Design Specifications Activity

Procedure
Consult with your customer(s) or intended customer(s) and complete the following in your
engineering notebook. Use the information you gather to craft your design specification.

1. Who is the target consumer?

Divide the following list of criteria among your team members. Each team member will
then identify specific requirements necessary for a successful solution related to each
assigned element. Be as specific as possible and include measurable values where
applicable. For example, use “Within one second the device must warn the vehicle
driver and disengage the cruise control when the car attains a distance of less than 50
ft directly between itself and another vehicle” rather than “The device must warn the
driver and slow the vehicle when the car is too close to an object.” Be sure to identify
the source(s) of the information on which you base each constraint. Add additional
criteria as needed.
 Customer Needs. What does the customer want/need?
o The customers need the final product to be accessible, durable, and affordable.
The product should be able to be used by anyone and work no matter who is
using it. According to a survey, customers' main reasons for throwing away
shoes are being too dirty or worn down for further usage (84.4%), growing out
of the shoe (46.8%), and being generally uncomfortable (39.6%).
 Performance. What must the product be able to do? Be specific.
o The product must reduce the amount of long-lasting shoe waste produced
yearly by the customer and their household in some way. According to a
survey, only 50% of respondents’ households throw their shoes away at the end
of their service life.
 Target Cost. What is the anticipated cost to the consumer for this product?
o The product should cost $50 or less. According to a survey, nearly 60% of
respondents would only be willing to pay this much to solve this issue.
 Size and Weight. What size should the product be, or what restrictions to size
exist? What are the weight restrictions on the product?
o Product should fit in a 1.5ft x 1.5ft x 2.0ft area at most and weigh 30 pounds or
less. These dimensions are slightly larger than a 20-gallon trash bin, which is
enough to fit a decently large stationary object. 30 pounds is around how much
an average human can carry without too much effort.
 Aesthetics. Are there preferences in the appearance features of the product
(color, surface treatment, shape, material)? If so, describe them.
o It should look like something that would fit in a normal living space or on the
streets.
 Materials. Is there a specific material or materials that must be used? If yes,
describe it.
o No requirements. Materials will depend on the product.
 Safety and Legal Issues. Identify potential safety and legal issues that may arise
from the use of this product.
o Safety issues may include being outright harmful to use consistently and may
be harmful to children. It's important that the product doesn't cause any pain to
the user or anyone nearby. Legal issues may include copyright infringement
depending on how the product looks and may be loud enough to cause
neighbors to send in noise complaints.
 Ergonomics. Identify considerations for the ergonomics of the product.
o Must be able to be carried and used by a singular human adult. Usage should
be comfortable and intuitive.
 Operating Environment. Identify the environmental conditions relevant to the
manufacture and use of the product (temperature, corrosion potential, dust or
dirt, pressure, humidity, vibration, noise, degree of abuse, etc.).
o Operating environments include all indoor areas and paved sidewalks. Product
will be used in all naturally achievable temperatures and humidities within the
US, alongside the standard temperatures and humidities within commonly used
buildings, such as houses, schools, office buildings, and stores.
 Global Environment. Will the product include any toxic or dangerous substances?
What is the plan for disposal of the product at the end of its useful life?
o Product must not include toxic or dangerous substances. It is expected that the
product will either be recycled or sent to a landfill at the end of its lifespan.
 Service Life. What is the required service life of the product?
o Service life must be 12 months at minimum or increase the service life of a
shoe by at least 6 months. In a survey, 54.2% of respondents claimed their
households go through five pairs of shoes or more per year, meaning that
shoes in their households have an average service life of less than 3 months.
 Product Life. What is the anticipated length of time that the product will be
produced before it is replaced by a newer version or alternate product?
o Product life is unknown. We’re not even sure if we’re going to make more of
these after the final product.
 Durability and Maintenance. Will the product require routine maintenance during
its service life? If yes, answer the following.
o Routine maintenance may be required.
o What specific parts of the product must have easy access for
maintenance?
 It depends on what product is made of and the design that is
being used. It will also be based on whatever parts of the design
would be the most likely to be damaged.
o What is the anticipated maintenance schedule?
 The product would only need maintenance when something is
worn down or damaged. The product would be built in a way that
would try to minimize the amount of work needed to maintain it.
o Are special tools required? How will they be acquired?
 The only tools required would be basic tools like screwdrivers and
stuff you could find in a normal hardware store. The tools required
for basic repairs would be supplied with the product.
o Will replacement parts be required? How will they be acquired?
 The replacement parts might be required based on the design.
They would be acquired by going to where the product could be
bought.
 Additional Criteria
 o There are not any additional criteria that can be thought of.

2. As a team prioritize your list of criteria from most important to least important.
I. Performance
II. Customer Needs
III. Target Cost
IV. Service Life
V. Ergonomics
VI. Operating Envionment
VII. Size & Weight
VIII. Durability & Maintenance
IX. Safety & Legal Issues
X. Aesthetics
XI. Materials
XII. Product Life
XIII. Global Environment
3. As a team list applicable constraints that the designer must work within. Be specific. In
other words, listing “time” as a constraint is not acceptable – you must state
specifically how much time is available for the design process.

 Materials must be found and worked on within the school.

 Final design must be completed and tested by May 10, 2024
 Final solution must be functional and solve or help solve the issue.