Ryu Fujii & Rami Ayari

Design Specifications

1. Target consumer includes senior citizens with ages ranging from 60 to 80 with no
specification in gender. (Verghese, Joe)
a. Customer needs (Level of importance: III)
i. The customer desires a new method of climbing up and down 12 steps of
stairs, which is the average number of steps in flights of stairs in
households in the U.S., with as close to no physical stress, but still being
able to maintain their physical ability. (Verghese, Joe)
b. Performance (Level of importance: III)
i. The product must be able to successfully elevate a maximum weight of
225 pounds. (Senior Health)
ii. The product consumer must perform some kind of physical action that will
sustain bone mass health of close to 7% or muscle mass between 17% and
21%. (Senior Health)
c. Target Cost (Level of importance: II)
i. Our competition product being the Stair lift which has a value of $2,146
(disregarding maintenance fees), our goal is to strive for a cheaper cost
than the stair lift. (Verghese, Joe)
d. Size and Weight (Level of importance: III)
i. Depending on the product destination to be a portable or a static object the
weight constraints may vary, though no product should exceed 100lbs.
(Senior Health)
ii. The size of the product should not be larger than the width of the stair
case. The average width in the U.S. is approximately 36 inches.
(Verghese, Joe)
e. Aesthetics (Level of importance: I)
i. There are no exact aesthetic components that need to be addressed.
f. Materials (Level of importance: II)
i. The materials used must be comfortable for the consumer to step on.
ii. Materials should be durable to sustain weights up to 225 pounds without
any permanent deformations. (Senior Health)
g. Safety and Legal Issues (Level of importance: III)
i. The safety of the product is a major key to the performance, since the
whole concept is revolved around the safety of the consumer on flights of
stairs.
 ii. The desired outcome is an injury rate of close to 0 on flights of stairs.
h. Ergonomics (Level of importance: II)
i. The consumer should be able to climb flights of stairs considerably more
efficiently than normally. A desired efficiency in time of going up stairs is
20% faster. (Verghese, Joe)
i. Operating Environment (Level of importance: I)
i. The operating environment is pretty controlled in which the product
should be mainly used on staircases in modern households.
j. Global Environment (Level of importance: II)
i. The product should not release any harmful toxins or substances.
ii. Upon disposal, the product should be able to be repaired and reused for
another cycle of its service life.
k. Service Life (Level of importance: III)
i. Service life for this product should withstand at least 2 years before any
noticeable maintenance problems arise.
l. Product Life (Level of importance: II)
i. The product may be replaced in a span of close to 3~4 years with the
increase in technology.
m. Durability and Maintenance (Level of importance: III)
i. The product should not require any routine maintenance unless there are
any malfunctions that occur on the product.
ii. Durability should sustain the potential service life.

Possible Constraints

90 workdays
Budget up to $200
Only materials approved by teacher

Validation
Conclusion
1. Why is a design brief used in a design process?

It helps during the creation of the product.

1. What is the difference between a design specification and a product

specification?

Design

1. Identify at least five constraints that are common to most design problems.
 Works Cited

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671033/

Verghese, Joe, Cuiling Wang, Xiaonan Xue, and Roee Holtzer. "Self-Reported Difficulty in
Climbing Up or Down Stairs in Nondisabled Elderly." Archives of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2008. Web. 06 Jan. 2017.

http://www.dietbites.com/Golden-Years-Fitness/seniors-recommended-weight-chart.html

"Senior Health - What Should You Weigh?" Recommended Weight for Seniors-Weight Chart
for Seniors-What Should a Senior Weigh? N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2017.