1.

DESIGNING and INNOVATION

1.
Design and
Innovation

The authors have attempted to use images that are free of copyright restriction however if there are omissions or inaccuracies
please inform us so that any necessary corrections can be made. The authors are also grateful to those businesses and agencies
including Dyson, Blackpool Creative, Rob Law CEO Trunki (images and text provided by [Link]), PROTO 3000 and
Matthew Cooke that have given permission for images from their websites to be used in this work.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
AESTHETICS
Aesthetics play an important part in the design and
marketing of products.
One of the main reasons for buying a product is often
how it looks and the image it can give the user.
Designers have got to make sure that the product looks
good.

MAINTENANCE This type of casual training shoe has been

a successful product for Adidas regarding
Can the product be maintained, is it possible to replace
its unique visual appearance [Aesthetics]
parts if things break. Dyson designed his vacuum cleaners
so that it is possible to buy parts that break over the
internet and replace them. The vacuum cleaners are
designed so that the parts click on and off. Some
customers would prefer a product that can be
maintained.

DISPOSAL
Customers are more aware of environmental issues so
therefore most people would prefer products that can be
disposed of in an environmentally friendly method or re- Spare parts available for Dyson products
cycled. The designer must consider what materials would so that the product can be repaired.
be suitable, also combination of materials used.

Many products are made of different materials. These

materials cannot be disposed or re-cycled in the same
way. Cars are designed for disassembly— parts come
apart eg plastics and metals can be disposed of or re
cycled in different ways. Some mobile phones are Products like this coffee table uses a
designed with smart fastenings. These fastenings would combination of materials to make it
release at a certain temperature so that different parts aesthetically pleasing. Because the table
can be processed in a different way, ABS Casing, electrical is made from three different materials—
components, battery etc. glass, wood and metal fittings, it would
Nuclear power is a good example of BAD DESIGN - be quite easy to disassemble and re-cycle.
Designers have still not thought of a method of disposing
of nuclear waste. At the moment it is being buried deep
under ground until they think of a method of disposing of
it safely and at the moment is an environmental concern.

MORAL ISSUES
Customers are becoming much more aware of moral
These products include a range of
issues regarding the products they buy. This can relate to
different materials therefore making them
much more difficult to re-cycle.
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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

how and where the product is manufactured. Due to Global

Manufacturing most of the products we buy are manufactured in Third
world countries. More and more western companies design their products
here but manufacture their products in the far east. This is due to a
number of factors such as, cheaper labour costs, less legislation as far as
regulation, health and safety laws, employees rights and working
conditions.
Customers are quite often made aware of expensive football shirts or In 2002 Dyson moved the
sports equipment for sale in this country that have been manufactured by manufacturing of their
children in sweatshops under conditions that would not be allowed in this washing machines and
country. vacuum cleaners from the
This is to enable the manufacturer to be able to sell the product to the UK to Malaysia.
customer as cheap as possible.
Apple proudly states that their products are “Designed by Apple in
California”. All of the manufacturing processes for Apple products are
outsourced to China, Korea, Mongolia, Taiwan and Europe.
70 million iPhones were sold in 2011. Non were made in America.

COSTS
Designers have to consider costs.
How much will the product cost to manufacture, this will depend on
components used, materials, labour and manufacturing process.
Apple products are
outsourced to China, Korea,
This has a knock on effect on how much the product will be sold in shops Mongolia, Taiwan and Europe
to customers. The product must be competitive with other similar
products or it will not sell.
Due to high manufacturing costs in this country a number of companies
are manufacturing their products in the Far East.

Customers will not necessarily choose the cheapest product. When Dyson
launched his first vacuum cleaner it was one of the most expensive
cleaner on the market—but still a best seller.

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FITNESS FOR PURPOSE

If a product is going to be successful it must be FIT for PURPOSE.
Considerations should be given to the following features for a product to be classed as FIT for PURPOSE:-

1. Price
2. Performance
3. Aesthetic Appeal
4. Reliability

AGPTEK Music/Media Player 16Gb £21.99 Apple iPod Nano 16Gb £149.99

MP3 - Comparing Customer Issues when selecting a product.

Which one of these MP3 players would you choose?
PRICE—Obviously the price of the AGPTEK player is considerably cheaper than the Apple iPod Nano. Would this
be the main criteria—Budget?
PERFORMANCE—There are virtually the same features on both products—the screen of the IPod is slightly larger
and has a touch Screen interface, whereas the AGPTEK has a selection pad. As far as sound and picture quality the
AGPTEK is rather an unknown quantity. Would these factors be enough to pay the extra costs for the Apple
product?
AESTHETIC APPEAL—This would be a matter of personal preference—Both products are available in different
colours. The AGPTEK has a smaller screen.
RELIABILITY—Apple is a world wide well known brand, probably you have not heard of the AGPTEK brand.
Customers associate well known brands such as Apple with reliability and being dependable. If something goes
wrong then the customer would have the peace of mind that there would be a product guarantee and support.
Customers would have confidence in the product. Therefore considering the price would customers buy the
AGPTEK with reliability an unknown factor.
Would this be enough to but the Apple IPod is a much better seller than the AGPTEK.

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Above the Line and Below the

Line Features
Above the line features
Above the Line features are the visible attributes of the product - what the user can see.
These can be the shape of the product, colour or finish, user interface on mobile phone, feel and texture.
All of these features are very important because these are the first things a consumer would see and
attract the consumer towards the product.

ABOVE LINE BELOW LINE

 Modern Shapes  ABS Plastic used for main
components
 Grey and Yellow colour
 Plastic Injected moulded to
 Can see the dust been
form components
collected
 Manufactured in China
 Buttons for switching ON
and OFF easy to see and  Parts can be re cycled
use
 Cyclone technology
 Electronic Circuitry

Below the line features

These are the features that the consumer would need no knowledge of to use the product effectively. These
again are vey important for the product to be successful. These features could include, how the electronic
circuitry works inside the product, the type of materials used, how the components were manufactured,
which country the product was made in, how the product is assembled, was the product manufactured in a
an environmentally friendly way.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

1. PRICE
Is the product sold at a reasonable price? Will the consumer
buy it? Is the product competitive compared to similar
products on the market?

2. PERFORMANCE
Does the product do things as well or better compared to
similar products on the market?
 Storage capacity for songs
 Battery life
 Ease of use

3. AESTHETIC APPEAL
Does the product look better and gives the user the
correct image compared to similar products on the
market?
 Appearance / Finish
 Product make -- Sony or Apple
 Different colours available
 Shape

4. RELIABILITY
Will the product work for a long time without breaking down?
Is there history of products not working properly? Is the
product more reliable than similar products on the market?
Gives the consumers confidence in the product through:
 Features that work
 Ease of use
 Battery life
 Breakable features
 Will not let the user down

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Iterative design
The process within product design can be divided into four distinct phases:

Discover – covers the start of the project where product designers try to look at the world in a fresh way,
notice new things and gather insights....this is the insight into the problem.

Define – represents the definition stage, in which designers try to make sense of all the possibilities identified
in the discover phase. Which matters most? Which should we act on first? What is feasible? The goal here is to
develop a clear creative brief that frames the design challenge....this is the area to focus upon.

Develop – this is a period of development where solutions or concepts are created, prototyped, tested and
iterated. This process of trial and error helps designers to improve and refine their ideas.... potential solutions are
produced here.

Delivery – this is where the resulting project i.e. a product, service or environment, is finalised, produced
and launched....these are the solutions that work.

In all creative processes a number of possible ideas are created before refining and narrowing down to the best
idea.
In order to discover which ideas are best, the creative process is iterative.
‘Iterative design is a design methodology based on a cyclic process of prototyping, testing, analysing, and refining
a product or process. Based on the results of testing the most recent iteration of a design, changes and
refinements are made’.

This means that ideas are developed, tested and refined a number of times, with weak ideas dropped in the
process. This cycle is an essential part of good design .

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Case Study –User centred design—investigation and
analysis of a problem

James Dyson
You know the feeling when some everyday product lets you down.
'I could have designed this better myself', you think. But how many
of us turn our thoughts into actions? James Dyson does. He is a
man who likes to make things work better. With his research team
he has developed products that have achieved sales of over £3
billion worldwide.

A new idea
In 1978, James Dyson noticed how the air filter in the Ballbarrow
spray-finishing room was constantly clogging with powder particles
(just like a vacuum cleaner bag clogs with dust). So he designed
and built an industrial cyclone tower, which removed the powder
particles by exerting centrifugal forces greater than 100,000 times
those of gravity. Could the same principle work in a vacuum
cleaner? James Dyson set to work. 5 years and 5,127
prototypes later, the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner from
Dyson arrived.

The $2,000 vacuum cleaner

It may sound like taking coals to Newcastle, but James Dyson's bag
less vacuum cleaner was first sold in Japan, the home of high-tech
products. Known as the 'G Force', it won the 1991 International
Design Fair prize in Japan. The Japanese were so impressed by its
performance that the G Force became a status symbol, selling for
$2,000 a piece!

The first Dyson

Using income from the Japanese licence, James Dyson decided to
manufacture a new model under his own name in Britain. In June
1993 he opened his research centre and factory in Wiltshire, not
far from his home, and developed a machine that collected even
finer particles of dust (microscopic particles as small as cigarette
smoke). The result was the DCO1, the first in a range of cleaners to
give constant suction.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Another problem to solve

`I like your vacuum cleaners but when will you make one you
don't have to push around?' This casual remark set James Dyson's
mind working. Producing something that bounced aimlessly off
the furniture and picked up very little dust would have been easy,
but James Dyson insisted the Dyson DC06 robot should not only
clean properly but should also guide itself more logically than a
human would. It took 3 on-board computers, 50 sensory devices,
and 60,000 hours of research to create efficient, methodical robot
cleaning.

The patent nightmare

The Dual Cyclone™ was nearly never made due to patent and
legal costs. Unlike a songwriter who owns the song he writes, an
inventor has to pay substantial fees to renew his patents each
year. During the development years when James Dyson had no
income, this nearly bankrupted him. He risked everything, and
fortunately the risk paid off. Then in 1999, Hoover tried to imitate
a Dyson and James Dyson was forced back to court to protect his
invention. After 18 months Dyson finally won a victory against
Hoover for patent infringement.

Root Cyclone™
Dyson scientists were determined to create vacuum cleaners with
even higher suction. So they set to work developing an entirely
new type of cyclone system. They discovered that a smaller
diameter cyclone gives greater centrifugal force. So they
developed a way of getting 45% more suction than a Dual Cyclone
and removing more dust, by dividing the air into 8
smaller cyclones, hence the name Root 8 Cyclone™.

For further detail on Intellectual property visit this link below:-

[Link]

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DESIGN SPECIFICATION
Specifications are used as guidelines for the designer to make sure that the product will be successful. The
designer will try and answer all specification points and refer back to the specification when designing to ensure
that aspects of the design answers the specification points.
Sometimes these are referred to as PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Features of specification.

Primary Specification.
These are essential features a product must have to function
properly eg A milk container must hold 1ltr of liquid. ESSENTIAL
The milk container must hold a
specific amount of milk to answer its
Secondary Specification
Primary specification [Essential
These are desirable - nice to have but not essential for the product Feature].
to function properly. Eg Milk container must look nice to attract
The container can be designed with
customer
different aesthetic appearances to
attract customers or to stand out
Specification points can be categorised into two different groups. from competitors. This could be
Quantitative and Qualitative. regarded as Secondary specification
[Not an essential feature for the
product to work]
Quantitative specification.
These are specification points that can be measured.
Eg
 Weight of chair must be less than 3Kg
 Chair dimensions when folded must be less than 400mm x
500mm x 150mm so that it can be stored in a confined space
 Price of product must be less than £3.50 to manufacture
 Chair must be suitable for adult and must be comfortable to
use
 Strap must be adjustable to enable adult to carry the chair
over the shoulder
Quantitative specification can be tested and measured. All of the
above points can be answered by facts.
Portable Fishing Chair

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Qualitative Specification

These specification points are more difficult to measure and

mostly personal opinion.

Eg.
 The chair must look nice

 The colour of the fabric must be a natural colour.

Portable Fishing Chair

SPECIFICATION AS A DESIGN TOOL

Main feature of the use of the specification is as a design

tool to judge the quality and performance of design ideas
against the initial specification;

1. It helps the designer to keep focussed on the prime

requirements of the design.
2. The designer can refer back to the specification
during the design work - to check if he is on the
During the design process the right track - ON GOING EVALUATION.
designer can look back at the
3. The designer can refer back to the specification after
Specification to check if the design
the product has been made to evaluate or test the
answers the requirements.
product - does the final product answer all of the
specification? FINAL EVALUATION.

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Use of Sketchbooks Example of Sketch book

Sketching has its role in the design process and

that role will vary depending on the end-product
being created, the size and scope of the project,
the individual designer's style, experience, and
workflow.
Sketching can start loose, beginning with basic
concepts. Then work on compositions or layouts.
After those directions are chosen, the concepts
can further be refined with detailed sketching.

Annotation is very important when sketching –

this is the personal conversation a designer has in explaining for example basic and developed ideas,
materials, components and surface finishes.
Sketching is an excellent way to quickly explore concepts. You can sketch for one or two hours and work
out multiple possible solutions to the design problem at hand. It will save you time to work through
concepts on paper before going to the computer. While it is possible to build sketches on the computer,
it's not as fast as sketching multiple concepts on paper.
Product designers spend a lot of time sketching. If you're going to design the next sport shoe, piece of
furniture, or bike, the idea doesn't start in a computer, it starts on paper.
Sketches are a quick way to create the basic composition of your illustration. You can make a series of
thumbnail sketches, or they can be larger. As long as your
sketches are good enough that they capture the necessary
elements, drawing skill is unnecessary.
Showing sketched thumbnails or compositions to clients, will
potentially save you an enormous amount of time.

Sketching can be used as a research activity to record and

explore your interests. It can also be used to explore multiple
options you could take in a particular design.

The process of creating a design or illustration at later stages

involves refinement.
You may feel the desire to skip sketching and jump straight to the
computer or work out your solutions as digital sketches. There is nothing wrong with that, especially for
your own experimental work. There is no quicker method for exploring multiple visual solutions than
sketching.

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COMMUNICATING DESIGN
Designers can use different techniques to communicate their designs.
These can range from, 2D and 3D sketches, presentation drawings to CAD modelling

FREEHAND SKETCHING— Show

how ideas are developed. Can be produced
quickly and annotated to explain features of
design, can be 2D or 3D

Freehand sketches for a mobile phone

PRESENTATION DRAWINGS— Good

quality 3D drawings that show the client what the
product will look like. Can also include dimensions
and finishes

Final presentation drawings for an underwater

camera and a portable drill.

CAD MODELLING— Drawings can be created on computer to show clients what the product will look
like from different angles, different finishes and materials etc. These will be high quality. Examples of the type
of software that can be used to do this work would be Solidworks or Autodesk Inventor.

CAD Model of modern table in 3D that has

CAD Model for 3D block that can be displayed
been rendered with material effect.
in orthographic form.

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DETAIL DESIGNING

These drawings include details

of materials used and
construction methods that
would help the manufacturer to
produce the product.

Detail designing will detail the features of the product. The designs would show information such as:-

 MATERIALS TO BE USED

 DIMENSIONS AND SIZES OF COMPONENTS

 DETAIL OF HOW THE PRODUCT IS ASSEMBLED AND PUT TOGETHER

This would be very useful for the designer to pass over to the manufacturer. From these drawings the
manufacturer can decide the following:-

 MAKE SURE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE PRODUCT

 PREPARE OR PURCHASE EQUIPMENT OR MACHINERY READY FOR MANUFACTURING.

 PREPARE AND PURCHASE MATERIALS

 ABLE TO TELL THE DESIGNER IF HE CAN FORSEE ANY PROBLEMS WITH ASSEMBLY, JOINING OR
MATERIALS USED

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2D Modelling
Simple type of modelling

1. This can be in a form of a drawing, sketch, template or

pattern cut out.
2. You can only see TWO dimensions of the model.
3. Can show the designer the measurements or scale of a
2D Card model produced to product Height, width and shape etc
determine correct dimensions.
4. Can test simple mechanical movements eg LEVERS etc

5. NO depth- might be difficult to test the model in use. Eg

shape of a chair you could not sit on it.

6. You could Test the shape or size of a product.

7. 2D models can be made of sheet material, paper card,

metal, MDF.

2D Card model produced to test if the

mechanism will work.

The main purpose of a model are:-

 So that the designer or target audience can SEE how the finished product will look.
 So that the designers can TEST the product to see if it will work
 Speed of being able to produce a prototype that can be seen and tested so that feedback is possible
for improvements.
 Save material costs rather than use the proper materials

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3D Modelling

1. You can see THREE dimensions of the model.

2. Can show the designer the measurements or scale of a
product such as height, width & depth as well the shape
and form the product

3. Testing can be carried out on the product, sit on it,

strength, storing.
4. 3D models can be made of any ‘Cheap’ traditional Card 3D Scale model of a chair
materials material such as Styrofoam, card, clay, MDF,
metal, plastics, foam board etc.

Advantages
1. Materials easily available, cheap and can be worked with
basic tools and machinery.
2. Ideas can be shown effectively in 3D.
3. Can be tested in the actual situation.

4. Simple models can be made quite quickly [saves time & Styrofoam 3D model of a Walkie-talkie
money].

Disadvantages
1. A high quality model can take a lot of time and skill to
produce [cost].
2. If the customer requires a different finish or shape, a new
model will have to be produced which will take time to
produce.

Foam board 3D Scale model of a

modern storage unit

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Rapid Prototyping / 3D Printers/Prototyping
Can produce models quickly.
This is the process of creating 3D models of products.
Able to evaluate proposals
 Feedback from clients
 Aesthetics—how it looks
 Mechanical performance—how it works
Complex components and prototypes can
be produced with 3D printers
Saves Lead Time - manufacturers able to get products on the
market quicker before competitors .

Complex shapes impossible to produce by human hand.

Used in the medical area. Where bone damage has occurred,

the area can be scanned and computer would build up a 3D
profile of shape that would fit the damaged area.
A 3D CAM machine would be able to produce the product very
accurately. 3D prototype of Hand Drill

Embroidery on clothing - Very accurate work and in cases

thousands of items required.

2D flat Laser cut Plywood that can

be assembled to represent 3D
objects
Work produced with CNC
Embroidery Machine

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3D Printing
This relatively modern process has enabled product designers
to create intricate and complex forms quite easily when
developing and trialling ideas.
The process involves the design and creation of a 3D Computer
model/ drawing which then can be sent to a 3D printer to be
created.
Usually the product will be created from a polymer filament
usually PLA [Poly Lactic Acid - Biodegradable Plastic] or ABS
[Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene] filament which is oil based
and requires a higher level of heat to melt. 3D printer

PLA requires low heat to melt the filament so that the model
can be created in an open environment within the 3D printer.
This type of plastic is available in many colours and can
produce a good surface finish and can be printed on a cold
surface.
ABS requires a heated surface to print on and an enclosed
environment within the 3D Printer to maintain a constant level
of heat. The final product will be more durable and tougher
than the PLA product but will take a longer time to print.
PLA Filament available in various colours

This technology offers many advantages to the designer by

being able to produce complicated models quickly without the
need to invest in complex tooling and manufacturing
processes. It also allows the designer to experiment with
various models and prototypes which will be very accurate and
quite cheap to produce.
This will enable the designer to develop ideas much quicker
and get their products on market much quicker
The prices of these machines are very affordable and due to
the cheap prices of PLA and ABS filaments they are quite cheap
to run as there is no waste of materials.

Products can be produced on demand to exact specification 3D Printed Remote Control prototype
fascia
Only drawback is that complex forms could take a long time to
print.

For more examples of 3D printed modelling visit [Link]

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

3D printing has created opportunities in the medical

profession when damaged bones or limbs can be 3D
printed to exact specifications for patients.
Orthopaedic surgeons are able to re produce damaged
bones with 3D prints

Prosthetic limbs can be created to exact dimensions for

the user.

Damaged bone structure can be

created using 3D printing methods.

Prosthetic limbs printed out on 3D Printer

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ICT Generated Modelling

Product designers, architects and engineers today face daunting

challenges: structures, designs and workflows are becoming more
complex, 3D modelling is beneficial in avoiding mistakes.
They give you the ability to test the stress factors and tolerances
of a product before you build, saving time, money and potentially
disastrous consequences. A 3D model also lets you see the end
result before it’s built, allowing you to correct issues before it’s
too late.

Advanced analysis tools can simulate the flow of fluid to

measuring vibrations in key structural components. Simulating
those environmental factors is critical to identifying design flaws
and pinpointing serious build problems.

3D printing allow designers to quickly “print” prototypes and

models—driving down prototyping costs.

In 2D CAD modelling, a lot of time and energy is spent ensuring

that your plan, section and elevation agree. In 3D, designers,
architects and engineers easily extract that 2D information from a
completed model, leaving more time to focus on the design CAD Produced 3D Models
process.

With 3D CAD software, each individual component of a structure

can also be isolated, analysed, tested, approved or changed.
One of the major benefits associated with 3D software is its
precision. Each component of a product, building, or machine can
be analysed and measured individually.

Giving clients a virtual tour of their product or building is of great

benefit as it can give an interactive visual representation of the
final product.

Firms equipped with a 3D printer can go one step further and

create a physical representation of their designs before meeting 3D Printed Hand Whisk Models
with clients—at a price far cheaper than factory moulding fees.

Software is built for customisation, where changes can be made

quickly to for example form, surface pattern or texture and
mechanical detailing.

3D Printed Mobile phone case

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Designers can use different methods to collect information to help them solve problems.

1. Primary Research
2. Secondary Research

Primary Research
This is research you will have to do YOURSELF directly. This
research has not been done before by others.

1. Telephone people to ask

opinion. Simple questionnaires or
phone people up
2. Visit people.
3. Test materials yourself.
4. Create your own questionnaire.

Secondary Research
This research has been done for you.
1. Search the Internet.
2. Look in books/magazines Interview customers or clients
3. CD Rom’s

ICT Sources
Designers can use ICT sources to aid them with their research.

Use of CD Rom’s that contain information. DVD Encyclopaedias

Use of Internet search into materials or existing products. E mail

people to find information about prices or measurements of a
product, manufacturing techniques.
Send attachments of drawings to clients for their approval.
Internet usually means that the information is up to date but you
have to be careful that the websites are trustworthy. ICT Sources that could be used

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
Questionnaires
Can be created and sent out to thousands of people quite easy.
Could be e mailed (ICT)much cheaper than paying for stamps.
Therefore environmentally friendly.

Problems
 You don't know how many will be returned.
 You will only get answers to the questions that you have
asked - no chance of finding something else out eg a
conversation going on a tangent, and finding something
else out.
 Data cannot be queried or questioned.
 To get the correct information - questions must be
carefully planned.

Telephone calls
• Speak to the person and therefore be able to find out
exactly needs of customers.
• Not very personal - face to face.
• People put the phone down because of nuisance calls.

Interview
• Must be carefully planned.

• Takes quite a long time.

Opinion Groups
Group of people that would give feedback on products. The
group would use a product over a period of time and would
gather their opinions on how the product performed. Feedback
would be more general and accurate because the feedback
would convey the thoughts of the group rather than personal
opinion of an individual who might have had a bad experience
using a product.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
Databases

A database is a collection of information organised to provide efficient retrieval. The collected information could
be in any number of formats (electronic, printed, graphic, audio, statistical, combinations). There are physical
(paper/print) and electronic databases.

TOUGHNESS BRITTLENESS DUCTILITY MALLEABILITY RESISTANCE to CORROSION

Copper Cast Iron Lead Gold Gold

Nickel Bronze Tin Silver Zinc

Silver Brass Zinc Copper Lead

Gold Zinc Gold Aluminium Aluminium

Zinc Tin Aluminium Tin Tin

Lead Manganese Silver Lead Nickel

Iron Hardened Steel

Database of Metal properties

A database could be as simple as an alphabetical arrangement of

names in an address book or as complex as a database that provides
information in a combination of formats.
A collection of information organised in such a way that a computer
program can quickly select desired pieces of data. You can think of a
database as an electronic filing system.

Traditional databases are organised by fields, records, and files. A field

is a single piece of information; a record is one complete set of fields;
and a file is a collection of records.

Data is organised into rows, columns and tables, and it is indexed to

make it easier to find relevant information. Data gets Example of Opinion
updated, expanded and deleted as new information is added. groups Database of results

Database packages can be used to record and analyse survey data.

Spreadsheet software can be used to make Gantt or other planning

charts, to produce graphs and charts, and to help with costing projects.

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Analysing Problems
Designers often start by looking at the work of other designers
and analysing the choices they have made. They consider how
successfully the product meets these criteria and what could be
changed to improve it.

Designers and manufacturers evaluate on an ongoing basis during

design development and while manufacturing. It is essential to
compare against the design specification and to make and record
judgements, improvements and users' views.

Analysis of design situations or contexts can begin by asking basic

questions:

1. Is it fit for purpose?

2. Does it meet the needs of the target market?
3. How well is it designed and made?

Designers will consider these questions when analysing both their

own designs and the work of other designers. Answering the
three questions above will normally involve an evaluation of the
following:

 The design specification, based on the requirements

of the target market and the manufacturing
facilities available.
 What are the target market needs?
 Product's performance and how suitable it is for its
end use?
 The quality of the materials used in the
manufacture of the product?
 The product's aesthetic appeal or stylistic qualities.
 Does the product give value for money?
 Any safety, moral or environmental issue. Does the
product conform to safety regulations and what is
its impact on the environment?

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Design Strategies
Designers use methods to think of ideas

Inversion: -
Reversing the problem, looking at it in a different way. “How
can I get to work?” turn the problem around - “How can I get
work to come to me?”

Brainwriting:
A group of people approx 10—14 preferably from different
backgrounds. One person will be a secretary that will note down
all of the ideas suggested. Everybody will suggest a possible
solution to the problem regardless of how silly or impossible the
answer might be. THERE SHOULD BE NO CRITICISM AT THIS
STAGE. Criticism might prevent people from saying anything -
being too embarrassed of being made fun of. At the end of the
session the group will discuss the answers and see which ones
have potential to develop further.

Morphological analysis:
Identifying the key features of a product and then considering
different ways of achieving the features. Eg Wheelbarrow might
have a steel body with a steel frame, two handles, one pneumatic
wheel that will be pushed. Many different combination can be
considered to come up with hundreds of different solutions.

Table giving different options for designing a wheelbarrow

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
Lateral thinking

Think of the problem from another angle. Eg. Edward Jenner when
discovering the cure for Smallpox, everybody else thought “Why
do people catch smallpox”? Jenner thought “Why don't some
people catch smallpox” ? Eventually he established why some
people didn't catch smallpox and found a cure. By lateral thinking
and thinking of the problem in this manner a cure was developed.

Disassembly
Take things apart to see how things work, how it is made and
assembled and then develop improved ideas.

IKEA Lamp taken apart to understand how

components are manufactured and assembled

Above and below the line strategies

Above the Line

Analyse a product and note how the external above the line
features work. External shape, appearance (aesthetics),
colour, texture, user interface - buttons screens etc. This is
what the customer can see.

Below the line

These are usually hidden features that are not apparent to the
user. Inside of the product, How it works, the technology, type of
materials used, how is the product manufactured, electronic
circuits. All are very important for the product to be successful,
these features can be used by a designer to inspire or trigger his
own ideas.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
Reverse engineering
To take a product apart to understand how it could be re-built
with slight adjustments or improvements. This would enable the
designer to evaluate good and bad points of the product and see
how things work. Dyson did this with old vacuum cleaners to see
why they didn't work as efficiently as they should.

Computer mouse taken apart

to understand how it works

Target Audience / Mood Boards / Concept

Board
It is very important for the product designer to know which
market or audience the product is aimed at. He can create a
Mood Board to create a profile of the type of person that would
buy the product.
From doing this the designer can establish the lifestyle and needs
of the person. When promoting the product he will know where
to advertise and what magazines or TV programmes this person
will buy or watch.

Final Concept Drawings for Client

Final Concept drawings that the designer could show to a client for feedback before manufacturing

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Jonathan Ive
iMac
Ive's team grabbed the world's attention in 1998 with the release of
the first iMac. Selling over two million in its first year, iMac's design
was cited as "one of the century's lasting images" by BusinessWeek.
The iMac went on to win many design competitions.

Jonathan Ive is a British born designer that developed the iMac.

Apple computers were on the verge of going bankrupt and were
struggling to compete with Windows based computers.

Jonathan Ive developed a new looking type of computer the iMac.

All computers in the past had been designed in beige coloured plastic.
All the development that happened with computers was from the
actual technology development - faster graphic cards, better hard
drives, better memory etc. Basically the external appearance of a
computer stayed the same. All development of computers was based
on the ‘Technology Push’. [technology determining how products are
improved and developed]

KEY FEATURES
 Jonathan Ive considered the aesthetics [appearance] of a
computer for the first time. Curved form that had a nice smooth
shape to it.
“Sorry no Beige”

 Available in different colours, or ‘flavours, Mint, Tangerine,

Blueberry, these were colours that you could taste. [Aesthetics]
 The iMac was developed as one computer unit with built in
monitor. One unit - no separate parts like a standard PC
 No floppy disk drive to backup or save work [Ive considered
that the floppy disk was a thing of the past]. First computer
with no floppy disk drive.

 This computer could be used in any room of the house, colours

could be matched to decor and regarded the iMac as part of

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
every day life and a product that would be used constantly -
the use of the internet, multimedia features and not
confined to the office or study.

 Many manufacturers followed suit eg. Hewlett Packard,

Epson offered peripherals like printers and scanners with
same type of plastics and colour schemes to match. iPod

 Apple have developed a range of different products that

follow this concept. Apple G4, Mac Air Book

The consumer could choose a computer that fitted in with the

decoration of a certain rooms. Ive believed that a computer is part
of day to day living and the computer should be situated in living
rooms and not in study’s or bedrooms. They should be nice to look
at.
Marketing slogans used by Apple ‘Sorry not available in Beige’
This design has influenced a lot on computer designs. Most iBook
computers are now designed with aesthetics in mind, - shape and
style. Even printers and scanners are available in different colours
to match the colour of computers.
Apple have developed other products linked to the iMac, eg iPod,
iBook etc.

Apple G4

Mac Air Book

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
HOWIES - Clothing
A higher quality product will invariably last longer. It will keep
on performing as it was designed to for longer before it finally
needs replacing. And so over its lifespan it will have consumed
less valuable resources than an inferior product that will have
been replaced many times.

That's why we make the best quality products that we know

how. Because ultimately the best thing we can do for the
environment is to make our stuff last a real long time.

Functionality
We believe in making products that serve a purpose and that
Jeans
stand the test of time. We avoid the fashions of the day and
just ensure our products are as functional and as simple as Hemp Kaizen
possible.
£225.00
'That which has the greatest use, possesses the greatest
These jeans are made by mixing
beauty'.
organic hemp with organic cotton.
Our Purpose Hemp is twice as strong as cotton.

Why are we in business? For us it is not as simple to make a

profit. Like any company we require a profit to stay in
business. But it is not the reason we are in business. The thing
that has not changed from day one is the desire to make
people think about the world we live in. This is, and always
will be, why we are in business.

Earth Tax
We pledge to give 1% of our turnover or 10% of pre-tax
profits (whichever is greater) to grass-root environmental and
social projects. To find out more about our donations, please
visit the website. It is only a small amount but as our company
grows we will be able to give more. Which gives us a nice
reason to want to grow.

Fun
We are trying to get the balance right between work and play.
Whenever a real nice day comes along, it'd be a shame to
waste it. So if you phone up and no-one answers, don't worry.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

We are out there doing what we love. So leave a message and

we'll get back to you in a while.

The rocking chair test

Every product we make has passed the 'rocking chair test'. This is
something we use to guide us along the path we are taking. So
when we are old and grey and sitting in our rocking chairs, we can
look back on the company we created with a smile. That's why we
go to the trouble of using the best quality materials to make sure
our clothing lasts longer. The longer our products last the less
impact they will have on the environment, and the bigger our
smile will be.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Case Study
Idea to Market

IT STARTED WITH AN IDEA – Trunki

Trunki is a brand of ride-on hand luggage for children, designed

by Rob Law. Rob Law owes his success to sheer
determination.........always take as much advice as you can and
always understand your customers’ needs to make sure you
produce a product they want to buy. The most important thing
about developing a product and getting it to market is
understanding your consumer or user. Along the way you need
financial advice, manufacturing advice, marketing advice, sales,
logistics, supply chain (nobody know that stuff to start with,
but you have to go out and find it out)
Rob Law CEO Trunki

Timeline..........
1997 Rob Law entered a university competition to design a
piece of luggage. He visited a department store for inspiration
and ended up looking at ride-on toys. He thought about how to
utilise the wasted space, and the idea for Trunki was born. Rob
went on to win the competition.

2003 Rob received a grant from the Prince's Trust to get his
business off the ground. Later that year he signed a licensing
deal with a Saudi Arabian toy company.

2005 The toy company went into liquidation, it wasn't the launch
pad that Rob had hoped for and instead he decided to go it
alone.

2006 Trunki was born again - the first container of Trunki ride-on
suitcases arrived at Avonmouth completely unaware that they
would revolutionise family travel.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION
2006 Rob Law took Trunki into the Dragon's Den but failed to find an
investor.

2010 With a rapidly growing team, the company moved into a new
office - a converted Chapel that is nicknamed the Mother ship, which
comes complete with a games room and escape chute (or slide!)

2011 One Million Trunki ride-on suitcases sold.

2012 The first UK made Trunki rolled off the production line at
the factory in Plymouth.

2013 Trunki entered into the world of TV advertising.

2013 Trunki scooped their 90th award from Sir Richard

Branson and came 42nd in the Sunday Times FT 100, and
picked up the coveted innovation award. Two Million
Trunki ride-on suitcases sold.

2014 Hello Kitty Licensed suitcase is launched, which was a

roaring success, especially across South East Asia. Trunki
hits the USA!
The launch of Trunki Made4Me allows fans to go online
and design their very own bespoke Trunki, with a billion
colour combinations to choose from.
Boris the London bus zoomed into first place at London
Toyfair

2015, picking up best speciality toy.

Still going strong - today the Trunki team in Bristol are working as hard
as ever, distributing products to over 97 countries worldwide.

Product Evolution – Trunki

At every stage, Rob Law emphasises the importance of continually
evaluating your product and the key considerations you should always

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

be thinking of on your design journey – the impact of materials and

manufacture on cost, the functionality and safety of your product
and, of course, your consumer should be at the heart of everything
you do.

Product designers need to continually improve their product/s

through consumer and retail feedback........

Original Foam Model – understanding the user.

Trixie - one of the first versions, developing cost effective

manufacturing methods.

Bernard the Mark 3 Trunki - stacking and developing safety

features.

Mark 4 Trunki – additional features to allow for sales in

America

Mark 5 Trunki – made in the UK, re engineered, no screws,

innovative plastic catches, snap fit handles.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Case Study
Protecting Your Designs
Back in 1996, when Rob Law first drew his ride-on
suitcase idea, little did he know he was sketching his
way to the success the Trunki ride-on suitcase is today!
Selling over 2 million in nearly 100 countries worldwide,
Rob Law’s University brainchild has achieved global
domination.
However, although they say imitation is the highest form
of flattery, for the product designer your creation is your
livelihood. When people copy your valuable designs, it is
damaging to your brand and sales, not to mention
completely disheartening when you’ve worked so hard
to pioneer the original and best.
Since launching in 2007, copies of the design are on sale
on and offline globally, and more emerge every day.
From the beginning, Trunki had the foresight to invest in
different forms of Intellectual Property protection, meaning they have legal backing to fight the people stealing
our ideas.
There are 4 main types of Intellectual Property:

Trademarks protect brand names, creating a brand for your product is a good way of adding value and helping
people identify ideas. It can protect words and graphic symbols and trademark protection lasts 10 years.
Patents protect a novel technical solution. You can’t patent the idea of a ride on suitcase but you can protect the
element of technical challenges you’ve solved in a novel way, for example the new catch design on the Trunki is
patented. Patents require renewal every 4 years from the date of filing.
Design rights protect the shape of a product. There are 2 kinds, unregistered and registered.
Unregistered designs are protected as and when you create them provided you have proof of the date created.
Years ago, people used to send themselves their designs by registered post as proof they belonged to them! So,
always date your drawings when you produce them.
Unregistered rights only protect your design in the UK and are valid for up to 15 years.
Registered designs can be registered just in the UK or across the whole of Europe via the Office for Harmonization
of the Internal Market, OHIM. This provides much stronger protection than unregistered designs. Registered
designs last up to 25 years but must renewed every 5 years.
Copyright prevents anybody from displaying your work – images, designs, photographs, graphics etc – without
your prior permission and lasts anything from 25 years to a lifetime depending on the type of creation it covers.
Patents, Trademarks and Registered Designs come at a cost but they’re invaluable to protecting the Trunki brand
and products – past, present and future.

Reproduced by kind permission of Laura Breen (Crew Commander Trunki)

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

TESTING MATERIALS & PRODUCTS

QUALITATIVE TESTING
-Test finishes, model shapes aesthetics.
-Personal taste - can be difficult to measure.

QUANTITATIVE TESTING
-How strong is the material - can it support weight
-Test the material under water to see for how long it will last outside
-Compare cost of materials
-Car withstanding a crash
-Can be computer testing—simulation model of bridge under stress
These tests can usually be scientifically proven.

Tensileometer
Tests how strong a material is under tension force
[pulled]

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Feasibility Studies

Feasibility studies ensure your design and

development investment will be worthwhile
Our design feasibility studies are essential to
reduce your development time & costs. Taking
time to check costs and the investment required
to complete the project ensures:
Reduced project risk by checking technical
feasibility before any major investment is made.
If a project is commercially viable. It will also:
identify areas for cost reduction, provide clear
focus for an efficient design development stage
and optimise your investment in research &
development as a whole.
Identify suitable materials technology and
production processes to ensure your concept is
viable to develop and manufacture in the
volumes expected.
Provide commercial confidence to your business
that you have selected the most appropriate
concept design to develop.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Performance Modelling.
This is the process of being able to test products to see
how they would perform in a real life situation.
Simple tests can be carried out to see how strong a piece
of wood is, how strong is a particular joint etc.
This is called Quantitative Testing the strength or weight
that can be supported can be measured.

Testing how much weight a piece

of wood can support before
breaking

Computer Performance Modelling

This usually would be under simulation scenarios where

computers would calculate different forces, stresses or
strains on the product when in use.
This would enable the designer to recognise areas that
need to be developed or improved to make the product
safer or perform better.

This is a very important part of product development, to

make sure that the product will perform well and be safe
to use. Computer Simulation of recognising
weak/stress points in caravan body design

Using computers and test modelling materials would be

much cheaper to discover issues that need to be
eradicated rather than creating the proper final product
and then discovering that the product is unsafe or not
suitable for its function.
Quantitative testing. You can use computers to test
products to see if they will work or suitable for the work.
Computer Rendering to see how a product
would look with a different finish
Visual or Aesthetic Tests can be carried out on computer
models - finishes or material appearance on a product can
be changed so that the client can see how the product will
look in real life.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

ERGONOMICS
Man and his environments.
Products that have been designed with consideration to
human senses.
Sight, smell, touch, comfort, sound, temperature.

Ergonomics: (Greek) Ergos - work, Nomos - Laws.

Literally, the laws of work.

If a product is ergonomically designed the chances are is that

it will be a successful product. The user will be able to use the
product comfortably and better.

To ensure that products are comfortable and easy to use

designers use ANTHROPOMETRIC DATA to make sure that the
product is suitable for human use.

Shown are examples of products that the designer has used

ergonomic considerations when designing the product;. Ergonomic considerations on these products
can be designed to be human friendly and be
Comfortable to grip, handle, weight easy to carry etc
easier to use.

Hand and comfort of

grip considered

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

ANTHROPOMETRICS.
Anthropometrics is the Science of collecting statistical data about body
measurements. Data is collected for Adults and children.
Toy manufacturers would use data from this book when designing
products or toys for children.
Relation between Ergonomics and Anthropometrics
A designer would use this data to make sure that his product was
ergonomically well designed:- comfortable to sit, comfortable to hold
[Grip] etc.
Some people are outside of the Average range of body
measurements. These are considered to be the 5th and 95th
percentile, people who are bigger or smaller than average.
Designers in some cases have to consider these factors

5th percentile AVERAGE 95th percentile Anthropometric DATA

Look at the following products and consider what type of Anthropometrical data the designer would
look at when developing these products.

Dyson portable
Sunglasses Childs desk & Chair Scissors Vacuum cleaner

Ergonomic Kitchen

Ergonomic Chair

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

CAD - Computer Aided Design

Computer Aided design is the use of computer software to
accurately draw products
Can be used in all types of Design fields:-
Architecture

 Product Design
 Engineering
 Textile / fashion design

Architectural CAD Drawing

KEY FEATURES of CAD
 Can Edit drawings quickly compared to using paper based
drawings
 Can view product from different angles—3D views
 Can change from 3D views to 2D views by clicking a button
 Apply different rendering or surface finishes to see how the
product looks, client can select desired product quicker and
get the product to market before competitors.

 Software can test virtual models for strength before

manufacturing.
 Walk through—can move around inside a building, virtual
tour.
 Can zoom in and out to see small details.
 Can create wireframe drawings to see hidden detail.

CAD drawings can be sent to CAM equipment for cutting out or

Stress CAD drawing to check performance
creating 3D models.

CAD can be used for Performance Modelling scenarios. A model can be created on CAD and can be tested in
various ways:-
Aesthetic visual tests - Model can be rendered with different finishes so that the client can decide which one is
the more appealing.
Performance test - can be tested under working conditions to see how the product would perform in use eg—
bridge design with weather and vehicle loading applied to it.

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Innovative use of Materials

by designers in reaction to environmental issues
MacBook Air - GREEN MACHINE
Key Points in Design Features with consideration for
environmental issues:-

Casing manufacturing.
Case stamped from sheet material, less use of materials and
waste.
Aluminium Alloy Casing instead of Polycarbonate—Aluminium
much easier to re cycle than Polycarbonate
Much more durable than previous plastic casings. (tougher -
would not crack if dropped)
Aluminium a better conductor of heat - casing used as heat sink
to get rid of heat from processor - no need for cooling fan to cool
processor.

Battery life improved because of no fan- 7 hours working time

much better than any other laptop, no need to charge as often
Packaging used for MacBook - re-cycled product, packaging 56%
less than similar packages used for laptops.. No polystyrene or
polythene.
Greener design key points.

LED backlight for LCD Display - uses less energy than normal
Laptop displays.
Uses Arsenic free glass.
Environmentally friendly materials - aluminium alloy casing that
can be re-cycled.
Poly Vinyl Chloride [PVC] plastic used in most products for wire
insulation - Bromine used to create PVC - dangerous and not
good for environment.
All Card packaging that can be re-cycled

MacBook doesn't use any PVC in its manufacture - even in cabling

and wire insulation. PVC free cables

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

INNOVATION
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise
who makes money through initiative and/or risk.
Product design entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as
the process of designing, launching and running a new product or
business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a start up
company, offering a product, process or service for sale or hire, and
the people who do so are called entrepreneurs.

‘The entrepreneur is seen as a business leader and innovator of new

ideas and business processes.’ Entrepreneurs tend to be good at
Richard Seymour and Dick Powell are
perceiving new business opportunities and often take risks which
entrepreneurs that have developed
makes them more likely to exploit the opportunity. Rather than
and designed products for numerous
working as an employee, an entrepreneur runs a small business and
companies around the world.
takes all the risk and reward of a given venture, idea, or service
offered for sale.

Interior layout for aeroplanes and trains. Kitchen appliances, cosmetic packaging etc. For more information
on their products click on the link below

[Link]

A Product Champion is a member of an organisation who has an

entrepreneurial vision of a new good or service and seeks to create
support for its commercialisation.
A product champion is someone who sees value in a product, and
creates and develops the product and also entices decision makers to
invest, sell or promote the product. The product champion also keeps
the product in consumer's minds. A product champion’s role doesn’t
stop once the product is established and on the market. Keeping the
product fresh in the minds of the consumer is another role they take Steve Jobs—APPLE is a good
on. example of a Product Champion
who had a vison to be able to
market and promote his products
on a world wide commercial basis.
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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

Innovators create ‘new ideas, devices or methods.’

Innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that
meet new needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more
-effective products, processes, services and technologies that are readily
available to markets and society. The term ‘innovation’ can be defined as
something original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that
‘breaks into’ the market or society. It is related to, but not the same as,
invention.

While a novel device is often described as an innovation and is generally

considered to be the result of a process that brings together various novel
ideas in a way that they affect society. Innovations are created and found in
order to meet growing consumer demands. At the end of the day, a product
champion is the pioneer of a new product; developing it, getting it in front of
people. Thomas Heatherwick

New London Bus Metal Spun Chair 2012 London Olympic Flame

Thomas Heatherwick is a good example of being an Innovator and is

responsible for designing and developing numerous products from
household goods, transportation to architecture.

The Hive—Learning
Hub University
Singapore

[Link]

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1. DESIGNING and INNOVATION

DEVELOPING PROPOSALS
System approach to design
The principle goal of system design is to establish a design
approach that provides the functions described in the system
requirements document.

System design will establish a discipline integrated engineering plan

for the proposed design, understand the technical risks, explore
trade-offs, and determine estimates for performance and cost to
completion.

The process starts with a System Requirements Document:

 Establish system functions and required

performance
 Establish user needs and features
 Complete lifecycle considered – development
and operations
 Starting point for developing a solution to
meet needs
 All disciplines integrated

Using the systems approach

Applying the systems approach to the design and making of
products saves time and effort, and reduces waste. For example:

When planning your work, you'll probably need to draw up a flow

chart to make clear the logical sequence of jobs.

When you need to make multiple components, or several products

that are the same, you will probably use batch production
techniques.

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