Industrial design and product design are often thought of as creative professions that are exclusively motivated by a free and open spirit, focused on developing a revolutionary new product. Although there is some truth in this ideal, there is another essential aspect to design that is often ignored: design analysis. The reason design analysis is ignored is because it isn’t exciting or emotionally charged. Really good design analysis requires patience, logic, objectivity, extensive technical knowledge, keen observational skills, and methodical procedures. Great designs are never developed from start to finish without numerous revisions and checkpoints throughout the process. The need
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Archives for Ergonomics
The Top Five Essentials for a Successful Product
What are the five topmost important considerations for a successful product? This brief editorial will answer this question with the list of equally-weighted factors provided below: Number 1 – Satisfying Market Needs with Product Solutions All products fulfill market needs at some level of importance. A highly successful product provides potential customers with major benefits that increase their value and demand. The challenge for entrepreneurs as well as established companies is identifying market opportunities. Once those opportunities have been defined, designers and engineers are called upon to develop a product that will satisfy the needs of the market. Product success
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The Unrelenting Expectation of Excellence in Design
Not long ago, many of us experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Those times were tough for business, and a quick turnaround was nowhere on the horizon. So, what does a business do when the US economy is in a slump? Maybe you can stop working and live off the government, or you can seek new business opportunities through innovation. Innovation, hopefully, leads to new products, new markets and increased sales. What’s more, innovation can fuel positive change in the best of times. Innovation starts with an idea that is developed into a successful
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How Industrial Design Improves Your Product in the Marketplace
Industrial designers provide a unique perspective to a product’s embodiment, bridging the gap between engineering and marketing. Although the industrial design profession has existed for more than 80 years, it remains largely unknown by many people. Worse, it is underutilized by industry. Industrial designers provide the conduit between marketing and engineering by interpreting concepts into visual embodiments of the new product. Unlike engineers who focus on function, performance, reliability and manufacturability, industrial designers focus their attention on the application and the user. All products are designed to serve a purpose ultimately benefiting mankind. They should, therefore, be designed with a
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Good Design Makes All The Difference in the World
When I attended an international business and industry conference a while back, I was pleasantly surprised to see and hear a great deal of interest in excellence in product design. I spoke with many CEOs of major rotational molders in the US and around the globe who were either hiring designers directly or seeking qualified consultants. Many of the presentations, including the event’s keynote address, emphasized the importance of good design. It always plays an essential role in the development of the rotational molding industry. I have been writing about the importance of product design excellence for many years and
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Industrial Design Versus Engineering Design
It’s fairly universal: You think and therefore you can design. And, believe it or not, everyone has designed something in his or her life. Beginning at an early age…when you created your first crayon drawing or clay blob. But, designing products is far more complicated and challenging than creating clay blobs as a child. The millions of products on the market are the result of designers, who specialize in specific disciplines, effectively performing their jobs. The two major disciplines within the product design profession are industrial designers and design engineers. Each specialist makes an invaluable contribution to the successful design
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Define the Specifications: The Critical First Step in Any Product Design Project
Before anything else, every design project or product must comply with a set of functional requirements. It is a defined plan. Otherwise, it isn’t a product at all. Perhaps it’s simply a useless object or trash. Or maybe it is artwork. The first, and most critical step, in any product design project is to define the specifications in detail. This establishes the common foundation upon which all subsequent decisions will be made as the project evolves. A well-written set of product specifications not only outlines the definition of the product but also provide a framework for setting priorities and performance
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How to Optimize Design Collaboration for Success
Design is an activity unique to the human species. It’s a creative process requiring a combination of skills exclusive to the domain of humans. These skills are based on our ability to react to our environment with the creation of a tool, device or mechanism. And that enables us to change our lives and environment to better suit our needs. Historically, individuals have developed significant inventions and designs. Today, however, most products are comprised of complex subsystems requiring specialized skills that can only be fulfilled by specialists. Consequently, successful products represent well-managed product design collaboration. These are individuals who cooperatively
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Creating a Preschool Version of Classic Qdesk Design
by Michael Paloian, President, Integrated Design Systems This project serves as an excellent example of how a vision, cooperation, great communication, and technical expertise can result in successful products. The classic Qdesk design—adapted for a new consumer market—is the focus of this Case Study. Qproducts LLC is a multinational organization dedicated to designing, manufacturing and licensing unique eco-friendly products. Their manufacturing plant is located in Venezuela and its marketing offices in Clearwater Florida. Their flagship product is a one-piece rotationally molded school desk, which was originated by its founder Benedetto Lombardo. He successfully marketed it throughout South America, Mexico, and
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Human Factors in Product Design: Begin with the End (User) in Mind
by Michael Paloian, President, Integrated Design Systems How many times have you used a tool, appliance or vehicle and wondered why it was so uncomfortable or difficult to use? Conversely, how often have you taken notice of how easy it was to operate a remote control device, operate a power tool or interact with the dashboard of your rental car? It’s human nature to remember the bad experiences, but not to take notice of the good ones. That is unless they are exceptionally pleasurable. That’s because human factors are subjective, and are an essential design consideration for most products to
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