Chapter 1

The Product Design Process

The Four C’s of Design

A Simplified Approach
A Problem Solving Methodology
Consideration of A Good Design
 The Four C’s of Design
Creativity
• Requires creation of something that has not existed before or not
existed in the designer’s mind before
Complexity
• Requires decisions on many variables and parameters
Choice
• Requires making choices between many possible solutions at all
levels, from basic concepts to smallest detail of shapes
Compromise
• Requires balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting requirements
What is Design?

Design establishes and defines solutions to and pertinent structures for

problems not solved before, or new solutions to problems which have
previously been solved in a different way

• Difference between Design and Discovery:

Discovery is getting the first sight of something but design is the product of
planning and work

• Good design requires both analysis and synthesis

(Analysis is to breakdown complex problems to manageable parts and
synthesis involves the identification of the design elements that will
compromise the product and the combination of the part solutions into a total
workable system)
 The Design Process- A
Simplified Approach
General information

Specific Design Operation Outcome

information

NO yes
Evaluation
Feedback loop
Go to the next step
 Scientific Method vs Design Method

Existing knowledge State of the art

Scientific curiosity Identification of need

Communication

Acceptance
Hypothesis Conceptualization

Logical analysis Feasibility analysis

Production
Proof
Scientific Method Design Method
 Consideration of Good Design
• Design Requirements
– Functional performance (F, σ, power, deflection)
– Complementary performance (life of design, robustness, reliability,
ease, economy, safety of maintenance)

• Total Life Cycle

Material selection, productivity, durability

• Regulatory and Social Issues

ASTM, ASME standards, codes of
ethics, EPA requirements
 Design Process
• I. Conceptual Design
• II. Embodiment Design
• III. Detail Design
• IV. Planning for Manufacture
• V. Planning for Distribution
• VI. Planning for use
• VII. Planning for Retirement of the Product
 I. Conceptual Design
• Identification of customer needs
• Problem definition
• Gathering information
• Conceptualization
• Concept selection
• Refinement of product design specification
• Design review
 II. Embodiment Design
• Product architecture
• Configuration design of parts and
components (feature present like holes, ribs, splines, and curves are
configured). Modeling and simulation may be performed. The generation of
physical model of the part with rapid prototyping processes may be
appropriate)

• Parametric design of parts and components

(exact dimensions and tolerances, materials and processes, robustness)
 III. Detail Design
• In this phase the design is brought to the
stage of a complete engineering description
of a tested and producible product.
 IV. Planning for Manufacture
• Designing specialized tools and fixtures
• Specifying the production plant that will be used
• Planning the work schedules and inventory
controls
• Planning the quality assurance systems
• Establishing the standard time and labor costs for
each operation
• Establishing the system of information flow
necessary to control the manufacturing operation
 V. Planning for Distribution
• Shelf life consideration
• System of warehouses for distribution of
the product needs to be designed
• Marketing efforts on advertising and news
media techniques must be selected
• For technical activities specialized sale
brochures and performance test data must
be generated.
 VI. Planning for use
• Ease of maintenance, reliability, product safety,
convenience in use (human factors engineering),
aesthetic appeal, economy of operation, and
duration of service are some of the questions to
be answered in a consumer oriented product.
• Acquisition of reliable data on failure, service
lives, and consumer complaint and attitudes to
provide a basis for product improvement in the
next design is an important phase VI activity.
 VII. Planning for Retirement of
the Product
• The final step in the design process is the
disposal of the product when it has reached the
end of its useful life.
• Useful life may be determined by actual
deterioration and wear or it may be determined
by technological obsolescence.
• Industrial ecology considerations dictate a plan
for either disposal of the product in an
environmentally safe way or, better, the recycling
of its materials, or remanufacture or reuse of
product components.