KAIA

SELL MORE PRODUCT AT A HIGHER PRICE

J.W. Speaker Victory CASE STUDY

ShareFacebookXThreads
← Back to Case Studies
01

The Project

J.W. Speaker is a third-generation family manufacturer in Germantown, Wisconsin. It brought dynamically adaptive LED headlights to motorcycles: sensors read how far the bike is leaning and aim extra light into the turn. Its first adaptive headlights were round, but Victory touring motorcycles use a diamond-shaped headlight. J.W. Speaker developed a Victory version, the Model 8695, and asked KAIA to design the part every rider sees first, the bezel that frames the light. J.W. Speaker engineered the headlight, chose the design and brought it to market.

Credit: KAIA | Solberg Design

The Model 8695 on a Victory touring motorcycle (J.W. Speaker photo)
The Model 8695 on a Victory touring motorcycle (J.W. Speaker photo)
$529.95retail price, near the top of its market
18designs shown in three groups
2inner bezel finishes on one bezel shape
02

The Challenge

Buyers judge a product by how it looks before they read the spec. J.W. Speaker's adaptive headlight lights the inside of a turn, but that advantage only shows on the road at night. On a dealer's shelf or a product page, next to the stock headlight and other LED replacements, the headlight had to show that it was worth more while it was switched off.

03

The Solution

Solution: Sell at a higher price

Your product may be better engineered than the competition, but the difference is on the inside, where buyers can’t see it. So they compare prices instead.

Good industrial design makes that quality visible from the outside, in the shape, the details and the finish. Buyers can see that your product is better before they ever read the spec sheet, and that gives them a reason to pay more.

Why it pays:

  1. Buyers pay more for good design. Research shows it raises what buyers will pay and how likely they are to buy.
  2. A little more price goes a long way. Sell for 10% more with the same engineering and tooling, and you earn more than 50% more profit over the product’s life. (These are example numbers from KAIA’s cost model.)
The headlight installed on a motorcycle and switched on
The headlight installed on a motorcycle and switched on

What KAIA did

  1. We gave each set of optics its own frame. The four center bars carry the low beam, the three round optics join them for the high beam, and the banking optics light the inside of a turn. Each set has its own sculpted frame around it.
  2. We made the lean feature visible. The openings around the banking optics follow the angle of those optics, so a buyer can see how the adaptive headlight works while it is switched off.
  3. We put chrome where the eye lands first. The surfaces a buyer sees first are chrome. The side walls next to the light have a very fine texture, because a shiny wall there would throw glare.
Leaning left and leaning right: the banking optics, each in its own frame
Leaning left and leaning right: the banking optics, each in its own frame
Industrial design closes the gap between the best engineering in a category and the price that engineering earns.
Low beam
Low beam
High beam
High beam
J.W. Speaker's comparison with a halogen headlight
J.W. Speaker's comparison with a halogen headlight
The production headlight with the chrome inner bezel
The production headlight with the chrome inner bezel

Set a 30-minute call about how to sell at a higher priceBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Sell more

Most buyers make up their minds about a product in a few seconds, from how it looks on the shelf or on a screen, long before they read the spec sheet. If your product looks like everyone else's, they'll usually buy the cheapest one or stick with the brand they know. A product that looks different, and looks better, is the one they reach for first.

How KAIA does it:

  1. Explore widely. We sketch many different designs before choosing one.
  2. Design for the buyer's first look. We give the product a shape that fits its market and stands out next to the others.
  3. Keep what the engineers built. We design the new look around the parts you already make.
One of the designs, shown on the road
One of the designs, shown on the road

What KAIA did

  1. We explored on paper first. We sketched ten bezel ideas by hand on one sheet. A watch dial and a car headlight hung next to the sketches as references for the precision and polish we wanted.
  2. We showed whole groups of designs. We rendered eighteen designs in three groups, each fitted around the same optics and shown both on the road and in the studio, so J.W. Speaker could compare whole directions side by side.
  3. We refined the strongest direction. Five refined designs followed, including versions in two colors, chrome and black.
The spec sheet comes later, if it comes at all. By then the buyer has already decided what the product is worth.
Hand sketches
Hand sketches
Designs from the first round
Designs from the first round
More designs from the first round
More designs from the first round
A design in two colors
A design in two colors
Designs compared side by side
Designs compared side by side

Set a 30-minute call about how to sell moreBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Lead your customers back for the next sale

When customers like the first product they bought from you, you want them to find you again when it's time to buy the next one. That happens when your products look like they come from the same company: the same shapes, details and finishes on every model and every version, so customers recognize your brand the moment they see it.

How KAIA does it:

  1. Set one design language. We choose shapes, details and finishes that customers learn to recognize as yours.
  2. Carry it through every version. Every size, option and finish looks like part of the same family.
  3. Use it on the next product. Each new product looks like it came from the same maker.
The five refined designs
The five refined designs

What KAIA did

  1. We designed one shape in two finishes. We refined the chosen direction into one bezel shape that comes with either a black or a chrome inner bezel.
  2. J.W. Speaker kept it through the update. When J.W. Speaker updated the headlight as the Adaptive 2, it kept the same bezel.
A strong first impression wins the first sale. Winning the next sale takes a family of products the customer can recognize.
The production headlight with the black inner bezel
The production headlight with the black inner bezel
The production headlight with the chrome inner bezel
The production headlight with the chrome inner bezel
"Moving forward we want to set up a family look to all the forward lighting... I will have a bunch of headlight bezels to share with you."Mike Herre, Project Engineer, J.W. Speaker

Set a 30-minute call about how to lead your customers back for the next saleBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Reach new markets with technology you already have

You've already paid to engineer your core technology. Selling it into a new market brings in more revenue from that same investment, but only if the new product fits what buyers in that market want.

The result: a product the new market wants, built on engineering you already own.

How KAIA does it:

  1. Research the market first. Who buys there, how they choose, and what they care about most.
  2. Design the new product around what you already make. Keep your proven technology and components, and give them the form, features and fit that market values.
  3. Skip the new engineering program. The hard part is already done, so the new product gets to market faster and costs less to build.
The production headlight with the black inner bezel, from a three-quarter view
The production headlight with the black inner bezel, from a three-quarter view

What KAIA did

  1. We started from the proven optics. The Victory version kept J.W. Speaker's adaptive optics, housing and lens exactly as they were engineered.
  2. We shaped a face for the new motorcycle. We designed a bezel for the diamond-shaped opening that brings those optics together into one face, so the technology looks at home on a Victory.
As the bike leans, sensors measure the angle and switch on extra optics aimed into the inside of the corner. A conventional headlight leans with the bike and leaves that part of the road dark.
J.W. Speaker's comparison while leaning into a turn
J.W. Speaker's comparison while leaning into a turn
Low beam, high beam and the two lean settings
Low beam, high beam and the two lean settings

Set a 30-minute call about how to reach new markets with technology you already haveBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Fit every vehicle and meet the rules

Buyers and installers want a part that fits their vehicle without any changes. It has to be the right size, use the mounting points and the connector the vehicle already has, and meet the safety standards for that vehicle, such as the DOT and ECE standards for headlights. If a part has to be modified to fit, or doesn't meet those standards, they'll buy a different one.

How KAIA does it:

  1. Design to the standard. We design the part to fit the openings, mounts and connectors that vehicles in your market already use.
  2. Cover every version. One design works for every vehicle and connector your buyers need, so you don't have to design each version separately.
  3. Leave the certified engineering alone. We shape the outside of the part without moving the components that already meet the safety standards.
The production headlight from the side
The production headlight from the side

What KAIA did

  1. We designed inside the opening. We fitted every design to the existing housing and lens, so the new bezel sits inside the Victory's own headlight opening.
  2. We designed for a direct swap. The headlight replaces the stock one directly and plugs straight in.
A buyer judges quality before using a product.
J.W. Speaker's headlight housing and lens, which every design was fitted to
J.W. Speaker's headlight housing and lens, which every design was fitted to
Black and chrome versions, with the same fit
Black and chrome versions, with the same fit
"We appreciate our Victory motorcycle customers and could not be more excited to give them an Adaptive Series headlight, offering a custom fit and plug & play installation with this dynamically advanced technology."Kurt Kaufmann, Motorcycle Market Sales Manager, J.W. Speaker, at launch

Set a 30-minute call about how to fit every vehicle and meet the rulesBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Cut the cost and time to build

Most of what a product will cost to make is decided early, in the first design decisions. KAIA's industrial designers work inside the engineering you've already done: your parts, your clearances and your tooling. The design fits what your engineers built the first time, so nothing has to be reworked, and the product gets to production faster without adding cost.

How KAIA does it:

  1. Start from your 3D models. We design around the parts, clearances and tooling you already have.
  2. Show your engineers every surface. Your engineers can check the design from every side before any tooling is made.
  3. Hand back files they can build from. We deliver production files your engineers can use directly, so nothing is drawn twice.
The engineers' notes on the printed designs
The engineers' notes on the printed designs

What KAIA did

  1. We worked on J.W. Speaker's 3D models. We drew every design on J.W. Speaker's own 3D model of the headlight, fitted to its optics, housing and lens.
  2. We let the engineers mark up the designs. J.W. Speaker's engineers reviewed printed comparisons. They wrote "keep, mod" on one direction, "watch" on another, and a note to add texture to the inside top.
  3. We refined what they marked. The next round refined the direction the engineers marked to keep.
  4. We handed back production files. The chosen design went to J.W. Speaker's engineers as a production file they could build the tooling from.
Few costs in a product program are as small as industrial design, and few reach the customer as quickly.
The headlight from the front and in cross-section
The headlight from the front and in cross-section
The production headlight from the back
The production headlight from the back

Set a 30-minute call about how to cut the cost and time to buildBack to the seven results ↑

Solution: Win OEM programs

When an OEM needs a part, it writes a specification and asks several suppliers to quote. Every quote meets the spec, so the decision usually comes down to price.

You can offer the OEM something the other suppliers don't: industrial design along with your engineering. KAIA works as your industrial design team, so the OEM gets a part that is both engineered and designed for its vehicle, from one supplier. That gives the OEM a reason to choose you for more than price.

Why it wins:

  1. Your bid offers more than a part. The OEM gets engineering and industrial design in one package, from one supplier.
  2. The OEM sees the part on its vehicle before it chooses. Designs and pictures made for the OEM's vehicle, with its logo, show its engineers exactly what they'll get.
  3. Your engineering stays as it is. KAIA designs around your finished parts, so nothing inside changes.
The forklift light housing, shown with the OEM's logo
The forklift light housing, shown with the OEM's logo

What KAIA did

  1. We designed around the finished parts. We designed a low-profile housing around J.W. Speaker's LED parts, and nothing inside changed.
  2. We showed the concepts in the OEM's brand. We presented the concepts with Linde's logo on the center plate, so J.W. Speaker's engineers could see the light the way the OEM would.
  3. We made it sell twice. When J.W. Speaker asked for pictures with its own logo, the same housing carried that too, so one set of tooling serves the OEM and J.W. Speaker's own catalog.
  4. We handed back production files. The design went to J.W. Speaker's engineers as production files, in two connector versions.
The same housing with J.W. Speaker's logo
The same housing with J.W. Speaker's logo
The light as J.W. Speaker sells it, the Model 710
The light as J.W. Speaker sells it, the Model 710
"Would it be possible for you to send renderings like the two below with the JW Speaker Logo?"Senior project engineer, J.W. Speaker

Set a 30-minute call about how to win OEM programsBack to the seven results ↑

04

The Outcome

J.W. Speaker engineered the adaptive headlight, chose the design and still sells it. KAIA designed the bezel that buyers see first. Here is how the work measures up against each result on this page.

Win OEM programs (forklift work light)2 brandsThe same forklift light housing carries the OEM's brand or J.W. Speaker's own, from one set of tooling.
Sell at a higher price$529.95was the headlight's retail price, near the top of a $140 to $600 market for branded LED motorcycle headlights.
Sell moreStill listedJ.W. Speaker still lists the headlight years after launch, as its own design for Victory motorcycles.
Lead your customers back for the next sale1 familyJ.W. Speaker kept the bezel through its update, then asked for the same family look across its headlights.
Reach new markets with technology you already have1stIt was the first dynamically adaptive headlight made for Victory's diamond-shaped opening.
Fit every vehicle and meet the rulesPlug & playJ.W. Speaker describes it as a custom fit that replaces the stock headlight directly.
Cut the cost and time to build0 changeswere made to the optics, housing or lens, and the bezel fit within the existing tooling budget.

Similar results in other markets

Over the roadModel 8800 truck headlight

What KAIA didWe designed a new face for J.W. Speaker's 4x6 truck headlight around the optics it had already engineered, and carried it through all eight versions.

The resultIt sells for about 1.5 times the price of a major brand's 4x6 LED low beam.

Material handlingForklift work light

What KAIA didWe designed a low-profile housing around J.W. Speaker's finished LED parts, with a logo plate that carries the OEM's brand or J.W. Speaker's own.

The resultJ.W. Speaker still sells it as the Model 710, at $169.32.

AgricultureDouble 90, released as the Model 93

What KAIA didWe designed new lamp concepts that combine two of J.W. Speaker's 90mm lamps in one product, with a mount that works for other lamps too.

The resultThe work led to the Model 93, one light that does five jobs, sold for 13 uses from agriculture to rail.

Give your engineering the look of quality it has earned. KAIA's industrial designers have been designing products for manufacturers for 30 years. Click here to set up a 30-minute call to review your product line and your next launch.