Forming Product Design Specifications

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin N. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Design Teams ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Performance Targets ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Functional Specification ◽  
Performance Specifications ◽  
Optimal Function ◽  
Representative Function

Abstract Design teams commonly form quantitative functional specification lists that define performance targets for a product. Meeting these specifications ensures that the customer needs are satisfied. A central difficulty is to identify the relevant metrics to use as specifications. A working methodology is presented here to establish relevant, quantitative, measurable performance specifications. To start, customer needs, their importances, and the customer use patterns are gathered for the product. Voice-of-the-customer methods are augmented to distinguish no-compromise constraints that must be met. Next, a design is analyzed to establish a representative function structure, applying Pahl and Beitz’s systematic design approach. An optimal function structure can now be defined by a condition of simultaneous maximum simplicity and comprehensive coverage of the gathered customer needs. The function structure can then be used as a list over which specifications are to be made, with at least one specification per sub-function. Having a rational function structure allows a team to more easily determine variables on which to make specifications. A team can then use the House of Quality to document and form consensus over these specifications in the typical way.

Identifying Product Portfolio Architecture Modularity Using Function and Variety Heuristics

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Zamirowski ◽  
Kevin N. Otto
Keyword(s):  
Product Variety ◽  
Product Portfolio ◽  
Functional Constraints ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Product Use ◽  
Individual Product ◽  
Product Function ◽  
Target Values ◽  
Function Structures

Abstract This paper proposes a method for identifying product portfolio architecture alternatives based upon customer needs and product function. Customer needs and uses are interpreted according to the variation in performance target values across the market and within the set of individual customer uses. Product uses are represented by function structures consisting of the functions necessary for achieving the use. These individual product use function structures are combined into a monolithic function structure to represent the entire product portfolio. This monolith is then partitioned according to function and product variety heuristics into function clusters that anticipate product modules. This candidate modularity can then be used to deliver product variety across the product portfolio given functional constraints. A portfolio of xerographic products is used as the working example.

Use of Functional Variants in Product Development

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Hundal
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Industrial Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Function Structure ◽  
Functional Description ◽  
Functional Variants ◽  
Abstract Level ◽  
Function Integration

Abstract The systematic design method calls for the preparation of a requirements list for the design problem, followed by development of a function structure. The functional description of a product is a description at an abstract level, in solution-neutral terms. At the functional stage different design possibilities can be explored by developing functional variants. Two major avenues for this are (a) subdividing functions (divergence), and (b) combining and eliminating functions (convergence). The latter can lead to simpler and cheaper designs through function integration and reduction, respectively. It is discussed with the help of industrial design examples.

Toward Customer Needs Cultural Risk Indicator Insights for Product Development

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas L. Van Bossuyt ◽  
Jered Dean
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Risk Indicator ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
The World

As the availability and affordability of consumer products continues to increase around the world, consumers — especially those in developing countries and living on less than $10/day — will express more discerning in their tastes and preferences. Design teams have already been operating in design for the developing world contexts for many years and more are moving into the arena on a regular basis. Many designers do not have cultural knowledge of the customers cultures they are designing for. Cultural ignorance can lead to misinterpretation of customer needs that can lead to products that do not satisfy customer needs and results in disappointed customers, low sales figures, and a frustrated design team. The Customer Needs Cultural Risk Indicator (CNCRI) method introduced in this paper provides a method for design teams to rapidly analyze customer needs for “Risk Indicators” in customer needs based upon cultural differences between the customers and the design team. By understanding early on in the design process where a lack of cultural knowledge may be a risk to the design, the design team can make informed decisions on how to satisfy customer needs effectively.

A Function Based Approach for Product Integration

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishwa Kalyanasundaram ◽  
Kemper Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Function Structure ◽  
Product Integration ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Product Function ◽  
Power Drill ◽  
Single State ◽  
Function Sharing ◽  
Multifunctional Products ◽  
Reconfigurable Product

Reconfigurable and multifunctional products are breeds of products that cater to the increased diversification of customer needs. Unlike single-state static products which can perform only one primary function, these products cater to different customer needs by performing more than one function with or without changing their configuration. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to support the conceptual task of combining two existing single-state products into an integrated product that provides multiple functions. In this work, a function based approach is proposed which provides more rigorous support to assess the feasibility of integrating two products. The function structures of the existing products are combined to obtain the overall function structure of the reconfigurable product. Function sharing, based on quantified functional similarity, is proposed and applied to identify functions that can be shared by the same component. The information obtained from the function structure is then mapped to the components of two existing products to analyze their roles in the final reconfigurable product architecture. A case study illustrates the proposed approach by analyzing the integration of a power drill and a dust buster.

A Function Based Approach for Product Integration

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishwa Kalyanasundaram ◽  
Kemper Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Function Structure ◽  
Product Integration ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Product Function ◽  
Power Drill ◽  
Single State ◽  
Function Sharing ◽  
Multifunctional Products ◽  
Reconfigurable Product

Reconfigurable and multifunctional products are breeds of products that cater to the increased diversification of customer needs. Unlike single-state static products which can perform only one primary function, these products cater to different customer needs by performing more than one function with or without changing their configuration. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to support the conceptual task of combining two existing single-state products into an integrated product that provides multiple functions. In this paper, a function based approach is proposed which provides more rigorous support to assess the feasibility of integrating two products. The function structures of the existing products are combined to obtain the overall function structure of the reconfigurable product. Function sharing, based on quantified functional similarity, is proposed and applied to identify functions that can be shared by the same component. The information obtained from the function structure is then mapped to the components of two existing products to analyze their roles in the final reconfigurable product architecture. A case study illustrates the proposed approach by analyzing the integration of a power drill and a dust buster.

Integrating expertise and parametric analysis for a data-driven decision-making practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-440
Author(s):  
Marcelo Bernal ◽  
Victor Okhoya ◽  
Tyrone Marshall ◽  
Cheney Chen ◽  
John Haymaker
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Parametric Analysis ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Building Envelopes ◽  
Parametric Data ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Significant Performance ◽  
Design Expertise

This study explores the integration of expert design intuition and parametric data analysis. While traditional professional design expertise helps to rapidly frame relevant aspects of the design problem and produce viable solutions, it has limitations in addressing multi-criteria design problems with conflicting objectives. On the other hand, parametric analysis, in combination with data analysis methods, helps to construct and analyze large design spaces of potential design solutions and tradeoffs, within a given frame. We explore a process whereby expert design teams propose a design using their current intuitive and analytical methods. That design is then further optimized using parametric analysis. This study specifically explores the specification of geometric and material properties of building envelopes for two typically conflicting objectives: daylight quality and energy consumption. We compare performance of the design after initial professional design exploration, and after parametric analysis, showing consistently significant performance improvement after the second process. The study explores synergies between intuitive and systematic design approaches, demonstrating how alignment can help expert teams efficiently and significantly improve project performance.

A strategy for multiprofessional design of buildings

1984 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Manning
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Process Design ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Mechanical Systems ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Design Decisions

The conventional way by which buildings are designed is for the specialist members of design teams (structural, mechanical, electrical, and other engineers, acousticians, and others) to develop in detail the comprehensive concepts of generalists. Thus, architects first develop overall scheme designs, after which consultant engineers and others develop specific subdesigns for the structures, mechanical systems, lighting, and so on that will make that particular overall scheme work. There are some important objections to this kind of process, not the least the handicap that is thus placed upon the input of the engineering and other consultants. A "three-axis design strategy" by which, from the earliest stages of a design problem, solutions are built up from the best common compatible options of all the contributing consultants is described. Key words: building design, systematic design methods, design strategy, multiprofessional, integration, design process, design decisions.

scholarly journals SHEDDING LIGHT ON CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS, FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS LISTS – HOW ENGINEERS LEARN THE CORRECT DOCUMENTATION OF REQUIREMENTS

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilyas Mattmann ◽  
Sebastian Gramlich ◽  
Hermann Kloberdanz
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Customer Requirement ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Customer Needs ◽  
Functional Specification ◽  
Requirement Specifications ◽  
Technical Products

Engineering students face a confusion of requirements and product properties during task clarifi-cation in product development projects. As requirements are mainly documented in the form of desired product properties, customer needs and expectations may not be sufficiently considered during the development of new and innovative products.This paper presents the results of a systematic litera-ture analysis of existing requirement documentation forms and analyses the documentation process as it is taught to engineering students. Requirements are often documented through a tripartite process of translating customer ex-pectations from the customer requirement specification to the functional specification, while the requirements list provides the base for the product development process. The contents of these documents appear theoretically different, however, they are barely distinguishable from each other in practice.Therefore, the paper provides a new model-based un-derstanding for the documentation of requirements through gradual concretisation of requirements during the product development process, leading gradually from customer needs and expectations to requirements. Engi-neering students must be able to gradually concretise requirements then document desired product properties to avoid early fixation on specific product properties. Un-dergraduate and graduate engineering students should be taught to consider requirements according to the pro-posed approach as it enables prospective engineers al-ready in the early phases of their engineering education to design highly complex technical products. Thus, the model provides a valuable base for formally supported requirements documentation and the systematic determi-nation of product properties

XRF and PIXE Analysis of light and Dark Adapted Ocular Tissue

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 190-191
Author(s):  
B. J. Panessa ◽  
H. W. Kraner ◽  
J. B. Warren ◽  
K. W. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Nerve Impulse ◽  
Light Response ◽  
Ocular Tissue ◽  
Emission Spectrometry ◽  
Retinol Dehydrogenase ◽  
Pixe Analysis ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Optimal Function

During photoexcitation the retina requires specific electrolytes and trace metals for optimal function (Na, Mg, Cl, K, Ca, S, P, Cu and Zn). According to Hagins (1981), photoexcitation and generation of a nerve impulse involves the movement of Ca from the rhodopsin-ladened membranes of the rod outer segment (ROS) to the plasmalemma, which in turn decreases the in-flow of Na into the photoreceptor, resulting in hyperpolarization. In toad isolated retinas, the presence of Ba has been found to increase the amplitude and prolong the delay of the light response (Brown and Flaming, 1978). Trace metals such as Cu, Zn and Se are essential for the activity of the metalloenzymes of the retina and retina pigment epithelium (RPE) (i.e. carbonic anhydrase, retinol dehydrogenase, tyrosinase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase...). Therefore the content and fluctuations of these elements in the retina and choroid are of fundamental importance for the maintenance of vision. This paper presents elemental data from light and dark adapted frog ocular tissues examined by electron beam induced x-ray microanalysis, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and proton induced x-ray emission spectrometry (PIXE).

Update: Behavioral Management of Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis and Paresis

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 474-482
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Traumatic Injury ◽  
Voice Therapy ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Behavioral Management ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Vocal Quality ◽  
And Function ◽  
Voice Use

PurposeVocal fold motion impairment (VFMI) can be the result of iatrogenic or traumatic injury or may be idiopathic in nature. It can result in glottic incompetence leading to changes in vocal quality and ease. Associated voice complaints may include breathiness, roughness, diplophonia, reduced vocal intensity, feeling out of breath with talking, and vocal fatigue with voice use. A comprehensive interprofessional voice evaluation includes auditory-perceptual voice evaluation, laryngeal examination including videostroboscopy, acoustic and aerodynamic voice measures. These components provide valuable insight into laryngeal structure and function and individual voice use patterns and, in conjunction with stimulability testing, help identify candidacy for voice therapy and choice of therapeutic techniques.ConclusionA comprehensive, interprofessional evaluation of patients with VFMI is necessary to assess the role of voice therapy and develop a treatment plan. Although there is no efficacy data to support specific voice therapy techniques for treating VFMI, considerations for various techniques are provided.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document