This article addresses the issues electronics engineers face in the discovery phase -- the first and, probably, the most critical stage in new-product development -- and describes some of the emerging solutions which may significantly speed up such work, and at the same time improve on the quality of its output.

The process an electronics engineer follows in developing new products can logically be divided into three phases: discovery, design, and implementation. Discovery involves conceptualizing a new product in the form of a functional block diagram; searching the universe for the latest in algorithms, prior art, silicon and software technologies that may be applicable; making selections in accordance with the functional performance that the new product must satisfy; verifying the interdependency between functional blocks is properly handled, and deriving an early estimate on the cost of materials. Design involves creating a schematic, writing the embedded software codes, integrating the software and hardware elements, and conducting functional simulations. Implementation involves laying out the circuit board, building prototypes, performing live testing, and finalizing the documentation.

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