Materials in Industrial Design:

Why do consumers buy products?

Mike Ashby
Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge

©2022 ANSYS, Inc.

Learning objectives for this lecture unit

Intended Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and
Understanding of Industrial Design attributes
Understanding

Skills and Abilities Ability to analyze product character

Values and Attitudes Reflection on product value, character and personality

Resources
 Text: “Materials and Design, the Art and Science of Materials Selection in Product Design”, 2nd edition, by Mike Ashby and Kara
Johnson, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford UK, 2010.
 Text: “Materials Selection in Mechanical Design”, 4th Edition by M.F. Ashby Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2011, Chapter 16.
 Poster: Industrial Design

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Outline of the lecture unit

 Why is Industrial Design important?

 What gives a product its character?

 Making charts for sensory properties

 Design: creating associations and perceptions

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Product value
A product has a cost C the true cost of manufacture, marketing etc.
price P the price at which it is offered to the consumer
value V what the consumer thinks it is worth

Product success requires that

C<P<V

Do they write 375 times

better ?
My Parker pens, Parker special
8 euros each edition 3000 euros

What determines cost ? Technical design, materials, processes, labour

price ? Cost plus margin
value ? Both technical and industrial design;
-- aesthetics, associations, perceptions

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Why does Industrial Design (ID) matter ?

Product maturity and market saturation

• In a crowded market ID allows differentiation
and consumer-group targeting

Corporate identity
• ID creates corporate image
• ID creates brand loyalty

The environment, in the broadest sense

• ID contributes to quality of life

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Product design

Three facets
 Aesthetics
Industrial Satis- Unfamiliar
Associations
territory
design faction  Perceptions
Product must be
Product life-enhancing
design
Usability
Product must be easy
understand and use Familiar engineering
Technical
concepts
design
Functionality
Product must work, be safe, economical

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What gives a product its character?

Who, what
Context
where, when
why

Product
design

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Establishing the context

Men / Women
Who? Children / Elderly
Sportsmen / Disabled ...

What ? Functionality?

Home / Office
Context Where ?
Europe / Africa...
These set the MOOD

When ? Day / Night

Occasionally / All the time...

Why? To fill a basic need

To meet an aspiration ...

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What gives a product its character?
Product
“character” Who, what
Context
where, when
why
Metals, Aesthetics
ceramics Associations
Materials Personality
polymers,
Perceptions
composites Product
design

Shaping
joining Biometrics
Processes Usability
surface Bio-mechanics
treatment

Product “physiology” Product “psychology”

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Technical and industrial design

Satis-
faction

Usability

Product must work,

Functionality be safe and economical

 Sound technical design

 Proper choice of materials Plenty of tools to do this
 Proper choice of manufacturing process

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Usability (“ergonomics”)

Satis-
faction
Product must be easy
Usability to understand and use

Functionality

Three aspects
 Interaction with the human body - biometrics
 Interaction with the mind - intelligibility Current topics
 Interaction with the human environment

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Usability (“ergonomics”)
Scale, movement,
Bio-metric posture, work height
Physical
matching Force (<230 N, lifting),
Bio-mechanical Energy (<230 watts)
Attention span
Text,
Operation
Information Symbols
Usability transfer
Embossed keys, knobs
Feedback
Audible signals
Visual signals
Noise
Vibration 30DB < noise level < 80DB
Environmental Acceleration < 0.2 m/s2
Illumination Light 200 - 3000 lumens
disturbance
Climate Temp, humidity within limits
Toxicity No toxicity

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Examples of bio-mechanical matching

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Product personality
Colour, transparency
Form
Aesthetics
The reaction of the 5 senses Feel, texture
Taste, smell
Sound

Wealth (Rolls Royce)

Military hardware (Land Rover)
Product
Associations Aerospace (many US cars)
personality What does it remind you of ? Plants/animals (VW Beetle)
Children’s toys (Smart)
Playful -- Silly
Responsible -- Irresponsible
Feminine – Masculine
Perceptions Rugged -- Threatening
How does it make you feel ?
And - if you owned it ...
Proud -- Disappointed
Life-enhancing -- Life diminishing
Really cool – Absolute rubbish

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Material personalities
NO intrinsic personality?
- materials acquire one through the way they are used?
Wood in fine furniture – craftsmanship
in railway sleepers – cheap utility

Gold in jewelry – luxury, wealth

in micro-circuits – technical efficiency

Glass in a camera lens – precision engineering

in beer bottle – disposable packaging

Made of polished
walnut ?

Or made of
polystyrene foam
– recycled yoghurt
pots ?

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Material moods
Wood, Aesthetics: tactile, warm, textured, it ages well
leather Associations of fine furniture, musical instruments
Perceptions of craftsmanship, tradition, heritage, quality

Metals Aesthetics: cold, clean, hard, stiff, strong, often ages well
Associations of machinery, precision instruments, weapons
Perceptions of strength, precision, durability, quality

Ceramics Aesthetics: hard, abrasion resistant, permanence of color, fragility

Associations of culture, luxury, sophistication
and glass Perceptions of refinement, quality

Polymers “Cheap plastic imitation”

Aesthetics: colorful, warm, soft, smooth, flexible, do not age gracefully
Associations of mass production, substitutes for metals, glass, wood
Perceptions: deceptive, cheap, imitation ….but adaptable.

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Five products: redesign them for a new market
The KOODI CODE, U. of Arts and Design, Helsinki

Hairdryer Iron Shaver

Toaster Mixer

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Redesign 1: Cuddlesome

TURBO-PUFF dryer HISS iron LOLLIPOP shaver

PIGGY toaster JELLIMIX mixer

The KOODI CODE, U. of Arts and Design, Helsinki

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Redesign 2: Ruggedized

STEALTH shaver
M/95 heavy duty hairdryer
BOLT ACTION iron

JUNKERS FRONT LINE toaster KALASHNIKOV mixer

The KOODI CODE, U. of Arts and Design, Helsinki

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Creating associations and perceptions
Context Context
The office Children
Continuous Bedroom
use….. Intermittent
use ….

Materials
Pressed Materials
steel injection
Powder molded
coated acrylic

Desk lamp. Lamp, same spec.

Aesthetics: colour cream, angular metallic Aesthetics: Pastel colours, smooth
shape, smooth texture, heavy. curves, translucent, light
Associations: Colour and form like that of Associations: Form derived from
computer consoles and keyboards. nature, cartoons, comic strips.
Perceptions: Subdued, modern, efficient; Perceptions: Funny, playful, cheerful, clever.
rugged, fit for purpose
but also: dull, impersonal, suggesting but also: eccentric, frivolous, a bit silly
the work-place

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Materials create associations and perceptions
Bang & Olufsen Roberts
Context Context
Contemporary Older
drawing-room, people,
Board room bedrooms

Materials: Materials:
Brushed Wood,
aluminum, leather,
Black enamel suede

Aesthetics: use of primitives; brushed metal, Aesthetics: soft shape and material, muted
black/matt finishes colour.
Associations: Organ pipes, the Arts, Music Associations: Handcrafted furniture and
and Culture fittings, unashamedly retro.
Perceptions: High tech, advanced, Perceptions: Old style craftsmanship, durable
sophisticated. Symbol of discerning taste.
reassuring, non-technical design
“Only the best is good enough”.
but also: Design with a capital D; overstated but also: mumsy – like a hand-bag

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Case study: cheap compressor

What aesthetics?
What associations?
What perceptions?
What is the designer saying?

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Robust “industrial strength” mood

 Angular, straight-edged forms

 Repeated horizontal

 Upward-converging diagonals

 Subdued color

 Use of texture to create contrasts

 Minimal decoration

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 The low-cost air compressor

 Angular, straight-edged forms

 Repeated horizontal
 Upward-converging diagonals
 Subdued color
 Use of texture to create contrasts
 Minimal decoration

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Summary

(1) See product as a whole

Satis-
(2) Think of it in more than one way faction
 What does the product do?
Usability
 Who will use it? Where? When? Why?
 What are their aspirations, self-image…?
Functionality

(3) The element of satisfaction is central to

contemporary product design

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Summary

Train yourself - look at products and ask:

 What aesthetics? Why?

 What associations? How did the designer do it? Why?

 What perceptions? What made you feel that way?

How (intentionally or unintentionally) did the designer do it?

 And finally: what was the designer trying to say?

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Lecture unit series
These PowerPoint lecture units, as well as many other types of resources,
can be found in the Ansys Education Resources webpage.
Finding and Displaying Information Sustainability
Unit 1 The materials of engineering What is a sustainable development? A materials perspective
Unit 2 Material property charts: mapping materials Materials for low carbon power
Unit 3 The Elements database: properties, relationships and resources Special Topics
Material Properties Architecture and the built environment: materials for construction
Unit 4 Manipulating properties: composition, microstructure, Structural sections: shape in action
architecture
Materials in industrial design: Why do consumers buy products?
Unit 5 Designing new materials: filling the materials-property space
The Design database for Products
Unit 6 Materials Science and Engineering
The Battery Designer tool
Selection
Advanced Teaching and Research
Unit 7 Material selection: translation, screening, ranking, documentation
Advanced databases
Unit 8 Objectives in conflict: trade off methods and penalty functions
The Aerospace database
Unit 9 Material and shape: materials for efficient structures
The Polymer database
Unit 10 Manufacturing processes and cost modeling
The Synthesizer tool: hybrids and other models
Unit 11 Eco-informed material selection
Bioengineering and Medical Devices
Unit 12 Eco design and the Eco Audit tool

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© 2022 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2018 Mike Ashby

Use and Reproduction

The content used in this resource may only be used or reproduced for teaching purposes; and any commercial use is strictly prohibited.

Document Information
This lecture unit is part of a set of teaching resources to help introduce students to materials, processes and rational selections.

Ansys Education Resources

To access more undergraduate education resources, including lecture presentations with notes, exercises with worked solutions, microprojects, real
life examples and more, visit www.ansys.com/education-resources.

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