HIGHER PRODUCT DESIGN PRODUCT PLANNING PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE PRODUCT LIFE ANALYSIS PLANNED OBSOLESENCE REDUNDANCY

Product Planning Deciding on which product is right for which market is a ver important decision for a designer or company. This will be guided by market research, technological developments and market demands.

Product Planning There are four options open to the designer as a basic product strategy is formulated MARKET PENETRATION (existing market existing product) PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT new product) (new product existing market) DIVERSIFICATION (new market Existing New PRODUCTS MARKETS

Product Planning MARKET PENETRATION (existing market / existing product) Injecting new life in to an old product, eg, special offer, promotion, advertising . PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (existing market / new product) Developing a new or improved product for an existing market, eg giving the product a face lift. Decisions need to be made with regards the the older version of the product - should it stay on the market? - it may be direct competition for the new one!

Product Planning MARKET DEVELOPMENT (new market / existing product) Identification of new market segments which existing products could be sold to. This could aid company growth. DIVERSIFICATION (new market / new product) The most risky of all four strategies. New products have to be developed for new market segments. High volumes of market research required. Could cost the company if unsuccessful.

Product Planning REVISION QUESTIONS Explain what is meant by the term ‘diversification’ Why is this strategy of product planning risky for a company? How could market research help companies who are thinking of diversifying?

Product Life Cycle Every product will pass through a number of different stages in its life, however the length of time it takes over each stage varies depending on the product and the market which it has entered. The life span of a product is affected by three main things: Technological change - advances in technology, new manufacturing processes, new materials. Consumer demand - demand for a product changes, eg unfashionable, not environmentally friendly. Company policy - killing off an old product to make way for a new product, making way for new developments.

Product Life Cycle A product will progress through 4 different stages in its life before being withdrawn from the market: Introduction Growth Maturity Decline These stages are known as the Product Life Cycle

Product Life Cycle sales time introduction growth maturity decline new product

Product Life Cycle Introduction The most expensive stage (design, development, marketing, production & advertising costs). Commercial viability of of the product assessed at this stage. Growth Product becomes established in marketplace & sales outlets increase. Any profits are invested in the development of new products. Competitors may also enter market. Maturity Competition becomes established (more options for consumer) Sales begin to drop Market becomes saturated (everyone has one) New product should be launched. Decline Sales fall dramatically Product is withdrawn from market (may be in competition with new product)

Product Life Cycle REVISION QUESTIONS Explain what factors cause a product to go into decline. Why are sales so slow during the early part of the introduction phase?

Product Life Analysis Many people will interact with a product during its creation, eg, manufacture, assembly, packaging, repair…. The designer must consider all of these people during the design of the product. During each stage of a products life, it’s human, environmental and economic requirements should be considered and investigated. This approach is referred to as the ‘cradle to grave’ approach, ie, from raw material production to end of life disposal.

Product Life Analysis Materials produced Packaged Transported Displayed Bought Installed Used Maintained Repaired Removed Manufactured Reused Recycled Assembled Each product passes through each of the above stages between the ‘cradle’ and ‘grave’. The designer must try to take each of these areas into consideration when designing the product.

Product Life Analysis REVISION QUESTIONS What is meant by the ‘cradle to grave’ approach? Make a list of all the people who will come into contact with a mobile phone starting at the assembly stage.

Planned Obsolescence Planned obsolescence is a strategy used by companies and designers to cause products to be perceived as being obsolete before they actually need to be replaced. Planned obsolescence can be done in three ways: Create a fashion change or a demand for a new style Hold back attractive functional features then introduce them on a later model. Produce products that will break, wear, tear or rot before they should. Designers and manufacturers have to strike a balance between keeping sales of their goods high and offering value for money, durable products that satisfy their customers to own the latest, most fashionable goods.

Planned Obsolescence REVISION QUESTIONS Using examples, describe the concept of obsolescence with regard to product design. What effect could design obsolescence have on the designer / company the consumer the environment

Redundancy REDUNDANCY; a level of power or capacity over and above the normal requirements. For example, all those extras on your mobile phone that you never actually use are known as redundancy. Designers and safety regulators need to set an agreed level of redundancy for products, ie, a level of power or capacity over and above the normal requirements.

Redundancy Three questions should be considered; Should a product be able to do other things (or more of the same) beyond its declared capabilities? Should a product be safe in conditions other than those for which it has been intended for? How safe should the product be in the hands of the untrained, unskilled and unsupervised?

Redundancy REVISION QUESTIONS What is meant by the term ‘redundancy’ Give one example where redundancy could be described as a safety feature in a product.