Product Design and Development

Concept Generation

Faizul 2012 1
 Concept Development Process

Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Faizul 2012 2
 Concept Generation Example:
Power Nailer

Faizul 2012 3
 Concept Generation Process
1. Clarify the Problem
 Problem Decomposition
2. External Search
 Lead Users
 Experts
 Patents
 Literature
 Benchmarking
3. Internal Search
 Individual Methods
 Group Methods
4. Systematic Exploration
 Classification Tree
 Combination Table
5. Reflect on the Result and the Process
 Continuous Improvement

Faizul 2012 4
 Concept Generation Exercise:
Vegetable Peelers

Faizul 2012 5
 Vegetable Peeler Exercise:
Voice of the Customer

► "Carrots and potatoes are very different."

► "I cut myself with this one."
► "I just leave the skin on."
► "I'm left-handed. I use a knife."
► "This one is fast, but it takes a lot off."
► "How do you peel a squash?"
► "Here's a rusty one."
► "This looked OK in the store."

Faizul 2012 6
 Vegetable Peeler Exercise:
Key Customer Needs

► The peeler peels a variety of produce.

► The peeler can be used ambidextrously.
► The peeler creates minimal waste.
► The peeler saves time.
► The peeler is durable.
► The peeler is easy to clean.
► The peeler is safe to use and store.
► The peeler is comfortable to use.
► The peeler stays sharp or can be easily sharpened.

Faizul 2012 7
 Problem Decomposition:
Function Diagram
INPUT OUTPUT
Energy (?) Energy (?)
Hand-held
Material (nails) Material (driven nail)
nailer
Signal (tool "trip") Signal (?)

Store or Convert
accept energy to
Energy external translational
energy energy

Apply
Store Is olate Driven
Nails translational
nails nail nail
energy to nail

"Trip" of Sense Trigger

tool trip tool

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 External Search:
Hints for Finding Related Solutions
► Lead Users
 benefit from improvement
 innovation source
► Benchmarking
 competitive products
► Experts
 technical experts
 experienced customers
► Patents
 search related inventions
► Literature
 technical journals
 trade literature

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 Capture Innovation from Lead Users:
Utility Light Example

Faizul 2012 10
 Internal Search:
Hints for Generating Many Concepts

► Suspend judgment
► Generate a lot of ideas
► Infeasible ideas are welcome
► Use graphical and physical media
► Make analogies
► Wish and wonder
► Solve the conflict
► Use related stimuli
► Use unrelated stimuli
► Set quantitative goals
► Use the gallery method
► Trade ideas in a group

Faizul 2012 11
 Systematic Exploration:
Concept Combination Table
Convert Electrical
Energy to Apply
Accumulate
Translational Translational
Energy
Energy Energy to Nail

rotary motor w/
transmission spring single impact

linear motor moving mass multiple impacts

solenoid push nail

rail gun

Faizul 2012 12
 Saigo

► Owarimashou..

Faizul 2012 KMEM 2218 Product Design and Development 13