There are lots of fantastic examples included below

Existing solutions (Primary)

As the title of this research section suggest Existing Solutions are how other designers (companies) have found a solution to the same, or similar, problem that you are trying to solve. 

If you investigate existing solutions or products that do a similar job to the product you are designing you will find out lots of really useful information. The best way to understand a product is to take it apart and analyse it (this is what Sir James Dyson likes about D&T and states is vitally important), recording your stages of disassembly. However, you may find it difficult to get hold of lots of examples of the product you are designing, or even to be able to disassemble the product, so you should have a mix of Primary and Secondary existing solutions.

Primary existing solutions are when you can hold the object in your hands and investigate and analyse it. This is a kinaesthetic (hands on / handling the product) analysis and investigation as you can look at all aspects of the solution to the problem focusing on specific areas such as size, weight, texture, finish, temperature, the key areas of their design, and your emotional response to the product. You can of course see the product from every angle including the bottom and back of the product. You could also use a SWOT analysis (see below) to help you analyse it as this encourages ‘Proactive thinking’. 

Secondary existing solutions are when you get images, usually from the Internet or possibly magazines that others have taken. It is secondary research as someone else has already photographed the product and you are analysing only what you can see rather than what you can feel. This is a visual analysis mainly focusing on aesthetic qualities. 

If you can incorporate and use videos as part of your analysis that is even better!

YOU NEED BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EXISTING SOLUTIONS AND YOU SHOULD TRY TO ANALYSE (IN DEPTH) A MINIMUM OF 4 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS.

You should investigate and analyse all details of the existing solutions / products and you could consider:

Materials, Ergonomics, Anthropometrics, Aesthetics, Finish, Colour, Shape, Form, Weight, Common features across the existing solutions, Economics, Environmental considerations, Industrial practices – how has it been made, Safety, Construction – how parts fit together – split lines – why? Internal structure - Ribs, Webs, Bosses and Lugs. 

Some people use the acronym ACCESS FM to help them remember the key areas of initial product analysis and evaluation. You could use this strategy, a SWOT analysis or one of your own to help you analyse in depth.

Aesthetics -    how it should look, form, shape, colour, texture, finish, decoration, decals

Cost -              what is the price range your product will fit into

Customer -      who is your product for? who is the user? age? gender? likes? styles? needs?

Environment - where will the product live or be used? what impact does this have on the design?

Size -               what size should your design be?

Safety -           what safety considerations are there?

Function -       what will or could the product do? Any special features?

Materials -      what materials could you use?

S.W.O.T. analysis 

This analysis technique encourages proactive thinking, rather than relying on habitual or instinctive reactions. Carrying out this analysis will help you to identify potential problems early. You can also use it to analyse existing and or competing products through changing how you ask the question. 

You could summarise the most important findings of the Existing Solutions analysis in a section at the end of your research (before your Design Specification). 

Strengths: 

In looking at the strengths of a product, think about them in relation to - if all the competitors products are made from high quality materials, then using high quality materials is not a strength in the market, it is a necessity. 

What advantages does the product you are analysing have? 

What will it / does it do better than alternatives? 

What is the unique selling point of the product you are analysing? 

What do users see as the products strengths? 

Weaknesses: 

Consider this from an internal and external basis: Do users perceive weaknesses that you do not see? Are other existing products better than the product you are analysing? 

What could you improve about the product? 

What should you avoid when designing your solution? 

What do you see as weaknesses? 

Opportunities: 

A useful approach to looking at opportunities is to look at the strengths of the product and ask whether these open up any opportunities. Alternatively, look at the weaknesses and ask yourself whether you could open up opportunities by eliminating or developing them. 

Where and how big is the product’s market? 

What are the trends relating to your product or market that you are aware of? 

Threats: 

What obstacles does the product face in the design and manufacturing stages? 

What is the competition? Show other products 

Is upcoming or changing technology threatening your product? 

Could any of the weaknesses seriously threaten your product’s feasibility / longevity? Do users want / use it?

There are lots of examples below for you to see. All of these are Primary examples.

To be successful you will:

·       Use existing solutions to analyse, in-depth (at least 2 primary products), all the areas you must consider to help you write your Design Specification

·       Show clear understanding of how the problem has been solved by an existing product, and why it has been designed that way, by other designers 

·       Include a summary of the key findings of your research / SWOT analysis

·       Use video to demonstrate how a product works and help you to demonstrate your analysis