THE PRACTICAL AND THE

THEORETICAL IN DESIGN

THE UNIFICATION OF INTENTION WITH PRACTICE

RECAP OF WORK COVERED

• Thus far, we have looked at:

1. Machines and evaluated the needs that drove their designs
2. The parts that make up the machines
3. The functions that the machines perform
4. The build up of the functions necessary to fulfil the objective of the machine

• This effort is meant to give you an idea of how machines work and what their
make up is like, and why they have such a make up
THE THEORETICAL ASPECT OF DESIGN

• Design is meant to be driven by reason, meaning all aspects of a designed

machine must be full of specific intention
• No machine part must be without purpose or function, which directly links it
with the need that necessitated the machine to be designed (The Objectives)
THE THEORETICAL ASPECT OF DESIGN

• As such, design must be driven by systematic process called

Methodology
• Methodology is a collection of methods and steps that are
tried and tested then perfected over time, known to produce
excellent results when properly followed.
• Engineering Methods and tools useful for design are
necessary to ensure our intention is translated into a
practical design capable of fulfilling the customer’s needs
 Methodology As The Backbone To
Engineering Design

• Methodology is the sequence of steps designed to achieve a set output in a

manner that ensures a high degree of success when applied
• There is a relevant methodology to all steps of the design process
• Each prescribed methodology is appropriate and relevant for a given scenario
• Qualifying and matching each scenario to a given solution process
(methodology) is the responsibility of the Designer
 THE DESIGN PROCESS
1. Define The Need
2. Develop Design Specifications
3. Develop Function and Design Parameters
4. Perform Analysis and Synthesis
5. Perform Concept Development
6. Perform Concept Evaluation
7. Application of Design for X methods
8. Apply Parametric Design and Experimentation
9. Perform Detailed Design, Develop CAD and Implement
10. Test, Evaluate and Analyse the Design
 THE DESIGN PROCESS (CONT.)
• The design process is iterative through out all stages thus
there is need to always compare and evaluate the design
objectives to the progress made at each stage
• This design process applies to product development
primarily
• The research process is also encompassed in the
engineering design process as there is hardly any design
without prior or active research
DESIGN AS A FUNCTION OF QUALITY

• The customer and all aspects concerned with the customer

are a function of Quality
• Quality is the standard of something as measured against
other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of
something.
• In business, engineering, and manufacturing, quality has a
pragmatic interpretation as the non-inferiority or superiority
of something; it's also defined as being suitable for its
intended purpose while satisfying customer expectations
DESIGN AS A FUNCTION OF QUALITY
(CONT.)

• The need to satisfy the customer drives the design process

thus making design a function of quality
• The techniques used in marketing and sales to obtain
customer feedback then become the starting point of
improving on or building up a design
 THE NEED

• This is defined by the Voice of the Customer

• The purpose of this stage is to map the direction along which
the design effort is to take
• This is the make or break stage of the design process, which
affects all consequent efforts
 THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER

• These are the customer’s expectations for your products. It focuses

on customer needs, expectations, understandings, and product improvement.
• The list of expectations forms the basis for product specifications.
• This opinion gathering tool utilizes several techniques for deployment
THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER (CONT.)
• Driving Force Behind Specifications
• Customer Dictates Attributes, Features and Functions Of the Desired
Product

• Customer Satisfaction
• Meeting Or Exceeding Customer Expectations
• Customer Expectations Can Be Vague & General In Nature
• Customer Expectations Must Be Taken Literally, Not Translated Into
What The Organization Desires
 COLLECTING CUSTOMER
INFORMATION

• What Does Customer Really Want ?

• What Are Customer’s Expectations ?
• Are Customer’s Expectations Used To Drive Design
Process ?
• What Can Design Team Do To Achieve Customer
Satisfaction?
TECHNIQUES FOR OPINION
GATHERING
• Focus Groups,
• Individual Interviews,
• Contextual Enquiry,
• Customer Specifications,
• Observations,
• Warranty Data,
• Field Reports,
• Focus Products e.g. Samsung Smartphones
TYPES OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION
• Solicited, Measurable, Routine
• Cus. & Market Surveys, Trade Trials

• Unsolicited, Measurable, Routine

• Customer Complaints, Lawsuits

• Solicited, Subjective, Routine

• Focus Groups

• Solicited, Subjective, Haphazard

• Trade & Cus. Visits, Indep. Consultants

• Unsolicited, Subjective, Haphazard

• Conventions, Vendors, Suppliers
CONVERTING NEEDS INTO SPECIFICATIONS
• Customer needs, market needs or customer requirements along
with the product requirements or specifications are referred to
as “design inputs”.
• One of the keys to good product requirements or specifications
is to define measurable and objective requirements of
specifications.
• It is only when a specification is measurable that one can
determine whether that specification has been satisfied when
verification of the product design is performed.
• Quality Function Deployment converts needs into what’s and
how’s
•Discussion