~Product Design Cycle

Product Design Cycle: 

When an inventor has an idea it would have to go through a process before it could be successfully produced. This is when a product design cycle is constructed. There are seven main stages in this cycle which are – The Brief, Research, Specification, Plan, Design, Testing and finally Evaluation. I will go through each process and describe them fully in detail.

What is Product Design?

Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A product design needs to take into account how the item will perform its intended functionality in an efficient, safe and reliable manner. The product also needs to be capable of being made economically and to be attractive to targeted consumers. 

1. Design Brief: Problem Definition and Customer Needs Identification

A product design brief is when a current problem is identified. Extensive market studies are essential here, observing similar products in use and discussions with manufacturers as well as potential purchasers that identify the customer needs. Designers always have to start with a ‘customer need’ being recognized, without it the whole process fails and product is not determined to succeed because it will not satisfy consumers. People within the organization can add value by interrogating the brief and coming back with questions that may lead to further development of the brief before any work begins. The key here is to identify what insights you have gained that might help differentiate your new product from others on the market. In the design brief these aspects are considered:

• Purpose – where and what is the product used for?
• Performance – what does the product have to do?
• Features – what additional things must it have?
• Reliability – what is the expectation for the product life?
• Ease of repair – Is it designed for self-repair or does it need to be taken to an expert?
• Aesthetics – what about the look and feel for the user? Choice of material?
• Packaging – what are the requirements for packaging, labelling and handling?
• Perceived quality – Does the quality reflect the company’s standards and brand values?
• Scale and type of production – how much of product aimed to produce…etc.?
• Cost – what is the best price?

2. Research

Design research was originally constituted into the process of design, developing from work in design method. Research design defines the study type, research question, hypotheses, variables, and data collection methods. Some examples of research designs include descriptive and experimental. Another distinction can be made between quantitative and qualitative methods. Essentially research design is a systematic plan to study a scientific problem. There are many types of research such as

• sampling
• observation
• surveys
• questionnaires
• and many more

3. Specification

The product design specification (PDS) is a listing of the critical parameters (meaning boundaries) , specifications and requirements for the product you are designing. Its aim is to ensure that the subsequent design and development of a product meets the needs of the use. The PDS is created during the problem definition activity very early in the design process (the brief stage). Much of the product design specification is driven by customer needs.

The product specification should be directly influenced by the analysis of research. This will ensure quality of design and that the end product is fit for purpose. A specification is a statement that tells the designer exactly what the product has to do and what the design requirements are. A specification should include:

• product function
• overall dimensions
• materials
• an outline of the appearance of the product
• user requirements
• details of the source of power (if needed)
• anthropometrics and ergonomics
• possible production levels
• legal requirements
• environmental considerations and requirements

4. Plan

Planning is a framework of procedures and techniques used to develop products in industry. The purpose of the design plan is to provide investors with a description of the product’s design, chart its development within the context of production, marketing, and the company itself, and create a development budget that will enable the company to reach its goals.

5. Design

In this stage, the designer attempts to produce an outline of a solution. For example, a concept design for a car might consist of a sketch showing a car with four wheels. It is important when designing a product that you not only consider the product design specification but you also consider the activities downstream of the design stage. Downstream activities typically are manufacture, sales, transportation etc. By considering these stages early, you can eliminate problems that may occur at these stages.

6. Test

Product testing, also called consumer testing or comparative testing, is a process of measuring the properties or performance of products. Adjustments are made through this process to the prototype otherwise a new version is invented if necessary. It seeks to ensure that consumers can understand what products will do for them and which products are the best value. Product testing might have a variety of benefits, such as:

• Cost savings – preforming consumer product material and testing early development phase can help ensure your consumer product designs are appropriate to producing prototypes or market-entry products.
• Speed to Market – By identifying appropriate specifications and a verification plan, you can seamlessly move from consumer product design through verification plan and into product launch.
• Risk Mitigation (reducing severity) – design and product testing can help identify potential product risks (could even eliminate them).

7. Evaluate

Evaluation is making judgments on the effectiveness of a product and its “fitness for purpose”. Seek feedback from customers, employees and partners is very crucial. It is important that you, the designer, are able to identify the features of a product that make it either a success or failure.

Interestingly through this project i enjoyed researching the steps of which a product has to go through to be produced. All the steps are explained in detail using various resources, hopefully this project will simplify product design cycle.