1 Product Design

Product design
The essentials of product design
How do good ideas become marketable products? Dick Powell gives an

overview of the product design process, from commission, briefing and
market research through to product launch.
Product design is crucial to anyone involved in the manufacture and marketing of physical
products. A well-conceived product will sell more, increase market share, have wider reach,
improve margins and potentially carve out new business opportunities.
27 October 2006, Updated 06 April 2009
Introducing product design

Product design is an integral part of the wider process of developing new products of
every type. In most cases, this will be for volume production. The product design
process should ideally dovetail with every part of the wider development process, but
typically it is much more involved at the beginning of the process than at the end.
How the product design process works

The process of product design can have a wide remit. It typically involves a series of
different phases, each one of which helps to build certainty and understanding as the
focus of work narrows, thereby informing a wider decision process.
Briefing
A knowledge sharing activity, usually prescribed in a briefing document, describing what is
required. The brief can be complex and backed up by research or, equally commonly, not
really created until all influencing factors are better understood.
It is quite rare to find a really comprehensive brief. Invariably, clients work with the design
team to help put the brief together. Bringing designers in early adds greater breadth to
the client’s vision, unpacking what they could have, alongside what they think they should
have.
Nor is the ‘brief’ ever a single coherent document – typically it is a file containing a record
of all of the relevant factors and documents.
Briefing usually encompasses three main views:
1. Marketing
The marketing part of the brief will describe the anticipated product, its
functionality, positioning with respect to main competitors and brand imperatives
It may also have a 'wish list' of functions and features, as well as 'must haves'
It will also either refer to, or enclose recent consumer research findings
2. Technical
The technical part of the brief will invariably spell out the restrictions on
investment for new tooling, existing parts or components that need to be
reused, a preliminary product specification covering performance, cost and
intended manufacture, and standards that need to be respected
It will usually clarify or inform about key functional criteria that are likely to
influence a future design
3. Commercial
The commercial part of the brief will typically cover all aspects relating to sales
and distribution including
ROI (Return on Investment), and sales planning (targets and forecasts)
In addition it may cover key account needs and the commercial implications for
the new product in the context of other products in the manufacturer’s line up
Typical outputs would include documents and reports
Research into social, economic and technological context

Typically, where available, the client will supply copies of market research which the
manufacturer has carried out in order to establish market relevance. Sometimes, the
design company will recommend and carry out research to fill in gaps in understanding
and knowledge about the consumer, the context for the product’s use, or contemporary
consumer trends. The typical output of research is reports, and recommendations arising
from them.
Strategic enquiry and orientation

Increasingly, designers are asked to form, contribute to, or validate the overall strategy
for the product, to provide direction and context. Such work would typically happen
ahead of the briefing (which is usually contingent upon it) and often ahead of
commissioning new research. In the relentless search for innovation, such strategic work is
often paired with early idea generation to flesh out future possibilities. A typical output of
this stage would be reports and recommendations.
Idea generation and innovation

New ideas for products that offer key advantages for both consumer and manufacturer.
The typical output is sketches, sometimes POP (proof of principle) models, some CAD
layouts. The output will depend very much upon the nature of the task and its brief.
Frequently, the phase kicks off with highly structured idea generation sessions, often
involving key personnel from the client.
Concept design
Ideas judged by both client and designers to have potential are worked through in more
detail, taking into account all influencing factors, in order to arrive at early physical
manifestations in the form of sketches, renderings and foam models, alongside 2D or 3D
CAD work to describe architecture and technical intent.
Concept development
A tighter focus on a smaller selection of concepts to merge the myriad different factors
which might bear upon its fruition (ergonomic, technical, production, aesthetic and so on).
Typical output – as above, but with more refinement and greater emphasis on 3D CAD.
Design development
Preceding phases have typically narrowed the focus for work to a single design proposal,
although aspects of that may yet remain unproven. This phase is all about intent for
eventual production and is largely geared to definition of each and every aspect of the
product, so that both marketing and engineering can sign off the design intent. Typical
output – some 2D CAD, 3D surfaces, 3D solid modelling and finished model. The finished
model defines in every way what the final product will be like.
Further phases and liaison

What follows can include any number of things depending upon the client company’s
capability and resources. Many companies do not have development resources and rely
on their designers to carry through development to design of parts, specification,
prototyping, tooling and production. This work invariably requires significant 3D CAD work
and extensive prototyping and testing in preparation for production.
Alternatively, in a well-resourced company, the designer’s role will more likely be to
manage and steer the process, working closely with the technical team and responding
with modifications in response to required changes, either as a result of development or
from market research.
Next page
About the author
Dick Powell is a Director of product design consultancy Seymourpowell Ltd. He

has 18 years' experience designing award-winning products for the
manufacturing industry. With his partner Richard Seymour he has become one
of the Uk's best known designers and speakers on design
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Product design

The essentials of product design

How do good ideas become marketable products? Dick Powell gives an

27 October 2006, Updated 06 April 2009

Introducing product design

How the product design process works

Briefing usually encompasses three main views:

Research into social, economic and technological context

Strategic enquiry and orientation

Idea generation and innovation

Further phases and liaison

About the author

Dick Powell is a Director of product design consultancy Seymourpowell Ltd. He

Copyright © 2009 Design Council | Conditions of use | Privacy policy | Accessibility

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