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The design process for commercial products is generally an iterative one, as explained in Unit 2.1. This means that feedback gathered after testing and evaluating one outcome (iteration) is used to improve the next version.
This ensures that continual improvements are made when developing new products. It is still important that products are fully tested before they are made commercially available.
Product recalls
Product recalls
On the rare occasions that a product is not fully tested before release to consumers, they may develop problems. If this were to happen the product would have to be recalled, redesigned, re-manufactured and re-released at no cost to the consumer. Considering the loss of revenue, and potential legal costs involved, this could be very costly for the company.
If anyone was harmed by the product, it would be very serious and potentially expensive.
Case Study 2
Case Study 2
Samsung had high hopes for the high-end Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, but they went up in smoke.
The world’s largest smartphone maker was forced to discontinue and recall the pricey gadget after some of them started bursting into flames.
The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission received 96 reports of overheating batteries and fires within the first two months of its August 2016 launch.
Total cost to Samsung: $5.1 billion!
Samsung was forced to recall 2.5 million of the devices, which were some of the priciest smartphones on the market.
Case Study 3
Case Study 3
What started quietly almost a decade ago has since ballooned into the biggest recall in history.
Faulty airbag inflators made by the now-bankrupt Takata were used by virtually every major automaker on the planet. The issue: The inflators can explode and eject a shrapnel-like material that has been linked to at least 20 deaths.
The National Highway Safety Transportation Board expects the recall to include more than 37 million vehicles involving 49.5 million inflators in the U.S. alone. Globally, 100 million inflators are under recall. Regulators say it could take until 2023 to recall and fix every vehicle with a faulty Takata air bag.
In 2016, Takata estimated total recall costs of $24 billion!
Third party feedback
Third party feedback
Third party feedback consists of objective views about products from people and organisations that are not directly involved in their design or manufacture.
A number of international organisations exist to monitor the standards of products and services.
A number of international organisations exist to monitor the standards of products and services.
In the UK, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is responsible for checking and monitoring the work of many of the agencies that certify testing.
The BSI is the UK’s most significant UKAS accredited organisation, since it publishes a range of standards that are used in the design and manufacture of products.
Other organisations include FIRA (Furniture Institute Research Association) and ISO.
The UCD approach covered in Unit 2.1, is employed to ensure that products are appealing for consumers to buy and use.
An important part of this process is to obtain information from market research organisations. These organisations are totally independent of the client companies that use their services.
One of their key services is to host focus groups in which members of the public, from appropriate demographic groups, are invited and paid to attend a meeting where they can express their views on an existing or proposed product.
Members of these groups may participate in a variety of activities which will be recorded in some form for further analysis and may be followed up with interviews or questionnaires. It is not unusual to observe the members through a one-way mirror.
Focus group activities may include:
Focus group activities may include:
answering direct questions
physical interaction with products
watching videos and presentations
sketching ideas and logos
making suggestions for product improvements
creating mood board
brainstorming ideas
group discussions
taste testing (for foods)
testing to destruction
observation of specialist users such as children
Examples of what may be learnt include:
Examples of what may be learnt include:
the public’s attitude towards colours, materials or product finishes
the level of comfort experienced when holding products
how easily batteries can be changed
how easy it is to navigate controls or features
the level of enjoyment or involvement
how appropriate the product is for the target group
how appropriate the price is for the product
any value added features that are/could be available
the strength of brand identity that they recognise
LINK TO YOUR COURSEWORK:
At this stage in your coursework you should have a final prototype idea in production or ready to share with others.
Taking the idea of a focus group, organise for a sample of your target market to meet and discuss your proposed design or working prototype.
Use some of the initiatives covered in previous units such as thinking hats and the marketing mix to evaluate how successful your product is likely to be.
When in a group situation, people feed off each other’s ideas so this is a great way of getting a lot of valuable feedback.
It doesn’t matter if the negative feedback seems to outweigh the positive, as long as you understand how this could be used to improve the next iteration of your product.
Being able to interpret both types of feedback is a vital aspect of successful critical analysis.
Summary
Summary
Critical analysis is an in-depth objective study of design, often linked to research.
Evaluation of design ideas and finished products is similar to critical analysis, but is more concerned with how effectively the requirements of the specification have been met.
The study of commercial products can be very informative in understanding a wide range of design and manufacturing techniques.
Thorough testing and evaluation of commercial products is particularly important to maintain their success in the market place.
Market research, particularly involving focus groups, is a key element in ensuring that designs are as user-centred and successful as possible.
Revision notes
Revision notes
At this point in your studies, you should be able to critically analyse and evaluate products.
You should also take an equally objective approach to evaluating your own ideas and outcomes.
Looking at BSI and conformity can be very useful in your own design work.
Wherever possible you should critically analyse an existing product, ideally by disassembly.
Eventually, you should be able to look at a product and have an idea of how it is manufactured and constructed without the need to disassemble it.
Your teacher may arrange for you to bring in products which you can evaluate and critically analyse as a group. You can always do this yourself and it is good practice for the exam.
Prep 55
Prep 55
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