Product Design Process Heidi Ploeg Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

6/13/2016Page 2 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page 3 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page 4 1a. Develop Problem Statement Needs to be clearly defined Needs to be concise and focused “Brent Fisher from the Department of Communication Disorders needs a three-dimensional working model to introduce and teach the hearing functions of the inner ear and the various forms of damage that can occur. Our objective is to design and build an educational tool that shows how sound waves are received and interpreted by the inner ear.”

6/13/2016Page 5 1a. Develop Problem Statement Needs to be clearly defined Needs to be concise and focused “To develop and evaluate a number of innovative new designs for an active new parent who aspires to be fit. Offers an innovative cross-over stroller product that is easy-to-use, engages mom and child, multi-functional, stylish and trendy. This stroller should be considered a value compared to competition and satisfies the needs of the parents and the child.”

6/13/2016Page 6 1a. Develop Problem Statement Needs to be clearly defined Needs to be concise and focused –BuckyUpBuckyUp –BridgeBuildersBridgeBuilders –Cranky PeddlersCranky Peddlers –Sledge RunnerSledge Runner

6/13/2016Page 7 1b. Develop Design Specifications Essential step to define realistic constraints Prepared through –Market research –Competitive analysis –Patent and literature search Dynamic process Specifications should include both quantitative and qualitative

6/13/2016Page 8 1b. Develop Design Specifications Factors to consider: –Environment (manufacture, shipping, storage and use) –Maintenance –Shipping and packaging –Manufacturing facilities –Standards and specifications (safety and/or performance) –Economic –Environmental (product disposal) –Aesthetics (color, corporate style) –Culture

6/13/2016Page 9 Example Design Specifications Inner Ear –size - smaller than 6 ft ~ 3x3x3 large enough for lecture of 150 people "able to fit through a door“ –financial - $300 –functional accuracy rather than visual accuracy –portable/cart size/carried by one person weight - less than 40 lbs –Durable (lasts 5 years) –easily repaired with simple tools, ie screwdriver (reattachable) –droppable from 4 feet –function as a stand-alone piece and a lecture tool –14-25 age –interactive 3-dimensional

6/13/2016Page 10 Example Design Specifications BuckyUp BridgeBuilders Cranky Peddlers Sledge Runner

6/13/2016Page 11 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page 12 2a. Devise Potential Solutions Generation and evaluation of potential design options Creative process + Systematic approach Techniques: –Brainstorming –Morphological chart

6/13/2016Page 13 Brainstorming Let imagination wander Record ideas quickly Use rough sketches and notes Work together Don’t evaluate or reject ideas Quantity is desired

6/13/2016Page 14 Morphological Chart Identify basic functions Subsolutions are identified and listed Overall solutions are combinations of the subsolutions

6/13/2016Page 15 2b. Select Promising Alternatives Formal evaluation process to identify most promising alternatives Controlled convergence technique: –Compare alternatives to a baseline –Based on design specifications –Better, same, not as good –Identify patterns, helps decision making –Best as a group activity

6/13/2016Page 16 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page Develop Alternatives and Evaluate Potential Analysis, modeling, simulation Testing and evaluation Consulting other interest groups e.g. manufacturing, construction, service, marketing, quality control, sales, …

6/13/2016Page 18 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page Refine and Prepare Final Design Optimization Addition of necessary features Formal documentation of the design

6/13/2016Page 20 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page Validate Final Design Consumer products - Build prototypes for internal and/or field testing Large scale products – pilot plants, thorough design analysis, computer simulations

6/13/2016Page 22 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

6/13/2016Page Communicate design Manufacturing – detailed drawings, specifications, models Quality control Service, Marketing, Sales

6/13/2016Page 24 Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem state and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail