PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT:

CONCEPT GENERATION

Dr. Vivek Kumar

Mechanical Engineering Department, School of Technology,
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) Gandhinagar.
Gujarat, India.
 OUTLINE

 Introduce Concept Generation

 Discuss Common Dysfunctions and Tips

 Concept Generation Method

 Demonstrate Above Steps on Examples
 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

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
CONCEPT GENERATION EXAMPLE: POWER NAILER
 PRODUCT CONCEPT
 A technical description of how the product will satisfy the
customer’s needs.

 An approximate description of
 the technology,
 working principles, and
 form of the product

 Often expressed with a sketch or 3D model, accompanied

with a brief textual description.
 CONCEPT GENERATION
"Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap"

Customer Needs
Concept SET of Possible Concepts
Generation
Target Specifications Phase

Goal: team should feel confident that the full

spectrum of options has been explored.
COMMON DYSFUNCTIONS SHOULD AVOIDED DURING CONCEPT
GENERATION

 Consider only one or two alternatives

 Fail to consider the usefulness of the concepts

 Involve only one or two people in the process

 Ineffectively integrate promising partial solutions

 Fail to consider entire categories of solutions

 CONCEPT GENERATION PROCESS
Clarify
1. Clarify the Problem the
Problem
– Problem Decomposition
2. External Search
– Lead Users
– Experts Search Search
– Patents Externally Internally
– Literature
– Benchmarking
3. Internal Search
– Individual Methods Explore
– Group Methods Systematically
4. Systematic Exploration
– Classification Tree
Reflect on the
– Combination Table Solutions and
5. Reflect on the Process the Process
– Continuous Improvement
 CLARIFY THE PROBLEM
 Understand the problem
 From the team’s (product) mission statement
 From the customers needs
 From the product specifications

 Decompose the problem into simpler sub-problems

 Divide and conquer
 Using function diagrams
 Decompose by sequence of user actions
 Decompose by key customer’s need

 Focus initial efforts on the critical sub-problems

 Focus on critical sub-problems
 Defer solutions to other sub-problems
 UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM
 From mission statement
 It will use nails
 It will be compatible with nail magazines
 It will nail through roofing singles into wood
 It will be hand held

 Based on assumptions
 It inserts nails in rapid succession
 It is light weight.
 It has no nailing delays (from the user’s view)

Nailer Gun
 From specifications
 Nail length ranges from 25-28 mm, Nailing
force up to 2000 N
 Peak Nailing rate is 1 nail per second,
 Tool mass is less than 4 KG.
Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and
 Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 second development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
 PROBLEM DECOMPOSITION: Clarify
the
FUNCTION DIAGRAM Problem

INPUT OUTPUT
Search Search
Energy (?) Energy (?) Externally Internally

Hand-held
Material (nails) Material (driven nail)
nailer
Signal (tool "trip") Signal (?)
Explore
Systematically

Reflect on the
Solutions and
Store or Convert the Process
accept energy to
Energy external translational
energy energy
Clarify the problem
Apply • Understand the problem
Store Isolate Driven
Nails translational
nails nail
energy to nail nail • Decompose the problem
into simpler sub-problems
• Focus initial efforts on the
"Trip" of Sense Trigger
trip tool critical sub-problems
tool
 FOCUS INITIAL EFFORTS ON THE CRITICAL SUB-PROBLEMS
Clarify
the
Problem

Clarify the problem

• Understand the problem Search
Externally
Search
Internally

• Decompose the problem into simpler

sub-problems
• Focus initial efforts on the critical Explore
Systematically
sub-problems
Reflect on the
Solutions and
the Process
 EXTERNAL SEARCH:
HINTS FOR FINDING RELATED SOLUTIONS

 Lead Users
 benefit from improvement Clarify
the
 innovation source Problem

 Benchmarking
 competitive products Search
Externally
Search
Internally
 Experts
 technical experts
 experienced customers Explore
Systematically

 Patents
Reflect on the
 search related inventions Solutions and
the Process
 Literature
 technical journals
 trade literature
 SEARCH INTERNALLY
(BOTH GROUP AND INDIVIDUALLY)

 Guide for the search

 Suspend judgment Clarify
the
 Generate a lot of ideas Problem
 Welcome ideas that seem infeasible
 Use graphic and physical media
Search Search
Externally Internally

 Hints for generating concepts

 Make analogies
Explore
 Wish and wonder Systematically

 User related stimuli

 Set quantitative goals Reflect on the
Solutions and
the Process
 Post ideas on the wall
 EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY
 Concept classification tree
 Concept combination table
Clarify
the
Problem

Search Search
Externally Internally

Explore
Systematically

Reflect on the
Solutions and
the Process Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and
development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
 EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY: CONCEPT CLASSIFICATION TREE

 Prune less promising branches

 Identify independent approaches to
the problem
 Expose inappropriate emphasis on
certain branches
 Refine the problem decomposition
for a particular branch.
 EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY:
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
EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY: CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY: CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY: CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY: CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY:
CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE
 REFLECT ON THE PROCESS
 Clarify the Problem Clarify
 Problem Decomposition the
 External Search Problem
 Lead Users
 Experts
 Patents
Search Search
 Literature Externally Internally
 Benchmarking
 Internal Search
 Individual Methods
 Group Methods
Explore
 Systematic Exploration Systematically
 Classification Tree
 Combination Table
 Reflect on the Process Reflect on the
Solutions and
 Continuous Improvement the Process
 REFLECT ON THE RESULTS
• Is the team developing confidence that the solution space has been fully
explored?
• Are there alternative function diagrams?
• Are there alternative ways to decompose the problem?
• Have external sources been thoroughly pursued?
• Have ideas from everyone been accepted and integrated in the process?
CONCEPT GENERATION EXERCISE: VEGETABLE PEELERS

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
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."
 VEGETABLE PEELER EXERCISE:
KEY CUSTOMER NEEDS
1. The peeler peels a variety of produce.
2. The peeler can be equally comfortable to right and left handed persons.
3. The peeler creates minimal waste.
4. The peeler saves time.
5. The peeler is durable.
6. The peeler is easy to clean.
7. The peeler is safe to use and store.
8. The peeler is comfortable to use.
9. The peeler stays sharp or can be easily sharpened.
CAPTURE INNOVATION FROM LEAD USERS: UTILITY LIGHT EXAMPLE

Ref: Ulrich, K.T., 2003. Product design and

development. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.