OMF551 - PRODUCT DESIGN AND

DEVELOPMENT
UNIT II
CONCEPT GENERATION AND SELECTION
Task – Structured approaches – clarification – search – externally and internally – explore
systematically – reflect on the solutions and processes – concept selection – methodology –
benefits.
PART – A

1. Prepare the road map for concept generation process.

DESIGN ROADMAPPING PROCESS
 Conduct Comprehensive Design Research
 Extract Common Themes and Insights
 Identify and Prioritize List of Technologies
 Map Technologies to Human Insights
 Create a Design Roadmap

2. Prepare the flow chart for concept generation.

3. Give the basic methods involved in concept Generation.

 Brainstorming:
– Record all the ideas generated.
– Generate as many ideas as possible, then visualize them.
– Think wild.
– Do not allow evaluation of the ideas
 6-3-5 Method:
– Brainwriting to force equal participation by all.
– 6 (optimal number of members); 3 (number of ideas); 5 (minute interval)
– No verbal communication allowed until the end.
 Use of Analogies in Design:
– Consider needed function and then ask, What else provides this function?
 Use of Extremes and Inverses:
– Transform current concepts into others by taking them to extremes or
considering inverses
 Finding Ideas in Reference Books and Trade Journals:
 Using Experts to Help Generate Concepts:
– Needed to design in a new domain

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4. Explain the clarification of problems.
To ensure that all parties have been consulted and that various avenues have been
explored, we use the following seven questions to clarify a problem:

1. Exactly what is the problem?

2. When does it occur? How long has it occurred?
3. How do other people in the situation see it?
4. Are there physical symptoms involved?
5. What has the person tried to do about it? What does the person see as possible solutions?
6. Are there major inconsistencies between feelings, content, and body posture?
7. What does the person want to do versus what the person feels he or she should do?

5. Describe the External approach in concept generation.

Search Externally
 External search is aimed at finding existing solutions to both the overall problem and sub
problems, identified during the problem classification step
 Implementing an existing solution is usually quicker and cheaper than developing a new
solution
 Liberal solution use of existing solutions allows the team to focus its creative energy on the
critical sub problems
 External search for solutions is essential an information gathering process
 First expand the scope of the search by broadly gathering information
 Secondly focus the scope of the search by exploring the promising directions in more
detail
 Too much of the either approach will make the external search inefficient
 There are at least five good ways to gather information from external sources
1) Interview lead users
2)Consult experts
3)Search patents
4)Search published literature
5)Benchmark related products

6. Infer the Internal approach in concept generation.

Search internally
 Internal search is the use of personal and team knowledge and creativity to generate
solution concepts
 The search is internal in that all of the ideas to emerge from this step are created from
knowledge already in the possession of team
 This activity may be the most open ended and creative of any in new product development

7 Explain the problems can be explored in concept generation process.

8 List different methods in explore technique.
9 Define Benchmark.
Standard, or a set of standards, used as a point of reference for evaluating
performance or level of quality. Benchmarks may be drawn from a firm's own experience,
from the experience of other firms in the industry, or from legal requirements such as
environmental regulations.

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10 Define Team work.

The process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a

goal.
Teamwork is often a crucial part of a business, as it is often necessary for colleagues
to work well together, trying their best in any circumstance. Teamwork means that people
will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback,
despite any personal conflict between individuals.

11 Demonstrate the uses in concept classification tree approach.

12 Summaries the uses in concept classification table approach.

13 Define concept selection.

A matrix used to display how well different alternatives meet the list of product or
process specifications or requirements. A concept selection matrix is organized by the
requirements, and includes numerical values for target specifications as well as observed
specifications for a list of potential solutions.

14 Draw the flowchart for concept selection.

15 Give the basic methods of concept selection.
16 Tabulate the measurements Technique involved in concept selection.
17 Discuss screening.
The screening step is a critical part of the new product development process. Product
ideas that do not meet the organization's objectives should be rejected. Two problems that
may arise during the screening stage are the acceptance of a poor product idea, and the
rejection of a viable product idea.
18 Define concept scoring.
Concept Scoring. Concept Scoring is a more careful analysis of these relatively few
concepts in order to choose the single concept most likely to lead to product success. Concept
Screening is a quick, approximate evaluation aimed at producing a few viable alternatives.
19 Interpret the product performance.
Product performance is an aspect of MARKET PERFORMANCE that denotes the
quality and performance of existing products and firms' records with respect to the
development of new products.
20 Explain concept testing.
Concept testing is the process of testing new or hypothetical products or services
before they are launched. The testing is intended to screen a number of concepts to identify
the strongest ones for progression, to improve/refine the base product or service proposition,
and/or to forecast their likely success.
21. Define product life cycle.
Product life cycle is the progression of an item through the four stages of its time on
the market. The four life cycle stages are: Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Decline. Every
product has a life cycle and time spent at each stage differs from product to product.
22. What are disruptive technologies?

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Product planning is the process of creating a product idea and following through on it
until the product is introduced to the market. Additionally, a small company must have an
exit strategy for its product in case the product does not sell.
23. What is product planning process?
Product planning is the process of creating a product idea and following through on it
until the product is introduced to the market. Additionally, a small company must have an
exit strategy for its product in case the product does not sell.
24. Define concept generation.
Concept generation, getting the ideas, is the most critical step in the engineering
design process. Starting with a set of customer needs and target specifications, the process
concludes with an array of product alternatives from which a final design is selected.
25. What do you mean by product innovation charter?
A Product Innovation Charter (PIC) can be used to help guide the process of strategic
planning for new Product development and Product Management.
A typical PIC may contain:

A. Background
B. Focus
C. Goals and Objectives
D. Guidelines

26. What is product breakdown structure?

a product breakdown structure (PBS) is a tool for analysing, documenting and
communicating the outcomes of a project, and forms part of the product based planning
technique.
Product Breakdown Structure (BBS) is a project management tool and important part
of the project planning. It is a task-oriented system for subdividing a project into product
components. The product breakdown structure defines subtasks or work packages and
describes the relationship between work packages. This process helps to organize the projects
gut and to define the project frameworks. Product, product data or services can be a work
breakdown structure element. The BBS defines also the necessary frameworks for the
detailed cost pre-calculation and controlling. It is also a basis for the scheduling and planning.

Define Task.
The smallest identifiable and essential piece of a job that serves as a unit of work, and as a
means of differentiating between the various components of a project.

PART -B 13 Marks
Briefly explain about structured approaches.
Definition
“Structured Approach to developing a software application involves the use of the program
development cycle:

 Defining the problem

 Planning the solution

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 Building the solution
 Checking the solution
 Modifying the solution”.

Information
Used when there is a high budget, where there is a long time period to complete the project,
and is where it is preferable for the project to be completed by teams. It is characterized by
distinct stages, with each stage being completed before moving onto the next stage.

The stages of the development cycle are:

1. Defining the problem :- It is necessary to understand the problem in as much detail

as possible.
2. Planning the solution :- It is important to begin the planning and design of a solution
to the problem. Planning solution involves determining data types, developing
algorithms and diagrams, whether the ‘start from scratch approach' needed, determine
the programming language used.
3. Building the solution :- Building the solution involves converting the specifications
and algorithms developed during the planning stage into code.
4. Checking the solution :- Once the software solution has been coded it is necessary to
check that is operates correctly.
5. Modifying the solution :- Modification of code may be necessary if errors are
detected, or the users' feedback means that the program doesn't meet their needs, or
the underlying processes change, or the existing system changes, etc. Accurate
documentation is extremely important because the modifications may be made by
programmer who were not part of the original team.

Structured development approach (Samuel Davis, Software design and development HSC
Course)

Characteristics

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 Long time periods from start to implementation of the final product (can be many
months or even years.)
 Typically used for large-scale projects, or difficult projects, or new concept projects
 Typically associated with large budgets and large organizations
 Typically involves a number of different personnel, including analysts, designers,
programmers, users and management

Use

 Very large complex programs, for example operating systems, integrated suites

Personnel

 analysis
 designers
 programmers
 users
 management

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1. Describe the activity of concept generation. (13)

The Activity of Concept Generation

A product concept is an approximate description of the technology, working
principles, and form of the product. It is a concise description of how the product will satisfy
the customer needs. A concept is usually expressed as a sketch or as a rough three-
dimensional model and is often accompanied by a brief textual description.

The degree to which a product satisfies customers and can be successfully

commercialized depends to a large measure on the quality of the underlying concept. A good
concept is sometimes poorly implemented in subsequent development phases, but a poor
concept can rarely be manipulated to achieve commercial success. Fortunately, concept
generation is relatively inexpensive and can be done relatively quickly in comparison to the
rest of the development process.

For example, concept generation had typically consumed less than 5 percent of the
budget and 15 percent of the development time in previous nailer development efforts.
Because the concept generation activity is not costly, there is no excuse for a lack of
diligence and care in executing a sound concept generation method.

The concept generation process begins with a set of customer needs and target
specifications and results in a set of product concepts from which the team will make a final
selection. The relation of concept generation to the other concept development activities is
shown in below diagram. In most cases, an effective development team will generate
hundreds of concepts, of which 5 to 20 will merit serious consideration during the concept
selection activity.

2. Explain the concept selection and five step method. (13)

Concept Generation is a 5 step process
1. Clarify the problem. Break it down into sub-problems, and prioritize.
2. Search externally for existing solutions = BOF’s.
3. Search internally, using individual and group resources.
4. Explore systematically, using concept fragments.
5. Reflect and evaluate. This is not necessarily a linear process, it is usually iterative.

Step 1 Clarify the problem

Start with the Customer needs analysis and Functional Specs as inputs limit the scope
of the problem. Don’t try to “boil the ocean”. Prioritize the critical subsystems where you can
differentiate your design. You will only have a few areas where you will need to apply the
formal process. Be sure to list the critical assumptions you are making about the problem.

Step 2 Search Externally

Be a pirate! Take the best ideas that others have developed and build on them. You
don’t have to do everything perfectly. It only takes a couple of areas of differentiation to have
a success in the market. What technology allowed Honda to become a leader in transportation

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vehicles. Reliable engines. HP inkjet printers An ink that could be boiled to produce droplets.
Colored inks.

Search Externally Interview lead users. Consult industry experts. Search Patents.
Search published literature. Benchmark related products. For you Concept Generation and
Selection document, I want you to show evidence of at least two areas where you have
researched some external inputs for concept generations.

Step 3 Search internally

Be careful to avoid assuming you know more than you do about a subject. Be careful
to not over-simplify a problem “ For every complex problem there is a simple, easy-to-
understand, wrong answer.” Complex problems usually have complex solutions

Search internally Use your personal and team knowledge and creativity to generate
solution concepts. Some guidelines for generating concepts: Suspend judgment. Don’t be
quick to jump to conclusions. Generate a lot of ideas. Don’t spend time evaluating ideas, just
capture them. Welcome “out of the box” ideas. Don’t worry about feasibility during the
initial brainstorming. Use graphical and visual methods to capture ideas. Quick drawings and
sketches are great.

Step 4 Explore Systematically

At this point the team should have a collection of concept fragments—solutions to
the subproblems . The goal of systematic exploration is to synthesize a complete solution
from the concept fragments. The problem is that not all fragments will work together in a
final solution space. Your job is to come up with practical concepts from all the pieces.

Systematic exploration There are two tools that can help the team in navigating
through the maze of concept fragments: 1. The concept classification tree, and, 2. The
concept combination table. Concept classification tree helps to divide the solutions into
independent categories, And the concept combination table helps in the selection of possible
fragments.

Systematic exploration concept classification tree Store or Accept energy Chemical

Hydraulic Electrical Pneumatic Fuel-air system Explosive System Oil pressure system Wall
outlet Batteries Fuel Cell External air system Internal air system.

Concept classification tree What are we trying to accomplish with the tree? Prune less
promising branches quickly. Identify independent approaches to the problem. Find where
gaps may exist in the concept fragments. Refine the thought process for a particular branch.

Concept combination table This is a tool to link fragments into complete solutions.
The first step is to identify the general functional diagram for the anticipated solution.
Convert Energy to translational energy Accumulate Translational energy Apply Translational
energy to nail.

Concept combination tables Step 2 is to put all concept fragments into a column of the
combination table. This helps to identify if concept fragments are missing or redundant. Step

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3 is to link concept fragments into complete solutions. This also shows where more
evaluation or exploration is necessary.

Concept combination tables Step 1- add fragments to the table Convert Electrical energy to
translational energy Accumulate Energy Apply translational energy to nail Rotary motor with
transmission Linear Motor Solenoid Rail gun Spring Moving Mass Single impact Multiple
impact Push nail

Concept combination tables Step 2- connect fragments into solutions Convert Electrical
energy to translational energy Accumulate Energy Apply translational energy to nail Rotary
motor with transmission Linear Motor Solenoid Rail gun Spring Moving Mass Single impact
Multiple impact Push nail

Concept combination tables As you can see, there are a lot of combinations available.
(4 x 2 x 3) Many obviously don’t make sense and can be quickly eliminated. However, you
often find a new idea by looking at the possible combinations of concept fragments.
Remember, this is an iterative process, you may have to go back to square one quite often.
Step 5 Reflect and Evaluate
Are you confident that the solution space has been adequately explored? Do you have
alternate functional diagrams? Can you decompose the problem in an alternate way? Have
you considered external sources? Have everyone’s ideas been considered and integrated into
the process?

3. Demonstrate the concept testing. (13)

Concept testing:

An idea is finally developed to a point where its benefits can be communicated to

target consumers in order to assess their reactions.

Concept testing is a quality check between the description of an idea and actual
product development. A variety of approaches are available for concept testing. All methods
involve a group of potential consumers rating one or more concept statements in which each
concept is presented with specific focus on consumer needs or benefits.

The method of testing is based on the purpose of concept testing and should therefore
provide all elements of interest where feedback is expected. Peng and Finn (2008) report the
following purposes of practical concept testing:

 to develop the original idea further

 to estimate the concept's market potential
 to eliminate poor concept(s)
 to identify the value of concept features
 to help identify the highest potential customer segment(s)
 to generate an estimate of sales or trial rate
 to provide diagnostic information.

What is concept testing about?

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In more technical terms, consumers are presented with a stimulus (the concept) and
measures of reaction are taken which the researcher believes are predictive of the behavioural
response.

Concept stimuli design

Concepts can be presented in many forms, from a simple factual statement with
minimum description of the product's attributes, to a commercialized concept making
persuasive claims, or even to a full mock advertisement. Many concept tests use 'stripped'
descriptions, with or without visual representations. Stripped descriptions provide a list of
product characteristics in a short and concise manner. Additionally, images or sketch
drawings of how the product may look can be used.

'Embellished' descriptions are another popular format. In contrast to stripped

descriptions, they apply commercial language, words and phrases that are familiar from
typical advertisements. Such statements can improve understanding about the product as
many of them focus on problem solving; in other words, embellished descriptions often point
out the core benefits offered by the product to overcome the consumer's problems.

Whatever the final result of the design looks like, the concept statement should be
clear and realistic and should not oversell the concept. Although the statement can be worded
in a commercial or non-commercial format, the difference between the concept and existing
alternatives in the marketplace should be unambiguous and credible. Other presentation
formats are rough mock-up advertisements or even fully finished advertisements.

The following is a suggested template for a concept, comprising the above

considerations.

Concept template

Core concept:

 Provide a statement with the core concept in one sentence.

 Use a preliminary product name (if available).

Benefits:

 Describe the product benefits, based on sensory, convenience, health, process and
other product attributes.
 Decide on stripped versus embellished formulations.

Product information:

 Provide information about relevant extrinsic cues such as price, size, product-related
information.

Target users:

 Tell your respondent how you would describe him or her.

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 Describe the person based on segmentation criteria.
 Ask if he or she feels the description is appropriate. (Do not forget to ask about
personal information, before or after the test.)

Survey format selection

You must decide on how you can address your target market best. The Below Table
matches the survey format with commonly available methods of communication. It shows
that not every format suits every contact method. Whereas all formats are applicable for
personal (face-to-face, F2F) communication, modern information and communication
technologies differ in their compatibility, as the interactive content or format increases.
Physical samples, which could also be sent by a conventional mail service, are a special case.

This usually involves substantial financial costs and the potential gains do not justify
such investment. The alternative is to allow product trials at the point of purchase.

Match between survey format and ways of communicating the product concept.

F2F Internet Email Telephone

Verbal text X X X X

Sketch X X X

Photo/rendering X X X

Storyboard X X X

Multimedia X X

Physical sample X

Concept stimuli design and choice of survey format need to be considered

simultaneously. You need to know what has to be communicated about the concept and how
to communicate the concept best to the right people.

Measuring customer response

Up-to-date and constant contact with customers and participants provides an excellent
source of information and can act as a check to see if your ideas are working in the way they
are supposed to. One way to do this is to use a questionnaire.

You can ask the potential consumer group to fill it out or you can ask the questions
yourself and write down the customer's replies. If you have the chance to ask a group of
customers you can use the questions as a basis for discussion; perhaps the group can agree on
their replies.

Examples of questions asked during concept testing

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Would you be interested in such a product?

 Not at all interested

 Hardly interested
 Somewhat interested
 Interested
 Very interested

Why? ...

How much do you like the product?

 Not at all
 Not that much
 Neither like nor dislike
 Like it
 Like it very much

What do you think is the best thing about the product? ...

What do you think is the worst thing about the product? ...

You are already buying ... (brand AA). How well do you think this product would compare to
it?

 Not very well

 To some degree
 Just as good
 Somewhat better
 Much better

Why? ...

Let's imagine that the product would already be available to purchase for _______. Would
this price be of interest to you?

 No interest at all
 Not that interesting
 Somewhat interesting
 Interesting
 Very interesting

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4. Explain the problem clarification in product development. (13)

Clarifying the problem consists of developing a general understanding and then

breaking the problem down into subproblems if necessary.

The mission statement for the project, the customer needs list, and the preliminary
product specification are the ideal inputs to the concept generation process, although often
these pieces of information are still being refined as the concept generation phase begins.

Ideally the team has been involved both in the identification of the customer needs
and in the setting of the target product specifications. Those members of the team who were
not involved in these preceding steps should become familiar with the processes used and
their results before concept generation activities begin.

As stated before, the challenge was to “design a better handheld roofing nailer.” The
scope of the design problem could have been defined more generally (e.g., “fasten roofing
materials”) or more specifically (e.g., “improve the speed of the existing pneumatic tool
concept”). Some of the assumptions in the team’s mission statement were:

• The nailer will use nails (as opposed to adhesives, screws, etc.).
• The nailer will be compatible with nail magazines on existing tools.
• The nailer will nail through roofing shingles into wood.
• The nailer will be handheld.

Based on the assumptions, the team had identified the customer needs for a handheld
nailer. These included:

• The nailer inserts nails in rapid succession.

• The nailer is lightweight.
• The nailer has no noticeable nailing delay after tripping the tool.

The team gathered supplemental information to clarify and quantify the needs, such as
the approximate energy and speed of the nailing. These basic needs were subsequently
translated into target product specifications. The target specifications included the following:

• Nail lengths from 25 millimeters to 38 millimeters.

• Maximum nailing energy of 40 joules per nail.
• Nailing forces of up to 2,000 newtons.
• Peak nailing rate of one nail per second.
• Average nailing rate of 12 nails per minute.
• Tool mass less than 4 kilograms.
• Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 second.

Decompose a Complex Problem into Simpler Subproblems

Many design challenges are too complex to solve as a single problem and can be
usefully divided into several simpler subproblems.
For example, the design of a complex product like a document copier can be thought
of as a collection of more focused design problems, including, for example, the design of a
document handler, the design of a paper feeder, the design of a printing device, and the
design of an image capture device.
In some cases, however, the design problem cannot readily be divided into
subproblems.

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For example, the problem of designing a paper clip may be hard to divide into
subproblems. As a general rule, we feel that teams should attempt to decompose design
problems, but should be aware that such a decomposition may not be very useful for products
with extremely simple functions.

Dividing a problem into simpler subproblems is called problem decomposition.

There are many schemes by which a problem can be decomposed. Here we demonstrate a
functional decomposition and also list several other approaches that are frequently useful.

(b)

(a) overall “black box”; (b) refinement showing subfunctions.

Some useful techniques for getting started are:

• Create a function diagram of an existing product.

• Create a function diagram based on an arbitrary product concept already generated by the
team or based on a known subfunction technology. Be sure to generalize the diagram to the
appropriate level of abstraction.
• Follow one of the flows (e.g., material) and determine what operations are required.
The details of the other flows can be derived by thinking about their connections to
the initial flow.

Functional decomposition is only one of several possible ways to divide a problem

into simpler subproblems. Two other approaches are:

• Decomposition by sequence of user actions: For example, the nailer problem might be
broken down into three user actions: moving the tool to the gross nailing position, positioning
the tool precisely, and triggering the tool. This approach is often useful for products with very
simple technical functions involving a lot of user interaction.

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• Decomposition by key customer needs: For the nailer, this decomposition might include
the following subproblems: fires nails in rapid succession, is lightweight, and has a large nail
capacity. This approach is often useful for products in which form, and not working
principles or technology, is the primary problem. Examples of such products include
toothbrushes (assuming the basic brush concept is retained) and storage containers.

5. Explain the measurement technique involved in Concept selection. (13)

6. Explain the problem search internally and externally. (13)
7. Explain the feedback of constructive process with examples. (13)
8. Discriminate the classification tree and combination table. (13)
9. Discuss in detail about establishing target specification. (13)
10. Describe the product changes implemented and standardization in concept selection.
(13)
11. Propose a set of selection criteria for the choice of a battery
technology for use in a portable computer. (13)
12. List the some different ways you could communicate a concept for a new user
interface for an automotive audio system. (13)
13. Describe the management of exploration process. (13)
14. Explain the concept screening. (13)

Concept Screening
Concept screening is based on a method developed by the late Stuart Pugh in the 1980s
and is often called Pugh concept selection (Pugh, 1990). The purposes of this stage are
to narrow the number of concepts quickly and to improve the concepts. Exhibit 8-5 illustrates
the screening matrix used during this stage.
Step 1: Prepare the Selection Matrix
To prepare the matrix, the team selects a physical medium appropriate to the problem
at hand. Individuals and small groups with a short list of criteria may use matrices on
paper similar to Exhibit 8-5 or Appendix A for their selection process. For larger groups a
chalkboard or flip chart is desirable to facilitate group discussion.

In the above diagram, The concept-screening matrix. For the syringe example, the
team rated the concepts against the reference concept using a simple code (+ for “better
than,” 0 for “same as,” – for “worse than”) in order to identify some concepts for further
consideration. Note that the three concepts ranked “3” all received the same net score.

Step 2: Rate the Concepts

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A relative score of “better than” (+), “same as” (0), or “worse than” (–) is placed in
each cell of the matrix to represent how each concept rates in comparison to the reference
concept
relative to the particular criterion. It is generally advisable to rate every concept on
one criterion before moving to the next criterion. However, with a large number of concepts,
it is faster to use the opposite approach—to rate each concept completely before
moving on to the next concept.
Some people find the coarse nature of the relative ratings difficult to work with. However,
at this stage in the design process, each concept is only a general notion of the
ultimate product, and more detailed ratings are largely meaningless. In fact, given the
imprecision of the concept descriptions at this point, it is very difficult to consistently
compare concepts to one another unless one concept (the reference) is consistently used
as a basis for comparison.
When available, objective metrics can be used as the basis for rating a concept. For
example, a good approximation of assembly cost is the number of parts in a design. Similarly,
a good approximation of ease of use is the number of operations required to use the
device. Such metrics help to minimize the subjective nature of the rating process. Some
objective metrics suitable for concept selection may arise from the process of establishing
target specifications for the product.
Absent objective metrics, ratings are established by team consensus, although
secret ballot or other methods may also be useful. At this point the team may also
wish to note which selection criteria need further investigation and analysis.
Step 3: Rank the Concepts
After rating all the concepts, the team sums the number of “better than,” “same as,” and
“worse than” scores and enters the sum for each category in the lower rows of the matrix.
From our example in above table. concept A was rated to have two criteria better than,
five the same as, and none worse than the reference concept. Next, a net score can be
calculated
by subtracting the number of “worse than” ratings from the “better than” ratings.
Once the summation is completed, the team rank-orders the concepts. Obviously, in
general those concepts with more pluses and fewer minuses are ranked higher. Often at
this point the team can identify one or two criteria that really seem to differentiate the
concepts.

Step 4: Combine and Improve the Concepts

Having rated and ranked the concepts, the team should verify that the results make sense
and then consider if there are ways to combine and improve certain concepts. Two issues
to consider are:
• Is there a generally good concept that is degraded by one bad feature? Can a minor
modification improve the overall concept and yet preserve a distinction from the other
concepts?
• Are there two concepts that can be combined to preserve the “better than” qualities
while annulling the “worse than” qualities?
Combined and improved concepts are then added to the matrix, rated by the team,
and ranked along with the original concepts. In our example, the team noticed that concepts
D and F could be combined to remove several of the “worse than” ratings to yield
a new concept, DF, to be considered in the next round. Concept G was also considered
for revision. The team decided that this concept was too bulky, so the excess storage
space was removed while retaining the injection technique.
Step 5: Select One or More Concepts
Once the team members are satisfied with their understanding of each concept and its
relative quality, they decide which concepts are to be selected for further refinement and
analysis. Based upon previous steps, the team will likely develop a clear sense of which
are the most promising concepts. The number of concepts selected for further review will
be limited by team resources (personnel, money, and time).

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Step 6: Reflect on the Results and the Process

All of the team members should be comfortable with the outcome. If an individual is not
in agreement with the decision of the team, then perhaps one or more important criteria
are missing from the screening matrix, or perhaps a particular rating is in error, or at least
is not clear. An explicit consideration of whether the results make sense to everyone reduces
the likelihood of making a mistake and increases the likelihood that the entire team
will be solidly committed to the subsequent development activities.

Overview of Methodology
We present a two-stage concept selection methodology, although the first stage may suffice
for simple design decisions. The first stage is called concept screening and the second
stage is called concept scoring. Each is supported by a decision matrix that is used by
the team to rate, rank, and select the best concept(s). Although the method is structured,
we emphasize the role of group insight to improve and combine concepts.
Concept selection is often performed in two stages as a way to manage the complexity
of evaluating dozens of product concepts. The application of these two methods is illustrated
in Exhibit 8-4. Screening is a quick, approximate evaluation aimed at producing a
few viable alternatives. Scoring is a more careful analysis of these relatively few concepts
in order to choose the single concept most likely to lead to product success.
During concept screening, rough initial concepts are evaluated relative to a common
reference concept using the screening matrix. At this preliminary stage, detailed quantitative
comparisons are difficult to obtain and may be misleading, so a coarse comparative
rating system is used. After some alternatives are eliminated, the team may choose to
move on to concept scoring and conduct more detailed analyses and finer quantitative
evaluation of the remaining concepts using the scoring matrix as a guide. Throughout the
screening and scoring process, several iterations may be performed, with new alternatives
arising from the combination of the features of several concepts. Exhibits 8-5 and 8-7
illustrate
the screening and scoring matrices, using the selection criteria and concepts from
the syringe example.
Both stages, concept screening and concept scoring, follow a six-step process that
leads the team through the concept selection activity. The steps are:
1. Prepare the selection matrix.
2. Rate the concepts.
3. Rank the concepts.
4. Combine and improve the concepts.
5. Select one or more concepts.
6. Reflect on the results and the process.
Although we present a well-defined process, the team, not the method, creates the
concepts and makes the decisions that determine the quality of the product. Ideally, teams
are made up of people from different functional groups within the organization. Each
member brings unique views that increase the understanding of the problem and thus
facilitate
the development of a successful, customer-oriented product. The concept selection
method exploits the matrices as visual guides for consensus building among team members.
The matrices focus attention on the customer needs and other decision criteria and
on the product concepts for explicit evaluation, improvement, and selection.

PART–C 15 Marks
1.Compose the problem of designing a barbecue grill. Try a functional
decomposition as well as a decomposition based on the user
interactions with the product.
2. Prepare an external - search plan for the problem of permanently

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serial numbers to plastic products.
3. Recommend a set of selection criteria for the choice of a battery
technology for use in a portable computer.
4 Explain how should a company align the concept generation and
selection process when the product designing job is outsourced to a
design company?

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