1. Design Process
Design process is a collection of procedures and habits that help teams design better products

2. The Process of Design
Designing is the process of making many decisions that converts a need into a hardware reality.
Need
Product

3. 7-Step Design Process Product Design Specifications (PDS)
External Search (Research)
Internal Search (Brainstorming)
Concept Evaluation and Selection
Detail Design (Engineering)
Prototyping and Testing
Documentation

4. Design Process Outcomes
Step
Outcome
Product Design Specifications
PDS Document
External Search (Research)
List of existing related products and technologies
Internal Search (Brainstorming)
A lot of solution ideas
Concept Evaluation / Selection
Pros and Cons / Decision Matrix
Selection of one idea to implement
Detail Design (Engineering)
Determination of all details needed to build the product
Prototyping and Testing
Comparisons to PDS target
Improvement recommendations
Documentation
Final Design Report
BOM + Production Drawings
All other reports

5. What Product? ToyTown Top Executives
Water Balloon
Rope Climber
Can Crusher
Better Mouse Trap
Coin Sorter
Nail Driver
Rope Climber

6. Customer Input Climbs fast Affordable as a birthday present
Fully assembled
Uses batteries for power
No small parts – is safe
Looks good
Plays music as it climbs
Glows in the dark
Lasts a long time
Would not violate any patents

7. Graphical Representation of PDS
START
Patents
Battery
Life
Slow
Silent
Expensive
No Glow
Unsafe
Indoors Only

8. PDS Compromises Desired versus Required
Desired Boundary
Retail < $45
Acceptable Boundary
Retail < $50

9. PDS Compromises High Priority Plays Music Low Priority
Glow in the dark

10. Customer Needs Cannot be taken apart Has no small parts or sharp edges
Only to be used indoors
It is light and compact
Does not use toxic materials
Fits into a small box for shipping
Has attractive packaging
Design and testing finished in 4 months
Quantity 1 Million

11. Engineering Specifications
Climbs at 1 ft/s or faster
Retail cost is to be less than $45
Uses 2 AA batteries
Has 0 removable small parts
Music loudness between db
Luminosity is to be more than 5 C
Works for minimum 3 hours on 2 AA

12. External Search Level-I Level-II (friction wheels selected)
Rope climbing toys / machines
Rope climbers (sports or circus)
Nature (spiders, bats, etc)
Level-II (friction wheels selected)
Hoists
Trolleys
Ski Lifts

13. Internal Search & Evaluation
Brainstorming
Generate many ideas
Evaluate against PDS
Evaluate risks
Select one to engineer

14. Detail Design (Engineering)
More Abstract
Engineering
Less Abstract

15. Design Process Applies to Top-level decisions
Applies to lower levels decisions
Define requirements
Search for existing ideas/technologies
Brainstorm for solutions
Pick a candidate
Determine the details

16. Product Development Process
PDS
Candidate Design
Detail Design
Concept Synthesis
Prototyping
Concept Evaluation
Release for Production
Candidate Design

17. Detail Design Candidate Design System-Level Design Parameter Design
Components
No Numbers
System-Level Design
Parameter Design
Numbers
Prototype Testing
Release for Production

18. Complexities of Developing a PDS Document
Level-I:
Goal is clear, “Design a X to do Y”
specifications are known,
priorities are known,
no mass production concerns,
IP issues not important,
limited customer base
Example: one-of-a-kind equipment.

19. Complexities of Developing a PDS Document
Level-II:
Goal is specific “Design a X to do Y”,
Specifications are unknown,
Priorities are unknown,
Mass production concerns,
IP issues are important,
expanded customer base
Example: Most consumer products

20. Complexities of Developing a PDS Document
Level-III:
Goal is unclear, “Design ? To do ?
There is a general statement of need
Not easy to get to: “Design X to do Y”
Example: Oceans are rising

21. Customers People who define the PDS
People who influence product success
People you cannot ignore
Team
Globe
(External)
Company
(Internal)

22. What is a successful Product?
Sells well and makes a lot of profit
Would not violate any laws/regulations
What about:
Safer than law requires?
Solves some problems of humanity?
Is green (energy efficient, recycles, etc)?
Lasts more than warranty period?
Perform better than required?
Only when they relate to 1) or 2)

23. Product Design Customers
The design team and its members are not customers
Every PDS statement must be associated with at least one customer
Internal customers are within the organization (management, marketing)
External customers are outside the organization(end users)

24. External Customers Company Buyers Retailer End Users Maintenance
Government &
Standards
Society
(Marketing)

25. Internal Customers Manufacturing & Management Procurement Marketing
Shipping
Packaging
Legal

26. What Do They Want? End users want Performance & Functionality
Affordability
Ease of use including ergonomics
Reliability and Long life
Robustness
Versatility
Safety
Low maintenance and easy assembly
Esthetics

27. External Customers Buying managers want Low Cost/Performance Safety
Ruggedness (abuse resistance)
Ergonomics
Long warrantees
Reliable with Low downtime
Low operating cost

28. External Customers Retailers want Maintenance wants
Small and attractive packaging
Long shelf life
Low cost high profit
Exciting features
Maintenance wants
Ease of maintenance
Low cost of maintenance

29. External Customers Government wants Standards want
Conformance to laws and regulations
Standards want
Conformance to industry standards
Conformance to codes

30. Internal Customers Management wants Make $$$ On time delivery
Low risk of financial failure
Proper Documentation
Process: Conformance to company product development process

31. Internal Customers Marketing wants
Attractive features to target buyers
Low retail price
Esthetics
Attractive packaging
Ease of user assembly/maintenance
On time delivery
Long Warrantees

32. Internal Customers Manufacturing / Purchasing want Available materials
Manufacture-able at low cost.
Conformance to company documentation formats.
Use of products from preferred vendors.

33. Internal Customers Legal wants No patent infringements Safety
All required safety warnings and labels
Protection against reasonable abuse
Safety manual
Conformance to laws and regulations

34. Internal Customers Shipping and Packaging
Small (standard) package sizes
Ability of locking or fixing sensitive components
Resistance against damage due to dropping, vibrations, moisture, heat, and cold.

35. Product Design Specification
Is this a PDS item?
Is there a customer associated with it?
Does the information limit the design selections and choices?
Can the requirement be designed into the product?
High resale value
Win a Prize
PDS is important because most product failures (to be successful) can be traced to one of the elements in PDS. A design engineer that understand the importance of PDS and is efficient in developing one is much more successful in his/her career than those who go after “Eureka” type blank-sheet designs. As a starting engineer, you will be much more impressive and valuable to company management if you do a good job on this task. We have many many examples of this being true.
Performance:Beware of “over-specification”. Care must be exercised to set attainable specification requirements to keep the cost down.
Environment: All aspects of the product’s likely environment such as:
Temperature/Pressure/Humidity
Shock loading / Vibration
Dirt / Dust / Corrosive media / insects
Exposure during manufacturing, storage / packaging
Maintenance: Specify ease of access and frequency and kind of maintenance called for for the product. Need or desirability of any special tools or spare parts.

36. Product Design Specification
Elements of PDS
Performance (Primary customer: End User)
Speed,
Capacity,
Power,
Efficiency,
Accuracy,
Return on investment
etc.
PDS is important because most product failures (to be successful) can be traced to one of the elements in PDS. A design engineer that understand the importance of PDS and is efficient in developing one is much more successful in his/her career than those who go after “Eureka” type blank-sheet designs. As a starting engineer, you will be much more impressive and valuable to company management if you do a good job on this task. We have many many examples of this being true.
Performance:Beware of “over-specification”. Care must be exercised to set attainable specification requirements to keep the cost down.
Environment: All aspects of the product’s likely environment such as:
Temperature/Pressure/Humidity
Shock loading / Vibration
Dirt / Dust / Corrosive media / insects
Exposure during manufacturing, storage / packaging
Maintenance: Specify ease of access and frequency and kind of maintenance called for for the product. Need or desirability of any special tools or spare parts.

37. Elements of PDS Environment: (User) Life in service: (User)
Temperature range, rain, humidity, dust.
Life in service: (User)
10 years, 5000 cycles, etc.
Maintenance: (User)
The market policy, what customers accept
Retail/Production cost: (User)
Consistent with comparable products
Rule of thumb 4:1

38. Elements of PDS Shipping/packaging: Package sizes + Weights
Damage resistance

39. Elements of PDS Quantity (Marketing)
Determined by marketing
Manufacturing facility (Management)
Does the company policy dictate certain facilities?

40. Element of PDS Size and shape (Marketing) Weight (Marketing)
What is the desired weight?
Handles for lifting points?
Modular?
Aesthetics (Marketing)
Color, shape, form, texture, finish.
Market research.

41. Elements of PDS Materials (Marketing, Codes, Regulations)
Left to designers unless company guidelines or regulations restrict certain materials (asbestos, lead).
Product life span (Marketing)
Designed life
Ergonomics
All products interact with human users at least to some degree during use and maintenance. It is important to describe the nature of this interface and record design requirements for ease of use, transportation, and handling.

42. Elements of PDS Laws, Codes, and standards (Government)
Ergonomics (User + Marketing + buyers)

43. Elements of PDS Quality and reliability (Marketing)
Company policy regarding warranties
Failure rate during warrantee period
Testing (Marketing)
Tests to perform to verify performance and other PDS requirements
Industry standard tests

44. Elements of PDS Shelf life (storage) - Retail Processes (Mangement)
Possibility of rust, decay, deterioration
Processes (Mangement)
Conformance to certain standards (GD&T or ISO 9000 for example)
Use of company procedures
Time-scales (deadlines) - Management
Whole design project, milestones

45. Elements of PDS Safety (User, Government, Legal)
Safety requirements mandated by government
Professional society's codes and standards
Need for warning labels
Design against acceptable degrees of abuse

46. Elements of PDS Company constraints (Management)
Compatibility with other products
Documentation (Management – Legal)
Full documentation (Guard against possible litigation)
Safety, Operation, and Service documents.

47. Elements of PDS Legal (Lawyers)
Product liability law suits associated with similar products and why.
Relevant patents

48. Element of PDS Installation (Installers) Disposal (Marketing)
Connection geometry.
Various models to install
Disposal (Marketing)
Recyclable?
bio-degradable?
Green

49. Other Element of PDS Other possible PDS items to include Rugged
Easy to use
Reliable
Quiet
Portable
Source of energy

50. Before you Interview Sponsors
Prepare your questions (PDS)
Let them do most of the talking
Take notes
Ask for clarification
Do not be annoying (you can always ask more questions later if deemed important)

51. Wording of the PDS Document
Format of most statements in PDS:
The device must ……..
The device is to ……
The device is desired to ….
Avoid mixing requirements.
One sentence per requirement.
Cast PDS statements in a positive format

52. PDS is a Dynamic Document
A design statement usually begins as a vague statement
The device is to be easy to use
The device is to be safe
The device is to be inexpensive
The device is to be rugged and reliable
The device is to be portable

53. Wording of the PDS Document
Example: ESCO’s Pin Remover
The pin-remover is to be light.
The pin-remover must work in a wet, cold, and dusty environment.
The Pin-remover must be safe
The Pin-remover must have a 3-year warranty.

54. PDS Example The Pin Remover is to be rugged.
must work with air pressure.
is to be easy to use.
is to pass “ASME standard” tests.
is to last 5 years in normal usage.
is to be easy to carry.

55. PDS Example is to sell for less than $150.
is to cost less than $50 to make.
is to have low maintenance needs.
is to be difficult to use as a hammer.
must not infringe patented devices.
Production volume is 3000 per year

56. PDS Example is to be tested by June 2013.
is to be released by Sep
is to be usable with all Dredge models.
is to work faster than a hammer

57. Engineering Specifications
Engineers cannot design for vague criteria
“Fast, accurate, high-performing”
“Light, Small, portable”
“Easy to use”
“Safe”
“Stylish” (maybe)

58. Engineering Specifications
Verifiable PDS statements
Developed for important PDS statements
Have associated target numbers
BUT
Do not push the customer for numbers

59. A Typical PDS Page Requirement: PR is to be easy to maintain
Primary customer: End users
Priority: High
Metrics and Targets
Daily maintenance: None
Weekly maintenance: < 10 minutes – field
Yearly maintenance: < 1 hour – Shop
Cost of weekly maintenance < 10c
Cost of yearly maintenance < $10

60. Methods of setting targets
Some targets are specified by:
Marketing
Management
Regulations /standards
Users / buyers / retailers
etc

61. Methods of setting targets
Benchmarking + parametric Studies
Technology capability
Field experts
Experimentation
Educated guesses
Select ranges for targets from Barely acceptable to highly desirable

62. HoQ Engineering Requirements Competition IMPORTANCE Customer Needs
PDS
Statements
Relation Between Engineering and Customer Needs
Competition
Target