Lesson 1 James Dyson and the Design Process

What is the design process?

What is the design process? The design process is a way of working that lets us test and refine our designs and ideas to produce solutions to problems. The design process is simply a way of working that lets us test out and refine our designs and ideas to produce solutions to problems. Dyson uses it to design machines that meet certain criteria and accomplish specific tasks – like a lightweight, cordless vacuum that performs as well as an upright machine.

Sections of the Design Process Specify Plan Design Build Test Analyze We break the design process into five sections: Specify – Plan – Build – Test - Analyze. I’ll explain each section in more detail, but it’s important to note that failure is a key part of what Dyson engineers do– they’re not afraid of it, they encourage it. They want to push our designs to the limit to create the best possible products.

“I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right “I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5,126 failures. But I learned from each one. That’s how I came up with a solution. So I don’t mind failure.” James Dyson It took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes before he got the first bagless vacuum right. And just like James, we’re prepared to fail and fail again. But we learn from it, and we’re quick to get back to work.

SPECIFY PLAN DESIGN TEST BUILD ANALYZE 22 Here you can see the steps of the design process. Something to note is that it is nonlinear and iterative. This means that as you’re designing something, you don’t just go from start to finish (or specify to analyze). Sometimes, throughout the course of designing something, you realize you need to take a step back and readjust your plans or designs. But to understand what this fully means, you need to understand what the objective is for each step of the process. BUILD ANALYZE

SPECIFY So we start with Specify . This is where we identify the problem. Is it a vacuum that loses suction? An unhygienic hand-dryer? Or maybe an uncomfortable desk? Or ill-fitting backpack? The solution can be a new design or an improvement to a current one. What we want to design – the requirements – are put forth in a design brief along with how we expect the design to perform – the design specifications.

PLAN Then we’re on to Plan . This is where we establish the scope of the project, do some research, create a schedule and set milestones. As engineers, we know the design process is a lot of trial and error. Our ideas will need to be prototyped, tested, and improved over and over again. This is why the Plan is important; it keeps us focused and our goals in sight.

DESIGN Design is next . We work in teams to share ideas and push the design forward, brainstorming solutions to the design brief. It’s really important to write everything down. And no idea is bad; sometimes the craziest ones lead to the best solutions. After working as a group to brainstorm, we sketch out our ideas . Sketching is all about communicating complex ideas simply and quickly. You won’t find a sea of drafting tables and art easels at Dyson. Our sketches are rough and ready. It’s about getting an idea on paper. Anyone can do it. Sketches help us to better understand the layout of parts and how our machines might look.

BUILD After the sketch comes the build - in 3D . Like sketching, it’s far from fancy. We use cardboard. It’s cheap, pliable and allows us to build a basic layout and communicate the functionality of our design. Once we’re happy with our cardboard prototype, we’ll use computer aided design to create more refined models, and evaluate them. If we’re happy with the results, we’ll use rapid prototyping, or “3D printing” to produce physical parts and really put it to the test.

TEST Testing is the “make or break” moment . How does our prototype stack up against the requirements? Take the DC47 – it needs to be engineered to last 10 years. That’s 10 years of use and abuse. Failure is critical throughout the design process, but is paramount here – it’s how we learn and improve. Machines are dropped. Bins are smashed. Buttons are pushed – literally thousands of times. We test to the point of destruction. But it’s necessary. It allows us to find the areas of the design to focus on and make our next iteration even better.

ANALYZE After testing, we analyze, redesign, rebuild and test again. This cycle will repeat until we get it right.

SPECIFY PLAN DESIGN TEST BUILD ANALYZE 22 But it’s important to understand that the design process isn’t linear – far from it. We have to be able to go back and forth between stages to make improvements. If something fails in testing, we may need go back and re-sketch it, then re-prototype and test again. Fail. Improve. Test. It’s a cycle. BUILD ANALYZE