Design as a Process - Essay Example

COIS 2830 Design is an iterative process that brings on board a wide range of functionalities. Design in the broader context will always bring together the aspects of design for quality and innovation of design. This is with the aim of coming up with a product that will have the wider appeal for the customers. In the past design alone of a product used to take ages with the design of some products running up to years. Today due to modernization of the process the duration through which design takes has drastically reduced and this is due to the realization that design is what dictates what the customer wants (Cotton, 1977). Therefore, the period has to be shorter to ensure that customer needs are met in time. Design as a process has normally been solely taken to be a management strategy due to its ability to result into products that fulfills the specifications by the customers. The aspect of its provision of quality in the process through quality revolution has been incorporated into the process in an effort to make it possible of a product without much defect during consumption with the consumer. As a result the design of the product is realizing an enhancement by being more constructive through the minimization of costs to the organization and additional of the value of money to the customers. Competition through design for quality is something that is here with us as the design engineers and those responsible for marketing are able to converge under a common platform (Kamin, 2001). Another active ingredient of this process is the innovation within the design process which is refreshing to the development of a product. This is majorly influenced by the environment under which the design process takes place and those goes a long way in influencing the final product design. The product is designed within a very short time given the fact that the market is today demand driven (Cotton, 1977). Innovation is to ensure that the products provided to the customers are tailored to their demand requirements. These two elements and the unpredictability of the customers make this company to be much flexible in order to meet such expectations by the bosses. In addition, the products designed have to be efficiently produced with the quality and innovation and still the company has to highly distinguish itself from the other players in the in competitive environment (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). Prototyping is therefore a mode that is adopted to help in shortening the timespan of producing the product. The procedure involved in this application will ensure that a lot of time is not wasted in design. In addition it is also a milestone in the invention approach as the prototype is always subject to a lot of modifications until the specifications of the customer are fully met. The merits of prototyping before full manufacturing are farfetched as the acts will enable for the testing and refine of the functionalities of the design (Cotton, 1977). The workability and the performance of the possible materials to be used is capable of being tested hence aspects like quality and costs can easily be assessed and managed. The description of a product more effectively and efficiently is enhanced and attributes that makes third parties to take the manufacturers seriously (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). In developing a prototype for the product, the first stage would be to identify all the issues about the product that have to be addressed through the prototype. Thereafter the minimal model that is presumed to be able to address the identified issues is designed. In this design an identification and prioritization of functional blocks of design takes place (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). Target user audience has the likelihood of resulting into a user experience as well as the identification of the appropriate users of our product. There is a development of the behavior that the users of our product who are largely from the IT sector exhibit and this can be realized from their attitudes inclined towards our product as well as the emotions they express (Cotton, 1977). The target audience of our products as it was realized by the company had to be given the product that satisfied all the requirements as they prescribed and as well the product had to have features that reflect towards the modern technological requirements. The biggest consumers of our technological products are medium sized organizations with flexibilities that are likely to attract technological advancements. Larger corporates are mostly excluded from this group as they are more technological advanced and our production capacity cannot effectively and efficiently accommodate them (Kamin, 2001). Thorough studies are conducted by our research and innovation department to constantly come up with new ways of ensuring that the ever changing demands by the consumers are also met. Supply is also widened to a broader base to ease accessibility and as well the costs are maintained at minimum so that the pricing f the designed products are within the reach of our target market. Quality is never compromised and this has ensured that after we market our products the customers we manage to convert become loyal to our operations and products (Cotton, 1977). The supply chain adopted for the supply of the products to the consumers also makes our product reach the last man in the chain and in attractive numbers. This is because our studies have given an ear to individual perception and experience an aspect which is tailored towards ensuring that we are able to supply by considering the unique and individual needs of our customers (Kamin, 2001). The involvement and the access developed with regards to the users has ensured that more accurate information about the tasks performed by the product is availed to the users. The users are also empowered and hence given the opportunity to influence how they want the designs of their unique product requirements. The ego of the target users is also busted which has gone a long way in ensuring that the implementation of the products after its launch becomes a success. Ultimately, the product is widely accepted and it is through those with the experience with our products that we are able to get other users (Kamin, 2001). Through the already identified users and the various channels of communication between the company and the same users, the company is able to get data on the market composition. This has greatly contributed to the design of our products in a way that they never go wrong with the market trends. We are therefore able to produce what is required by our consumers at the very right time and at the time that they require them. The quality is also a virtue in our production hence not much negative feedback has been reported with our products. In a few instances though, we have reported incidences of negative reports such as escalated costs in instances when some aspects were not keenly looked at. The implementation periods of some design procedures have also at times been prolonged hence longer implementation periods (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). This is largely due to misinformation from some of the undesired clients. User experience is very important and vital for the overall functionality and success of our product in the market. The user experience with our product can be enhanced by us first of all fully knowing our product and understanding it in all aspects. This aids us in easily informing any individual who expresses and interest in our products and hence the ability to develop a confidence in them. Secondly, the users are the most important people here and they deserve to be listened to because most of the time one will find that they possess different opinions. Listening to them is possible by us first of all assuming that the same users do not appreciate our refined sense of our aesthetics. The product also deserves to be tested as another way of improving user experience and the testing must be in depth (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). One way of doing this is taking a hold of someone who has had a use of the product in the past and sees how well they are able to use the same under the watch of a multitude of individuals. Feedback on the same user experiences must be compiled given the fact that user testing is quite a fascinating event and another fact that not all suggestions made by the users should be taken into consideration. The feedback must therefore be filtered based on the goals of the products developed. Finally, another strategy is to maintain the product as a work in progress and hence access should be made enough to allow for the incorporation of any new improvements (Kamin, 2001). The products given the target market are not so expensive and the manufacturing costs are as well within the manageable range. The design and production of the final product will cost a minimum of $5670. This will give the base upon which the unit cost to each client will be based. Assuming we have orders placed from 10 clients and assuming a profitability target of 10%, the company will need to sell each unit to a client for $624. This is much affordable and hence the huge sale revenue recorded from the sales of the product. References Cotton, I. W. (1977). Computer science & technology: computer network interconnection, problems and prospects. Washington: Dept. of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, Institute of Computer Sciences and Technology, Computer Systems Engineering Division: for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off.. Kamin, B. (2001). Why architecture matters: lessons from Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Ulrich, K. T., & Eppinger, S. D. (1995). Product design and development. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More