Need Identification and Problem Definition

1
Chapter 2

• Need Identification and Problem Definition

2
Types of Design Projects

• Variation of existing product
• Improvement in existing product
• Development of a new product for a low-volume
  production run
• Development of a new product for mass production
• One of a kind design

3
Wheelwright-Clark model for product development
process
go-no-go
Ship
1-2 months
Screen2
Screen1
many ideas for new products and processes are
considered
4
Identifying Customer Needs
who are my customers? What does the customer
want How can I provide it
Customer is one that purchases a product or
service
Types of customers-External and Internal
5
Gathering Informations from Customers

• Interviews with customers
• Focus Groups
• Customer surveys
• Customer complaints

6
Constructing a Survey Instrument

• Determine the survey purpose
• Determine the type of data collection method to
  be used
• Identify what specific information is needed
• Design the questions- attitute question,
  knowledge question, behavior question
• Arrange the order of questions
• Protest the survey
• Administer the survey

7
Evaluate customer needs

• It is important to divide customer needs into two
  groups hard constraints that absolutely be
  satisfied (musts) and softer needs that can be
  traded off against other customer needs (wants).
  Customer needs can best be identified from focus
  group surveys or from the higher ranking items in
  the written survey. See Figure 2.3 page 64.

8
Benchmarking

• Benchmarking is a method for measuring a
  companys operations against the best companies
  both inside and outside of the industry.
  Benchmarking can be used for product comparisons
  in the design and manufacturing of products, in
  service functions such as delivery and warranty
  isues, or in business areas like order entry,
  billing, financing and repair.

9
Benchmarking Steps

• Select the product, process, or functional area
  of the company that is to be benchmarked.
• Identify the key performance matrics that will be
  measured and used for comparison.
• Identify the best-in-class companies for with
  the in-house equivalent using the performance
  matricseach product or process to be benchmarked.
• Compare the best-in-class products and processes.
• Specify programs and actions to meet and exceed
  the competition.

10
Reverse Engineering is a process similar to but
more narrow than benchmarking.Reverse
Engineering involves dismantling of a product to
determine its technology and how it is made, with
the purpose of replication. The tear-down of a
product is often part of benchmarking, but
without the intent of copying the
design.Benchmarking is not a one-time effort.
It is the first step in a process of continuous
improvement.
11
Customer Requirements

• Physiological needs- thirst, hunger, sex ,sleep,
  shelter, and excercise
• Safety and security- protection against danger,
  deprivation, and threat
• Social Needs for love and esteem by others. these
  needs include belonging to groups, group
  identity, and social acceptance.
• Psychological needs- for self-esteem and
  self-respect and for accomplishment and
  recognition.
• Self-fulfillment needs - for the realization of
  ones full potential through self-development,
  creativity, and self-expression.
• AS each need in this hierarchy is satisfied, the
  emphasis is shift to the next higher need.

12
Within each basic need there is a hierarchy of
problem situations
13
As the type I problem situation s are solved we
move to the solution of higher level problems
14
Customer requirements should be chatacterized as
to

• Performance- deals with what design should be
  when it is completed and in operation
• Time- reduce the cycle time to market for new
  products
• Cost- pertains to all monetary aspects of the
  design. Everything else being roughly equal, cost
  determines most customers buying decision.
• Quality-totality features and characteristics of
  a product or service that bear on its ability to
  satisfy stated or implied needs.

15
Valueis the worth of a product or service.
function providedValue-----------------
------------ costquality
provided-----------------------cost
16
Garvin identified the eight basic dimensions of
quality for a manufactured product

• Performance
• Features
• Reliability
• Durability
• Servicability
• Conformance
• Aesthetics
• Perceived quality- reputation

17
Four levels of customer requirement

• Expecters- These are the basic attributes that
  one would expect to see the product, i.e.,
  standard features. Expecters are frequently easy
  to measure and are used often in benchmarking.
• Spokens- These are the specific features that
  customers say they want in the product. Because
  the customer defines the product in terms of
  these attributes, the designer must be willing to
  provide them to satisfy the customer.
• Unspoken-These are product attributes the
  customer does not generally talk about, but are
  nevertheless important to him or her. They cannot
  be ignored. They may be attributes the customer
  simply forget to mention or was unwilling to talk
  about or simply does not realize he or she want.
  It takes great skill on the part of the design
  team to identify the unspoken requirement.
• Exciters-These are product features that make the
  product unique and distinguish it from the
  competition.

18
Expecters must be satisfied first because they
are the basic characteristics that a product is
expected to posses.Spokens give greater
satisfaction because they go beyond the basic
level and respond to specific customer desires.
Unspokens are an elusive category, while true
exciters will serve to make a product unique.