30K units on a MS-3 sling project, and eliminated a two-year stall through project management and directing internal and external resources that quickly moved it into production.
• Responsible for leading the design team in a streamlined development process of its core product range of accessories for the AR15 rifle platform along with ventures into new market segments.
• Managed four direct reports (designers). Developed their talents in aesthetics, problem solving and project management through energetic discussions, personal challenges and positive reinforcement. Proactively held monthly reviews to improve performance and project focus. Provided resources for professional development. Achieved strong production results as the team matured.
• Created a series of short, concise guidelines that allowed new designers to quickly become autonomous in managing their own projects. Coached them in techniques to manage multiple inputs on a product’s design and create action plans by prioritizing needs based on project status within the development process. -
Senior Product DesignerKarcher North AmericaOct 2006 - Mar 2011 (4 years 5 months)• Key contributor to the design and success of the iScrub 20 ride-on floor scrubber. Sales were 200% more than first year projections and the first 150 units were secured by one buyer before production started.
• Preserved end-user needs throughout entire product development cycle by leading cross-functional teams in design and brand strategies.
• Redesigned the shoulder straps and waist belt of the very profitable Vac Pac to be more comfortable and properly fit more people. New sales increased, and because it was a retrofit to previous Vac Pacs systems, replacement sales went up as well.
• Initiated and led ethnographic and contextual research activities for multiple project teams used to create prioritized customer needs and product specifications using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) process.
• Implemented multiple innovation techniques to identify solutions for customer needs. Searched for untapped opportunities to achieve superior product offerings and profitability objectives.
• Mentored new designers design aesthetics, assisted in training of 2D and 3D software and organized informal department meetings to improve collaboration. -
Senior Industrial DesignerHusqvarnaOct 2004 - Oct 2006 (2 years)• Led the design team in creating a replacement for the LB-25 model leafblower with a dual focus on reliability and customer experience.
• Benchmarked competitive units and created mock-ups to evaluate and dial in proper ergonomics, identified product issues and opportunities to incorporate into the final design. Coordinated with the Husqvarna consumer research department in Europe to execute end-user studies.
• Sourced prototype facilities to create aesthetic model parts. Finished and detailed models in-house for marketing and executive management presentations.
• Facilitated the development of a brand language strategy for Poulan, Poulan Pro, WeedEater, Craftsman and Husqvarna brands to create brand differentiation, decrease intra-company competition, and address eroding sales caused by using the same product design across multiple brands.
• Interviewed, hired and mentored industrial design interns. Coached them in the development of design skills, business strategy and manufacturing limitations influence on design. Successfully trained them to be productive members of the department, contributing to the success of many projects. -
Product DesignerFord Motor CompanyJan 2003 - Oct 2004 (1 year 9 months)• Produced product concepts through sketches, Alias renderings and Alias models. Created CAD models for prototype shop and suppliers.
• Collaborated with vendors to review component requirements and process capabilities, maximizing design creativity while maintaining superior product quality. Managed component design exchange with vendors and followed through on design, assembly, and manufacturing issues.
• Represented Product Studio in vehicle platform reviews with Chief Product Mangers. Participated in design reviews with Executive Design Management.
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Affiliations
New Product Development Professional (NPDP) Certified
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Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@SFlickinger, member since 2012
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