Concept Generation

Concept Development Process

Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

 What is concept generation?
• Product concept
– an approximate description of the technology, working
principles, and form of the product
– good concept : sometimes poorly implemented
– poor concept : rarely be manipulated
• Concept generation
– relatively inexpensive, can be done quickly
– good C.G : confidence for full exploration of the
alternatives
Customer needs a set of
target spec. product concepts
Common Dysfunctions
• Consideration of only one or two alternatives, by the
most assertive members
• Failure to consider the usefulness of concepts
employed by other firms in (un)related products
• Involvement of only one or two people in the process
leading lack of confidence and commitment by the
rest of the team
• Ineffective integration of promising partial solutions
• Failure to consider entire categories of solutions
 Concept Generation Process
Clarify
• Clarify the Problem the
– Problem Decomposition Problem
• External Search
– Lead Users
– Experts
Search Search
– Patents Externally Internally
– Literature
– Benchmarking
• Internal Search
– Individual Methods
Explore
– Group Methods Systematically
• Systematic Exploration
– Classification Tree
– Combination Table Reflect on the
Solutions and
• Reflect on the Process the Process
– Continuous Improvement
Step 1: Clarify the Problem
• Goals
– developing a general understanding
– breaking the problem down into sub-
problems
• Inputs
– mission statement
– customer needs
– preliminary product specification
Concept Generation Example:
Power Nailer

Courtesy: Ulrich and Eppinger

Nailer Example
• mission statements
• The nailer will use nails (as opposed to adhesives,
screws, etc.)
• The nailer will be compatible with nail magazines on
existing tools
• The nailer will nail into wood
• customer needs
• The nailer inserts nails in rapid succession
• The nailer fits into tight spaces
• The nailer is lightweight
• Target specifications
• Nail lengths from 50 ~ 75 mm
• Maximum nailing energy of 80 joules per nail
• Nailing forces of up to 2,000 N
Problem Decomposition
• Functional decomposition
– represent the problem as a single black box
operating
– divide the single black box into sub-functions
• more specific description
• 3~10 sub-functions (rule of thumb)
– goal : to describe the functional elements for the
product with out implying a specific technology
• Useful techniques
– create a function diagram of an existing product
– based on an arbitrary product concept
– follow one of the flows and determine what
operations are required
Nailer Example
INPUT OUTPUT
Energy (?) Energy (?)
Hand-held
Material (nails) Material (driven nail)
nailer
Signal (tool "trip") Signal (?)

Store or Convert
accept energy to
Energy external translational
energy energy

Apply
Store Isolate Driven
Nails translational
nails nail nail
energy to nail

"Trip" of Sense Trigger

tool trip tool

Courtesy: Ulrich and Eppinger

Problem Decomposition (cont’d)
• After decomposed
– choose the sub-problems
• most critical to the success of the product
• likely to drive the overall solution to the problem
• Two other approaches
– Decomposition by sequence of user actions
• products with simple technical functions involving many
user interactions
– Decomposition by key customer needs
• products with form is the primary problem
Step 2: Search Externally:
Hints for Finding Related Solutions
• Lead Users
– benefit from improvement
– innovation source
• Benchmarking
– competitive products
• Experts
– technical experts
– experienced customers
• Patents
– search related inventions
• Literature
– technical journals
– trade literature
Step 3: Search Internally:
Hints for Generating Many Concepts
• Suspend judgment
• Generate a lot of ideas
• Infeasible ideas are welcome
• Use graphical and physical media
• Make analogies
• Wish and wonder
• Solve the conflict
• Use related stimuli
• Use unrelated stimuli
• Set quantitative goals
• Use the gallery method
• Trade ideas in a group
Step 4: Explore Systematically

• Aim
– navigating the space of possibilities by organizing
and synthesizing these solution fragments
• Tools
– for managing the complexity and organizing the
thinking
– Concept classification tree
– Concept combination table
Concept Classification Tree

• divide the entire space of possible solutions into several distinct

classes

• four benefits
– Pruning of less promising branches
– Identification of independent approaches to the problem
– Exposure of inappropriate emphasis on certain branches
– Refinement of the problem decomposition for a particular branches

• constraining the possible solutions to the remaining sub-problems

: good candidate for a classification tree
Nailer Example

Courtesy: Ulrich and Eppinger

Concept Combination Table
• a way to consider combinations of solution fragments
systematically
• a way to make forced associations among fragments
to stimulate further creative thinking
• two guidelines
– eliminating infeasible fragments : reduction of the
number of combination
– concentrated on the coupled sub-problems
Nailer Example (Ex.9)

Convert Electrical
Energy to Apply
Accumulate
Translational Translational
Energy
Energy Energy to Nail

rotary motor w/
transmission spring single impact

linear motor moving mass multiple impacts

solenoid push nail

rail gun

Courtesy: Ulrich and Eppinger

Step 5: Reflect on the Solutions and
the Process

• throughout the whole process

• some questions
– fully explored?
– ideas are accepted and integrated?
– any other ways to decompose the problem?
– external sources are thoroughly pursued?
– alternative function diagram?
Concept Generation Exercise:
Vegetable Peelers

Courtesy: Ulrich and Eppinger