Design Process, Stages and Its Benefits - Research Paper Example

Design Process A product design specification is a ment of what a product that is not-yet designed is intended to do. Its main objective is to ensure that the end design and development of any product acquires the requirements of the consumer. It is imperative to note that product design specification is one of the important elements of managing the life cycle of a product since it is the first boundary in the product development. Product design specification, as the name suggests, is a specification of what is needed but not the specification of the product itself. The description of the actual product is attained in the technical specification, the moment the design of the product is accomplished. Most importantly, the product design specification evolves from the design brief. While the design goal as well as major constraints and considerations are outlined by the design brief, the product design specification is obligated to extensively determine the precise limits for the whole requirements in the designed product. Introduction Customarily, product design is closely linked to manufacturing of the real product. A product design specification is a document that fully sets out exactly what is required of the end product in detail, prior to designing. Most companies do not attain such formal specifications; consequently, they do not completely control what they produce. Product design specification is not only beneficial to those obliged with the making of the product, but also the consumer. The judgement of the consumers is not always given much attention by the engineering department. However, before buying any end-product, consumers always do extensive research. In most instances, the consumers will tend design a product for its own sake, and will criticize a product that does not efficiently and reliably meet their expectations. This therefore implies that a product design specification analyzes the demands of the market on the product. This paper will analyze Concept Design as an aspect of product design specification into great detail. However, it is important to discuss the whole process and aspect of product design, before narrowing the scope to concept design. Therefore, this paper will highlight the design process, stages and its benefits before embarking on discussing concept design. Phases in Designing Product design typically undergoes through various phases, since the object at hand is defined more and more precisely in a gradual manner until it attains sufficient details for it to be manufactured, as highlighted by Roy. a) Task or Problem Clarification is a stage in which brief elaboration is done from a set of many objectives into a more detailed list of market as well as technical requirements. Specification identification for the task in most instances involves market research and in other cases, studies in the preliminary technical feasibility are essential. b) Generating a Concept; in this stage, alternative principles solution and concept designs for resolving the problem are generated and given selection for further development. This is considered the highest level of design. This is because, should the concept design be regarded as wrong, no amount of subsequent development will make it right. c) Embodiment Design is a stage during which translation of one or more concept designs is done to layout drawings, schematic drawings, mock-ups, visual models or prototypes for product development. d) Detail Design; at this stage, the design selected at the embodiment stage is developed and optimized in full details. The definition of the form and arrangement of components is done, and at the same time, the materials are specified. Eventually, the adoption of the design is done to minimize the problems and costs that were anticipated (Roy, 19). As earlier on discussed, product is closely linked to manufacturing, and products fulfill the requirements of the consumer, and business is laid on a foundation of the products exchange. Engineering gives support to the production which eventually provides services and goods in order to accentuate a prosperous society. In this regard, designers of any product are mandated to draft technical drawings, models and compose lists that specify the components of the product’s shape as well as the manner in which the specific parts are inter-linked, so that the factories and workshops can give the materials and the necessary software that the product may require (Keinonen and Takala, 2). The manufacturing demands shape the process of design by separating the possible from the impossible solutions as well as classifying the feasible solutions as either viable or not cost-effective. Production plays an integral role of dictating the precision level and the expected scope of precision to be derived from the process of design. Although, some of the design process results are not achieved at the production level, the main objective of the product design is to refine the first outlines to reach specifications that will be a guide to production (Keinonen and Takala, 2). Keinonen and Takala continue to assert that production is also connected to distribution. The objective of distribution is to bring goods to the market to make consumers aware of them and at the same time have access to them. Additionally, good timing of the market launch, the number of products being supplied and the quality of the products are ultimately the necessities that eventually define the process of production. Therefore, as a component function of production and distribution, the product design must accomplish a number of requirements from all these processes which may include the level of detail in the specifications, the degree of accuracy of the internal specifications, the compatibility with production as well as the accurate timing delivery of the specifications. Each substitute of the product has to be specified down to final detail in order for the components to fit together so that the ultimate production is considered to be economically viable (Keinonen and Takala, 3). In order for the product design to accomplish the above mentioned requirements, a variety of methods that support design activities have been established. Moreover, quality systems and periodical certifications ensure the inter-compatibility of the starting points of designs as well as their end results, the concurrent engineering aids in squeezing as much design work as possible into as short a time as possible designs that are computer generated systems that support the precise and detailed specification of the geometry of products. Appropriate application of the design tools facilitates the creation of specifications that suit the productions and concurrently places the product design as a function. Product design systematically focuses on the development of precise and unambiguous specifications, and has scheduled performance needs. The focus on one solution is characterized by State Gate Models for design work. The whole process advances in the same direction and only one solution at a time can fit through the small opening of the output funnel (Keinonen and Takala, 3). According to the traditional design practice, the way of predicting the future is by evaluating the current technological as well as market trends in regards to the personal knowledge of the designers and the long-term experience (Keinonen and Takala, 9). It is important to ascertain that design plays an integral role of influencing the development of brand architecture, significantly aiding the brand to shape what it is, its destination and how it reaches there. Designers are obliged to create visions that are very compelling. Designs are placed in unique positions of creating scenarios and visualizations that would eventually draw the other sections of the organization by offering them something to cling on to and to give their full support (Keinonen and Takala, 11). Benefits of design Any exercise of design exploration possess the following benefits; firstly, it has a great influence on the external motivation for the team mandated with designing since it gives them an opportunity of dreaming, exploring, stretching their thoughts as well as challenging their acquired skills. Secondly, it is an opportunity that the organization embraces in experimenting with new trends and ways of doing work. Thirdly, the design process is a forum for dialogue concerning the role of the design. In this regard, the whole process of designing brings out an organization’s designers, engineers and the management as well as the internal and external design consultants together to work closely with each other. Finally, the design projects disseminate external visibility to the reputation of the organization as a leading entity in design, creativity and motivation (Keinonen and Takala, 14). Concept Design Concept design is a type of illustration in which the main objective is to convey a visual representation of a design to be used in products, before it is applied to the final product. Concept design implies different aspects in different business lines, and different entities portray different meanings to it. For instance, marketing and network communication, the concept design is given an interpretation to generally imply the definition, coordination and management of the planning campaign, which has a different interpretation by others. According to designers, the simple sketch that they create allows them to research on the product appearance and structural alternatives and this is what is referred to as concepts. It is significantly important to note that concept design uses the practices of product design, which includes a consumer-centred approach of design, broad aspects of investigations and research as well as applying designs that uses images and models that are tangible (Keinonen and Takala, 16). Conceptual design is regarded as the most important stages for innovation in the whole process of design. Conceptual design modeling is the fundamental key technology of conceptual design, and is also the foundation of finding solutions in conceptual design problems as well as building knowledge base (ICIRA, 279). In this regard, concepts, which are the corner stone about a product or a service can be made in two different ways; top down or bottom up respectively. Top down creation is a development of fully fledged concepts. Its main objective is to measure whether the concept has positively or negatively accomplished its intended goals (Howard R. Moskowitz, 229). Seemingly, concept design can play various different roles in giving support for an organization’s business and company’s environment, where the creation of concepts is taking place and being utilized. In conjunction with the development of the product, concept design refers to the primary and fundamental product outlining carried out during the first phases of creating a product or at least prior to the freezing of the design specification (Keinonen and Takala, 17). The design and development of a product demands that the designers establish an in-depth comprehension of what the consumer is trying to attain and choose a solution from a number of viable individuals on factors that includes a technical, technology, support, cost, schedule and risk (Wasson, 248) Concept design for product development Concept design includes all the activities which are majorly obligated with not trying to give solutions to the problems of designing, but have the intention of defining the challenges experienced in the design process and ultimately map out the necessary alternatives. During the concept designing of the product, the major design outlines are defined, and eventually the final details are added in the course of other phases of product development. Furthermore, concept design can be applied for innovation. The environment for product design essentially leaves little room for new, creative and innovative ideas. However, this is short lived as the concept design is a welcoming avenue to solutions that are creative, necessary inventions as well as the avenues of refining such aspects into innovations (Keinonen and Takala, 20). Concept design places its main focus on creative thinking and serious work during the initial phases of designing, during which, in responding to a design brief, problem or need, the fundamental idea of a new product is invented and physically given its form in the first concept design. Therefore, the designers are aware that creativity is an essential aspect throughout the whole process of developing a product. Significantly, creativity is needed from the perceived problems of the product and its users, or of the opportunities rendered by the market and the technological aspects, to the detailed design and manufacturing problem resolutions (Roy, 5). It is worth noting that concept designing is not an easy task. It involves a number of aspects, such as; spending much time and effort thinking about resolving a problem through examining and carrying out research on various ideas before a solution comes up in the mind of the designers. The concept design gives much stress towards the importance of creating physical models, mock-ups or prototypes in order to study the fundamental ideas. If positively proven, the concept is evolved gradually through detailed models and prototypes. The designers need to have specialist knowledge in the object field of the product that is undergoing design, so that it may acquire development beyond just an imagination. Sketch is used to explore an iota of an idea and eventually transform it into a recognized product is what is referred to as concept design (Roy, 18). Therefore, concept design embraces the value of hard work as well as debates that are necessary in creating and developing concept designs. Benefits of concept designing Various benefits are attributed to concept designs as asserted by Roy. Firstly, exceptionally, concept design disseminates novelty or originality that represents an apparent break or an aspect of discontinuity from what has ever taken place before in any part of the globe. Secondly, products, after successful concept design, attain the sense of being accepted and are regarded as having great value to a big population. This implies that the product has a great influence on a big population, besides having a great influence on other individuals’ work. This will in turn shape and define others cultures and technologies. Lastly, concept design may provide an opportunity of laying down a foundation of upcoming businesses or industries as well as affecting either positively or negatively the economy of any given nation (Roy, 12). Importantly, there are a number of viable tests that the conceptual designers are required to follow in order to achieve positive results. The first step for testing concepts is analyzing the objectives of the test; secondly, the designers have to make decisions on the sample of respondents that are to be reached for comments regarding the intention of testing. Thirdly, the designers have to specify what information is required to attain the purpose of testing (International Development Research Centre, 245). When all these tests are successfully carried out, then minimal or no problems will be experienced in the latter stages of concept design. Conclusion Design enables companies to understand the value of quality, and to predict the performance of the product in the market. However, when there is lack of integrated design tools, there is an increased cycle time. Therefore, there is need for more generalists in designing a product, those who can understand the actual picture, not just specific problems. Much regard is to be accorded to conceptual design, which is regarded as the blue print of product design. This is because the concept design phase determines the outcome of any product to the consumers and the market as a whole. One wrong decision at the concept design phase cannot be reversed at any other stage. In this regard, conceptual designers must accord much attention to their work, since it is the main focus in the product development. Works Cited Howard R. Moskowitz, Sebastiano Porretta, Mathias Silcher. Concept Research in Food Product Design and Development. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. ICIRA. Intelligent Robotics and Applications: First International Conference. Ed. Caihua Xiong, Hongai Liu and Youlun Xiong Yongan Huang. Springer, 2008. International Development Research Centre. Marketing Information Products and Services: A primer for Librarians and Information Professionals. Ed. Abhinandan K Jain, et al. Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, 2000. Keinonen, Turkka and Roope Takala. Product Concept Design: A Review of the Conceptual Design of Products in Industry. Springer, 2006. Roy, Robin. Creativity and Concept Design: T211 Design and Designing. The Open University, 2004. Wasson, Charles S. System Analysis, Design and Development: Concepts, Principles and Practices. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2006. Read More