Product Design Processes - Research Paper Example

PRODUCT DESIGN PROCESSES INTRODUCTION Design process is an evolving, intelligent process beginning with design requirements and ending with product descriptions (Figure.1). In a product design process, design requirements are represented by design specifications which form the basis for candidate product descriptions. To determine whether the designed product satisfies the requirements, the product descriptions are evaluated against prescribed design requirements. The product design process repetitively produces conceptual, configuration, and detailed designs. The design requirements can vary: from demands for a completely new product, complaints regarding the performance of available products, or any failure or malfunction of the products (Zeng and Gu 1999). Hence, according to Otto (1996), the first step in product design is design requirement formulation, which converts design requirements into design specifications. The design process then covers the stages from design specifications to product descriptions. Figure 1. Product Design Activity (Zeng and Gu 1999, p.332) DISCUSSION Product Design Processes A product development process is a sequence of steps employed by an enterprise to conceive, plan, design and commercialize a product, states Ulrich (2003). “Designing a product involves a constant decision-making process that includes problem solving in a sequential fashion and analysis of constraints at each step” (Shetty 2002, p.1). Generally, design embodies the solution to a problem, and it has a visible form, shape and function. Design is also any purposeful, thought-out activity; it is a way of doing things with the help of decision making. Product design may be made up of several technical and non-technical aspects. For the product to succeed, there has to be a balance between design and other important elements such as safety, aesthetics, ergonomics and cost. A product’s characteristics contribute to its performance and cost. Important aspects of the product’s life cycle are: speed of product development, market testing and manufacturing. In the primary stage of the product design process, it is important to choose among various product ideas which should be compared and ranked. The criteria taken into account are: “business history, technological infrastructure, and marketing thrust” (Shetty 2002, p.9). Marketing research and a scientific study of the data and results, can provide information on technological trends, the influence of local governmental, state and federal restrictions, and the impact of industrial restructuring in the product field. Zeng and Gu (1999) undertook research on product design process. They argue that design begins with design requirements and ends with the product description that fulfills the requirements according to property knowledge regarding the product description. This establishes a general design governing equation which represents the inner repetitive relationship between design specifications and product descriptions using set theory. Time factor and design process at primitive and general levels contribute to set theory. A primitive design process model corresponding to primitive products consists of defining primitive design, decomposing original design problems to primitive ones to generate primitive design solutions, combining the generated primitive products through synthesis, problem redefinition, and evaluation. A typical product life cycle has many different stages and individual processes. The cycle begins with the market need, which in turn requires the planning of a product based on strategic goals of an organization. The product design goes through the stages of “feasibility analysis, research and development, design and prototyping, market testing, commercial manufacturing, marketing, product use, maintenance and disposal” (Shetty 2002, p.1). Today the trend is towards reducing the time taken in the designing process. Shorter development time is ensured through combining the design process, computerization of as many functions as possible, greater flow of communication, concurrent engineering, nanotechnology, the team approach, rather than a departmentalized approach, and increased flexibility among all the levels, from the design process to the complete enterprise. Greater chances of success are possible for products that are well defined in the early design stages. Hence, it is essential to conduct early design work, prepare sketches and prototypes, conduct simulation studies, prepare cost estimation, and talk to customers in order to reduce uncertainties inherent in a new product launch. The design process should be planned and executed carefully; and it should combine the numerous aspects of design into clear, logical steps. The sequence in which the building blocks of product design form the stages of the product design process, are: from defining the design situation to information gathering, continued to generating solutions, deciding on alternatives, and evaluating the solution (Shetty 2002). The appropriate outcome of the product design process is achieving the development of the ideal form for a product. The ideal form of the product as compared to its alternatives, has the ability to evoke positive beliefs and responses from members of the target market. This ideal form also has to overcome numerous design constraints such as those related to performance, ergonomics, production and cost, regulatory and legal, marketing programme, and designer constraints. The ideal form has to be superior in quality, performance, ergonomic efficiency, manufacturability and safety. It has to comply with all applicable regulations, strengthen other aspects of the marketing programme, and has to limit its costs appropriately. Conflicting ideals among designers, marketers, production people and engineers may actually improve the design process, leading to a more successful product (Bloch 1995). Sroufe et al (2000) conducted research on the role played by environmental issues on the new product design process. For this purpose, case studies of ten companies categorised into five major groups as follows, were used: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. The gap between the early adopters and early majority users were found to be wide. Further, differences were found in the factors responsible for acceptance of environmentally responsible manufacturing in the various categories of companies. These differences impacted the application of environmental concerns in new product design processes. The Chief Users of Product Design Processes Regarding who designs and develops products, product design processes require the support of nearly all the functions of a firm. However, the three main functions that are key to a product development project are: marketing which mediates the functions between a firm and its customers; design which essentially defines the physical form of a product to best meet customer needs; and the manufacturing function primarily responsible for operating the production system for creating the product (Ulrich 2003). The chief users of the product design processes keep in mind the target market segment for whom the product is being developed as well as the function of the product. “The market segment influences the function of a product and the technology section determines the manner in which the product can carry out the function” (Shetty 6). Market segments are dynamic and continuously evolving, hence they have to be accurately specified before planning a product and allocating resources. The designer should consider adopting or modifying an existing product. Another method is to create a product through collaboration, licensing, or joint venture from external agencies. Additionally it is necessary to define accountability and responsibility for the new product design development procedure. Though the organizational structure may be of any type, there has to be an understanding on the part of the product designers and developers on the institutional setup and layout. Product failures are often attributed to inadequate communication and lack of follow-up at critical junctures. It is important to communicate effectively throughout the company “the business objectives, goals and various work functions of participants, as well as financial and legal issues” (Shetty 2002, p.9). The product design process is greatly facilitated by responsible information retrieval and delivery. The timing of the product launch is another crucial feature in product design processes. Being closely associated with money and investment, the factor of time is of critical importance. Time is also linked to an aspect of market opportunity. A product which enters the market prematurely or after it is needed, cannot prove to be as profitable to the company as one which is launched at the right time (Shetty 2002). Where and How Product Design Processes are Used Engineering designers consider design as a process, while industrial designers consider design as a product. The solution of a design problem may be in several ways; it may be a device or a product such as an automobile, submarine or space shuttle. A solution for a design problem may be a process such as a technique for preserving food, or a new procedure for cutting metals. It could also be a procedure or a set of action plans. Thus, a product design process is used as an answer to a problem, and “the answer has a visible form, shape and function” (Shetty 2002, p.5). Different dimensions of technical and commercial implementation play a part in how product design processes are used. Product implementation depends to a great extent on company strengths, weaknesses and basic capabilities. “It is based on human and financial resources and could be related to the physical infrastructure of the company” (Shetty 2002, p.9). Before initiating technical developments, it is crucial to conduct basic exploration of the field. Similarly, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive survey regarding “customer requirements, concept definition, feasibility documentation, and prototype demonstration” (Shetty 2002, p.9). Along with market research, these factors are essential in technical and commercial implementation. Commercial development is central to the entire process, and it includes the establishment of a list of strategies, the analysis of market competition, benchmarking in relation to other companies, pricing and market distribution. The technical and business related development of the product has to be planned systematically, along with the acquiring and enforcement of intellectual property rights and trade-marks (Shetty 2002). Why Product Design Processes are Used The reasons for using product design processes are related to the business approach strategies of the company, and to assess success and failure. Realistic planning is as important to success as are design, technology and marketing. A product may be launched due to several reasons, the most important of which is profit. Among the financial issues that affect the decision are: cash inflow, cash outflow, and net payback time for investment. However, Shetty (2002) states that in some cases successful new products may mean enhancing the prestige of the company, or even contributing to the survival of the company. This is supported by Kamrani and Salhieh (2002) who reiterate that product design processes are the central point of focus because of the increasingly competitive nature of today’s demanding markets at the international, national and local levels, and rapidly changing technologies. The companies that enjoy advantage are those that are able to introduce new products efficiently and promptly, while meeting product, market and technological requirements. Product design processes that are well developed facilitate the selection, proposal, design, development, and marketing of new products effectively. A systematic product design and development process is central to the infrastructure of an organization. Such a process provides a stable framework for strategic planning, decision making, operation, effective communication, implementation and control. The components of product development are: strategic plan, realistic plan using ideas for new and improved products, concurrent engineering plan, product design to meet customer expectations, modern product planning, design and manufacturing tools, prototype, testing and analysis, and production (Shetty 2002). According to Ulrich (2003), a well-defined product design process is useful for numerous reasons such as it improves coordination as it serves as a master plan, defining the role of each member in the product design team. There is increased quality assurance with checkpoints after each phase, planning with the help of milestones provides a time schedule to the project, management and identication of problem areas by using benchmarks for assessing performance, and identifying opportunities for improvement by the careful documentation of the product design process. Improved production structure and product design processes rectify fluctuations in workloads, minimize variation in products, and eliminate bottlenecks in production. Additionally, the cost of design engineering and adhering to an appropriate product design process is “only 5% of the total budget of a project” (Shetty 2002, p.16), but it has a significant impact on reducing total costs in the product’s life cycle. These are related to design, material, labour and overhead costs. Further, meeting the product requirements of robustness, reliability, and environment-friendliness, besides high quality, low cost, customer satisfaction, and short time-to-market ensures optimal business outcomes. The Different Types of Product Design Processes Market-pull product development requires the identification of a market opportunity based on customer needs, and the need “can be satisfied by a product of engineering effort” (Kamrani and Salhieh 2002, p.18). In this type of product design process the market or the customer performs as the trigger that initiates or pulls the development of the new product. The customer’s requirement, design specifications, and concepts for meeting these specifications is emphasized, and the product development efforts are focused on achieving results that are acceptable to the prospective users, providing customer satisfaction. This type of product design process is used for products where trends may change frequently on the basis of new innovations or other factors. Technology-push product development is carried out in organizations that have a pre-existing and established unique technology, and they seek to find a market opportunity where this technology can be usefully implemented. Basic materials or basic process technologies are deployed in various applications by organizations, to successfully develop technology-push products to meet different market needs. For technology-push products also, customer or market needs are analysed, while available or proposed technologies are also identified. Following this, the market research activity will be aimed at locating candidate marketing opportunities where the technology under investigation can be applied (Kamrani and Salhieh 2002). Generic product development process: The activities and functions of companies contribute to each phase of the development process. A generic product development process can be applicable to an entire class or group of purposes, adapted appropriately to meet the needs of particular industrial situations. It consists of a series of steps or activities which an organization implements towards the conception, design and commercialization of a product; and this basic sequence can be adapted to meet the needs of various customers and markets (Ulrich 2003). Of the six phases of the generic product design process, the first three phases include planning, concept development, and system-level design which defines the product, breaks up the product into subsystems and components and defines the final assembly scheme for the production system. The three remaining phases consist of the detail design phase, testing and refinement, and production and launching using the intended system. According to Ulrich (2003), each of the six phases has tasks and responsibilities related to key functions of the organization for each phase. CONCLUSION This paper has highlighted product design processes to meet the needs of customers or markets which provide specific requirements for products. The design team analyses these requirements and incorporates them into the design process. Product design processes have been investigated in a comprehensive manner. The chief users of product design processes, and the purposes and ways in which the processes are used have been determined. Further, the reasons for using product design processes, and the different types of processes have been identified. Besides several other advantages, according to Ulrich (2003) the process can be used reliably for production several times. It is an information processing system incorporating corporate objectives, available technologies, development specifications and other criteria. Product design processes also serve as risk management systems, eliminating key uncertainties and validating the usefulness of the product’s functions. REFERENCES Bloch, P.H. (1995). Seeking the ideal form: Product design and consumer response. Journal of Marketing, 59 (3): pp.16-28. Kamrani, A.K. and Salhieh, S.M. (2002). Product design for modularity. 2nd Edition. Massachusetts: Springer. Otto, K.N. (1996). Forming product design specifications. Proceedings of DETC’96, 96- DETC/DTM-1517. Shetty, D. (2002). Design for product success. Michigan: Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Publications. Sroufe, R., Curkovic, S., Montabon, F. and Melnyk, S.A. (2000). The new product design process and design for environment: “Crossing the chasm”. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 20 (2): pp.267-291. Ulrich, K.T. (2003). Product design and development. London: Tata McGraw-Hill. Zeng, Y. and Gu, P. (1999). A science-based approach to product design theory Part I: formulation and formalization of design process. Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 15: pp.331-339. Read More