MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development

Concept generation method

Concept generation, which is when a product development team comes up with the ideas, is
the most critical step in the engineering design process – without it, there is no design. A
concept can be defined as both an “approximate description of the technology, working
principles, and form of the product” as well as a “concise description of how the product will
satisfy customer needs”.
Concept generation is a procedure that begins with a set of customer needs and target
specifications and results in an array of product concept design alternatives from which a final
design will be selected.
This step requires a more abstract style of thinking than perhaps most engineers are used to.
As Einstein and Infeld (1938) wrote in The Evolution of Physics, the “formulation of a problem
is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or
experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a
new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”
While many have proposed their own specific theories, approaches, and metrics regarding
concept development and, in particular, generation, there are a few general guidelines and
postulates that are echoed in each specific method.
The common theme: patience and open-mindedness are vital to successful concept generation.
The invention of the light bulb highlights the importance of the concept generation process.
Famous inventor Thomas Edison once said, “None of my inventions came by accident. I see a
worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is 1
percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration”.
Edison understood that trying a large quantity of ideas was extremely important, because
failure is inevitable.
Before finding a stable material for the first successful light bulb, his lab tried and failed with
thousands of different filaments.
Obviously, the concept that was settled on stuck, because well over 100 years later,
commercially available light bulbs are omnipresent.
There are two components in the concept generation stage: ideation, and then concept
screening. Each component comes with its own set of rules and guidelines. Yet we can combine
and break down the whole stage into a generic five step process.
Step 1: Clarify and Deconstruct the Problem
Before coming up with any possible solutions, familiarization with some background
information may be necessary.

Product Design and Development Sem-VIII Compiled by S.D. Bagg

 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development
Perhaps the most important in a situation where people are looking to develop a solution to
needs, the needs specification and problem deconstruction forms the foundation of this
background information.
One can look at a product in development as a system.
Many transactions occur relating to this system – what are the inputs being given from the user
to the product, and what are the outputs being received?
This analysis is important to understand the dependencies and the risks involved with the
product, and help determine what needs to happen in between.
The “in-between stuff” are the sub-problems.
Systems engineering is a means to enable the realization of successful systems.
It focuses on defining customer requirements and necessary functionality before proceeding
with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem.
Once the problem has been defined and effectively broken down, initial efforts should be
focused on critical sub-problems.

Product Design and Development Sem-VIII Compiled by S.D. Bagg

 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development

Step 2: Search for Solutions

Searching for Solutions Externally
An external search is an information-gathering process.
It should be performed to find existing concepts relating to both the overall problem and to
the sub-problems identified during the problem clarification step.
Implementing an existing solution can be easier, cheaper, and much faster than developing a
new solution.
Another option is to optimize a pre-existing solution, or to apply it as-is to one sub-problem
and pair it with an original concept for another sub-problem, combined to yield a novel and
improved overall design.
Step 3: Searching for Solutions Internally
Searching internally for solutions, also known as brainstorming, is an enormous part of
successful concept generation.
One important thing to keep in mind during this step is to be patient.
Engineers love jumping to conclusions, but it’s important to be open to the unknown.
Successful concept generation requires a new mindset that perfectionism “is the enemy”.
As a result of contemporary education’s emphasis on immediate solutions and fact-finding,
today’s engineers tend to neglect the consideration of different ideas.

Product Design and Development Sem-VIII Compiled by S.D. Bagg

 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development
Zenios et al. (2010) said that “most of us like to solve problems and move on. Idea finding
may seem childlike (and it should be) but at its heart is the exploration of possibilities, free
from as many constraints as possible”. These opinions are not new. Osborn (1953), the
alleged founder of brainstorming, claimed the following four tenets of brainstorming:
• The judgment of ideas is not allowed
• Outlandish ideas are encouraged
• A large quantity of ideas is preferred
• Members should build on one another’s ideas
IDEO, a contemporary global design consultancy, incorporated Osborn’s themes into a
proposed set of rules to traditional group brainstorming (IDEO, 2011):
• Defer judgment
• Encourage wild ideas
• Build on the ideas of others
• Stay focused on the topic – minimize noise and don’t lose track of the focus for that
session
• One conversation at a time
• Be visual – use props, have a scribe, and utilize doodles, diagrams, and buzz words in
a logical way that illustrates your ideas
• Go for quantity
Brainstorming describes a set of methods for creative problem solving, implemented in group
settings as well as by individuals.
The term was popularized by Osborn in his 1953 book, Applied Imagination, which launched
the study of creativity in business development. The principles Osborn proposed over half a
century ago hold just as true today: it is critical that participants – in any variation of a
brainstorming session – set aside any preconceived notions or preemptively formed solutions
and “temporarily suspend their instinct to criticize new ideas”.
They must “open their minds to a creative flow” of new possibilities as well as look for
original, even unusual, connections among the generated ideas.
Critical filtering, while necessary and important at many points throughout product
development including later in the concept development process, can be counterproductive to
a team’s results when first considering solutions.
It can be quite difficult for people in science fields, who are so accustomed to producing
quick, correct solutions, to restrain from making snap judgments on new ideas.
This is one of the many reasons why forming a multidisciplinary team and seeking unique,
interdisciplinary perspectives for a group brainstorming session is extremely important.

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 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development
Concept generation is enormously enabled by including a group of participants with diverse
backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives.
Establishing a multidisciplinary perspective is particularly paramount in developing medical
devices, as opportunities for adapting technologies and approaches from one area to another
arise so frequently in the medical technology sector: between physicians and engineers,
between different medical specialties, and even between medical and non-medical
technologies.
Group sessions are critical for building team consensus, communicating information, and
refining concepts.
Group sessions can also be useful by allowing any participant to build on the ideas of others.
One person’s idea can stimulate the creativity of other participants to come up with the next
level – a solution enhancement, a novel connection, or just some totally random idea that they
would not have thought of otherwise.
Step 4: Systematically Explore the Solutions
Brainstorming may result in tens or hundreds of ideas that need to be screened, sorted, and
then evaluated before any single idea can be chosen.
Being selective about which concepts to pursue form the pile generated during the ideation
phase is of the utmost importance.
Concept screening involves organizing and analyzing all of the ideas.
It is critical to understand how to cluster and organize the output of a brainstorming session
so it can be presented and analyzed in a meaningful way.
Grouping ideas can reveal potential gaps or biases in the proposed solutions, as well as
opportunities to combine ideas into unique, synergistic ones that ultimately yield more
optimal, cohesive, and complete solutions that better address the need than any individual
concept.
It is also crucial to learn how to objectively compare all of the possibilities against the
defined need specification to determine which course to pursue based on how well each
option satisfies the need.
Effectively organizing data before beginning concept screening primarily boils down to two
activities: clustering and concept mapping.
The first step to clustering is to identify the primary organizing principle on which the
clustering pattern is based.
This can be quite challenging, as there are always multiple factors that have significance and
benefits in different ways.

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 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development

Another approach is to create an organize hierarchy, dividing big clusters into subgroups of
smaller clusters based onto additional organizing principles, and so on, incorporating into
deeper and deeper levels.
After one or more organizing principles have been applied to clusters, the clusters can be
documented in a concept map, also known as a mind map.
A concept map illustrates how ideas relate to one another and to the main problem or need.
These maps help the innovator recognize patterns and build connections.
When developing a concept map, the need is placed at the center, with the clusters of ideas
spanning in different directions.
To be effective, an innovator must strive to ensure that all of the clusters have an obvious
relationship to the need.
Screening is intended to filter the vast universe of ideas to the ones that best address the need.
This requires rigorous comparison and analysis to the original need statement and the
explicitly defined need criteria laid out in the customer specifications to see which concepts
satisfy the requirements and which do not.
It is essential to not lose focus of these original specifications.
Any modification or compromising of the specifications may undermine the integrity of the
screening process and lead to poor choices.

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 MODULE 2 Sem: VIII SUB: Product Design and Development
Concept maps will lead to a greater understanding of the different parameters along which
each solution is aligned. While not completely fail-safe, this method is a good attempt at
objectively assessing the current state of the concepts.
Remember that some solutions may meet the need criteria but still need to be eliminated from
consideration because they are too impractical or infeasible given the circumstances, such as
technology constraints, potential customer or user concerns, etc.
Although relatively rare, if screening yields too many solid potential concepts rather than
approaches that meet the need criteria, then the need criteria may be too broad, requiring the
innovator to revisit the need specification to generate more specific criteria.
Some additional tools that can be used are the concept classification tree, used to reorganize
lists or mind maps by function, and the concept combination table, which provides a method
for combining solution fragments systematically – each column in the table represents a sub-
problem and each row a conceptual solution.
Step 5: Reflect and Refine the Solution
It is important to realize that the ideation and brainstorming steps of the process are not over
once they are completed the first time – the concept generation process is cyclical.
As new information and new circumstances continue to crop up at all stages of the process,
the team may be required to go back into brainstorming mode, for example when refining the
direction or approach on an already accepted solution.
This process is a feedback loop.
Good prototypes tend to provide powerful stimuli for new ideas. The relationship between
prototyping and brainstorming is an iterative one.

Product Design and Development Sem-VIII Compiled by S.D. Bagg