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Introduction:
Introduction:
Product development and improvement
The concept of good design can be confused with aesthetically pleasing, but there are many products out there that may look attractive but are impractical to the point that they often get ‘left on the shelf’ as decorative items.
Two examples by Philip Starck are the Hot Berta kettle and Juicy Salif lemon squeezer.
Philip Starck are the Hot Berta kettle
Juicy Salif lemon squeezer
Product development and improvement
Product development and improvement
It is important that we have a set of criteria to follow when designing a product . This is known as a Product Design Specification (PDS).
It is this set of criteria that products can be assessed against to evaluate how successful they are and to decide to what extent they can be considered ‘good design’.
Beyond the specification, in order to design useful and functional products, refer to Dieter Ram’s 10 principles of good design. Ask yourself if you are following all, or any, of these in your designs.
What do you think the PDS for the two Starck products might have been?
Specification criteria
Specification criteria
Fit for purpose
The Product Design Specification requires a clear set of testable criteria based on the investigation and research that will allow the final product or prototype to be assessed.
See Stuart Pugh’s ‘total design’ (and Pugh’s Plates) for how important he considers the PDS to be.
A reduced list of the 12 most common elements is used below:
Environment (consider impact on the environment; 6 R’s etc.)
Testing (consider how it will be tested)
Safety (consider all relevant safety standards)
Product life span (consider how long the product should last: see durability)
Materials (consider the key materials properties including manufacture)
Ergonomics (consider how the product will interact with users/humans)
Aesthetics (consider form, shape, proportion etc.)
Performance (consider how well the design must function)
Product cost (consider the cost of all restrictions; materials, labour, manufacture)
Time scale (consider the project deadline)
Size and weight (consider all size and weight restrictions)
Maintenance (consider how the product will be maintained/repaired)
Critical assessment
Critical assessment
Design is constantly evolving and as David Pye states:
‘Everything we design and make is an improvisation, a lash-up, something inept and provisional’.
‘Everything we design and make is an improvisation, a lash-up, something inept and provisional’.
From this statement we could consider design to be transitory (in transition, not permanent) and always evolving with no final solution; only that which needs to be brought to market to satisfy the current need or to temporarily solve the problem.
By critically assessing current (and historical) products we are able to use the experiences of consumers to guide the development of further products.
Consider that no one style or product has stood the test of time. Even music and film are constantly reinvented for a new audience. Society, and therefore consumer, needs and wants evolve over time and a design rarely meets those needs.
Can you think of a product that has stood the test of time?
Critical analysis
Critical analysis
Another important skill is to be able to critically analyse your own design work and existing commercial designs. If a design truly was perfect how could a company release an improved version later?
A good way to do this is to analyse a product using the same criteria that you would use for a product design specification (refer to PDS).
This type of ‘product analysis’ ensures you would be analysing an existing product using the same criteria you plan to use when designing your own product.
User centred design (ucd)
User centred design (ucd)
The focus of User Centred Design (UCD) is that all products we design should be focused around the end user and the potential end user should be considered or involved at all stages of the design process.
This is in contrast to designing a ‘best fit’ mass-produced item based on generic research such as a sofa or bed for a high street store.
With UCD, the user is part of the research process, consulted on the design concepts, and as part of the initial testing process. In short, the product should fit their needs perfectly as they have been instrumental in its development.
A designer’s perception of a problem (and the solution) can very often be different from that of the user, especially if we have not experienced the situation ourselves. When a designer is able to experience the situation or problem, this can be referred to as empathetic design.
Combined with the input from the user, a designer is better equipped to provide a satisfactory solution to the problem.
Product design and development
Product design and development
Concept modelling
Concept modelling
In the early stages of ideation, concepts may need to be modelled to see if they have potential for development. These can be quick models or more detailed and functional depending on the nature of the project. An app Procreateis good for sketching out quick ideas. Sketches can then be traced over in 3D modelling apps like Onshape and Shapr 3D or AR base can be used to initially test the concept using AR.
Initial concept generation
Initial concept generation
Initial 2D or 3D sketchs, modelling using CAD, physical materials can be used to gain feedback from client prior to investment in further development or physical prototypes. These sketches are often quite rough but they can be used to identify those ideas with potential for development.
Block modelling
Block modelling
After sketch modelling, designers may progress onto block modelling as ‘proof of concept’ or to explore form or function in more detail. Blockboard, Foam board and Styrofoam are all useful materials for making quick block models.
Visual appearance models
Visual appearance models
Sometimes the visual appearance of a product is the focus rather than the function. In this case, a physical or virtual model can be created to demonstrate the final appearance of the product. Modern CAD software can often generate photorealistic renders from models indistinguishable from photographs.
Working prototypes
Working prototypes
Before a product can go into production or be developed visually, a working prototype is made so the functionality, ergonomics and other important criteria can be tested and evaluated for further development or to confirm it is production ready.
Prototypes will function to some extent and provide ergonomic and visual feedback.
Non-working prototypes
Non-working prototypes
Like a visual appearance CAD model, a non-working prototype has the appearance of the finished product so it can be handled and evaluated for aesthetic or ergonomic properties but it does not necessarily have to function.
How do you think they are tested and evaluated without actually functioning?
Rapid prototyping
Rapid prototyping
The development of effective and low cost CNC machinery such as 3D printers and laser cutters means that concepts can be prototyped very fast. Often an idea can go from concept to drawing and physical prototype in hours rather than weeks or months.
Accuracy in production
Accuracy in production
A product that does not work due to being inaccurate will inevitably be a commercial failure and could even be dangerous in use.
During development, concepts must be suitable for production. The use of simple geometric forms within design increases the ease of manufacture, reducing complexity in machining.
Although the use of standard geometric forms is not critical, the ability to produce accurate, fully dimensioned drawings is necessary to ensure components can be combined effectively.
The level of dimensional accuracy used within design development must be in line with the production facilities available. It is now possible to produce CAD drawings with an accuracy of 8 decimal places. However, the machinery used to produce the component will probably not be able to replicate that level of accuracy.
While CAM machinery can manufacture to precise measurements, it is common to factor in a working tolerance. This is an acceptable deviation from the intended size that still allows the product or component to function.
In products such as hand made wooden furniture, there is a greater manufacturing tolerance, but in the case of a printed circuit board or microchip, it would need machinery capable of great accuracy.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics
In his book Emotional Design, Donald Norman states that products and systems that make you feel good are easier to deal with and produce more harmonious results. Aesthetic properties are those that appeal to our senses so this could be through smell and touch but primarily products are perceived through sight.
How an object looks and feels will affect how we emotionally connect with it.
We may love or hate or just feel apathy towards it (we don’t really care).
How many times have you heard someone say that they ‘love’ the look of a new coat, their car or house?
Design can elicit an emotional response in people, and this will persuade the consumer to buy the products.
It is therefore important for product designers to consider how their designs will appeal to the consumer and their target market.
Consider the following aesthetic properties:
Consider the following aesthetic properties:
Shape and form
Shape and form
Products have, at times, been described as beautiful, gorgeous, even sexy. How a product can have this effect on us very much depends on our own ideals and what constitutes an attractive or appealing design. Shape and form are two such contributing factors to that appeal.
It would be hard to argue that the shape and form of this concept car is not appealing to the eye…
The human face is often considered beautiful, but it is actually asymmetrical. A symmetrical face like the one on the left looks strange to us despite the fact we expect symmetry in many industrially manufactured products. Can you imagine how you would feel about an asymmetric iPad or iPhone?
In product design it is common for a product to be symmetrical. In modern industrial design in particular, it is expected that Apple products such as iPad, Macbook or iMac are machined with incredible precision and symmetry. Compare that with a deliberately asymmetrical product like the mirror (far right) and that seems more playful or ‘quirky’. Which do you prefer?
Proportion
Proportion
Proportion is how the mass or form is distributed to give an object a sense of weight or to accentuate the form; the relationship of size between elements of an object.
We think of a watch has being well proportioned from the equal segments of the dials to the size of the face/bezel and strap. Which of these two watches has the most pleasing proportions?
The golden ratio
The golden ratio
The golden ratio is considered to be proportionally perfect and has been used for hundreds of years in architecture and design. It produces the proportions most visually pleasing to the human eye.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism
This refers to the design of products that reflect proportions and features associated with the human body. This not only gives the product a ‘friendly face’ but introduces an emotional connection with consumers.
Colour
Colour
Colour is fundamentally important to products as they are a vital part of the aesthetic especially with established brands.
Look at these two brands that tried changing their colours.
The use of instructive symbols
The use of instructive symbols
The use of instructive symbols is growing as it becomes more important to appeal to a more diverse global market. Such symbols need to be standardized to avoid language barriers.
Combining colours can also give a greater sense of association such as green with environment, red with danger or like this warning symbol in the colours of a wasp.
Exam question 28
Exam question 28
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