Tag: electrical design

The 7 Steps of Product Design

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Any serious business knows the importance of introducing new products to the market. In this world of business there is a lot of competition which means that in order to succeed in any business you really have to impress your potential customers. A product design is a major part of product branding which usually determines the superiority of your product in the market. You can never go wrong in investing a in a good product design as it is what’s sets your product a part from others in a competitive market.

One of the biggest challenges in launching a new product both in new as well as in already established businesses is the cost of marketing. A successful design will reduce this cost as it makes your product appealing and in the long run creating customer loyalty.

The process is usually broken down into seven main steps namely: problem assessment, research, idea analysis, prototyping, final design, testing and manufacturing.

Product Design
Product Design

Problem assessment

Many businesses thrive in commercialising solutions to problems in a certain community. Solutions may take the form of either improvement to physical products or services or inventing new products or services. Design process starts when an idea is generated in the mind. At this point it is advisable to write the idea on paper and what problem the idea seeks to solve.

Research

This step involves conducting research to find out if there are other similar ideas or products elsewhere. The focus here is to refine the idea and identify the target market. A good product design focuses on customer satisfaction and involves determining the price that the target customer will be willing to pay for the product, usability, safety as well as disposal. It is hence very important to know the specific customer needs and preferences. Some of the important information that this step seeks to find is; size of product, materials needed in the design and the products needs and requirements-whether there are other products that will be needed to use this particular product such as batteries.

Idea analysis 

Based on the findings on the previous stage-research, product sketches are produced through brain storming and other forms of discussions. This stage seeks to come up with as many designs sketches as possible and at the end of this step one or two sketches are selected and moved to the next stage-prototyping.

Prototyping

A design of the chosen sketches or sketches on the previous stage is created in 3D using the material and color that is expected to be used in the final product. The focus here is not the product functionality but the appearance and usability though basic functionality of product is implemented.

Final design

A final design is produces based on the features of the prototype and all the changes that may have been suggested are made. Complete functionality of the product is implemented at this stage. A few samples are produced a waiting testing.

Testing

This stage is very import in the design process and should never be overlooked. It is at this stage where the product is taken to a lab for testing by professionals. This will enable it to be certified by the governing body such as the bureau of standards. Testing also involves distributing samples for use by potential customers and getting their feedback.

Manufacturing

If the results of the testing stage are satisfactory the product is ready for mass production else part or the whole process of product design is repeated.

It is very important to remember that every stage of the design process should be documented and all the documents complied and kept as the information can be used in future either for other new product designs or for product improvement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How to achieve the best in product design

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Product Design
Product Design

As the technology advances, especially in the field of computer technology, there are more products being designed to be used in the field of computers. You may be willing to venture into product design to meet some needs in the field. That can be a good idea because there is wide market, provided you design a product that will meet some specific needs that are not well utilised in the market already. Different products that you may see in the market that are used in different levels of computer technology were once designed by individuals who had an idea just like the one you may have. For you to achieve the best in product design you need to take the following factors into consideration.

 

1.Budget on which to work on for you to achieve your design

For any design that you may think of to be successful you need to spend some amount in doing research about the given product and on buying materials to be used in the design. You will need to travel from one place to another while carrying out the design. This can be with an aim of obtaining the necessary information or to do more research. In product design you need to work with models where you will need to display to people the working of your project. These models will require you to spend some money. For you to avoid being strained in the project try and plan a budget on which to work on, to avoid cases where you will end up running short of money for other things that are important in life.

 

2. Doing research concerning the product

For you to achieve the best out of the product that you are about to design you need to do some research on the product with characteristics almost similar to what you are about to design. This is necessary for you to avoid cases where you will end up designing a product and you are faced with charges due to piracy. In doing research you need to identify similar products and try to make your product an improvement.

 

3. Working on a time schedule

It is highly advisable for you to decide on a time schedule for you to work on. This is necessary to avoid taking too much time to complete a project. Remember the products especially in the field of computer technology are changing drastically. You may design a product and if you delay, other products will be designed with more superior quality than yours. This will make yourself look inferior within the shortest time which will disadvantage you in getting enough market for your product. It is advisable to release a product within the shortest time possible and try to improve it with time. This will enable you maintain customers as they will like to have an improvement in the product that they already have.

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How Many Stages Does The Product Design Process Comprise Of?

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Product Design
Product Design

For anyone who is sitting in an office right now, they will discover that almost everything object surrounding them went through the process of product design. At some point, most of the nearby equipment, whether it is the mug that holds their coffee or the telephone they use to make calls or just about any other product, all started out as a concept. Before any company introduces a product, firs they flesh it out via research, then they draw up designs, then they test prototypes for functionality. Eventually, they launch their product onto the market through a campaign, regardless of how big or small it may be.

As complex and involved as the process known as product design may be, it comprises of the following four key stages:

Research

After conceiving an idea, the customer has to be identified by the team behind the product. This includes determine who may be want the product, who may be interested in using the product, and whether similar products already available in the market. Similar items and systems, along with their design, materials, manufacturing process, and targeted customer are analyzed through market research. Although market research is essential required before product designs are drawn, but additionally, it also helps inform and guide any efforts involving marketing, selling and launching a product.

Designing, Engineering, & Prototyping

Once market research provides a concept with a firmer foundation, then a design is developed by the engineers as a part of the second stage of product design. First, they use drawings and 3D computerized models to produce this design and eventually, they produce it physically as well. The physical design that is produced as a result is known as the prototype, which is precisely almost similar to the end product. Although they may not use identical materials, they make sure that the performance of the prototype is as close to that of the end product as possible. In the past, it would take a lot of time to create an initial model and prototype. However, process has become far more efficient and moves along a lot quicker because of 3D design software and printing, and plastic injection molding techniques.

Documentation

When it comes to product design, one of the eventual goals is to reproduce the end product in mass. In the previous decades, when manufacturers did not pay much attention to design for manufacturability, as a result, they could not reproduce a product or system that was developed by engineers. As a result, not only a lot of time, but a considerable amount of money was wasted. This is why documentation is an integral stage in the process and is an essential step towards manufacturing. This ensures that all the drawings and files needed to manufacture the item are compiled and organised.

Selling

In any product design effort, successfully making a product available in the market, on time, is the ultimate goal and the final stage of the process. However, there may be a variation in who is marketing the product. For instance, contract manufacturers adopt the product design model because are serve as a producer for an external client, while most of the funds and time are put into marketing and sales by the client. Similarly, the full process can be executed by a designer or manufacturer, from the beginning with a simple concept and conducting market research through marketing and selling the product.

It can be quite daunting to develop a product, but it can be far easier for those who know the basic steps and are aware of the key stages of product design.

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Product Design

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Product Design
Product Design

3D printing has the ability to change the way we look at product design, and the way it can be done. 3D printing is only really at it’s starting point, with so many possibilities and outcomes. We decided to take a look at the latest news surrounding the amazing technology, to see what is currently being produced. Check out the latest news round up here.

 

These 3D Printed Mobiles Will Blow Your Mind

These mobiles were made by using mathematical equations to create intricate shapes and detail, and were then printed, with some of them having hundreds of parts to them.

Read the full story here: 3D Printed Mobiles Will Blow Your Mind

 

The Next Frontier in 3D Printing Is Pizza

Feeling peckish? Well the next step in printing could possibly be food. NASA is currently investing into this technology, to hopefully change the way of food in space, as well as here on Earth.

Read the full story here: The next frontier in 3D Printing is Pizza.

 

3D printed guns are going to create big legal precedents

By now many of us will have heard of the creation of a gun using a 3D printer. This project design has caused some major controversy, over the safety of this technology, how easy is it going to be for people to create their own firearms?

Read the full story here: 3D printed guns are going to create big legal precedents.

One day it will be possible to 3D-print a human liver

Medical research is always improving thanks to technological advances. Scientists now believe that in the near future it may be possible to print human tissue. This could mean a break through in research as medical scientists will be able to test new drugs on these.

Read the full story here: One day it will be possible to 3D print a human liver

As you can see, there are many ways of incorporating product design, and many new ways of producing designs using advanced technology that we never thought would be possible.

 

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