Concept

Generation
PRODUCT CONCEPT
TECHNOLOGY
WORKING PRINCIPLES
FORM OF THE PRODUCT
CUSTOMER
NEEDS
CONCEPT SET OF
GENERATION POSSIBLE
PHASE CONCEPTS
TARGET
SPECIFICATION
WHY
HOW
WHAT
 Failure to consider the
usefulness of the concepts

Consideration of only one Involvement of only one or

or two alternatives, two people in the process
COMMON
DYSFUNCTIONS
DURING CONCEPT GENERATION
Ineffective integration of Failure to consider entire
promising partial solutions. categories of solutions.
 CLARIFY THE PROBLEM
UNDERSTAND
Team’s (product) mission statement
Customers needs
Product specifications
 Problems
Problems
Problems Problems
Problems Problems
Problems Problems
Problems
Problems Problems Problems
Problems

DECOMPOSE THE PROBLEMS

INTO SIMILAR SUBPROBLEMS
Problems
Problems
Problems Problems
Problems Problems
Problems Problems
Problems
Problems Problems Problems
Problems
 FUNCTIONAL
DECOMPOSITION
DECOMPOSE BY SEQUENCE
OF USER’S ACTION
very simple technical functions involving a lot
of user interaction
 DECOMPOSE BY KEY
CUSTOMER NEEDS
useful for products in which form, and not working
principles or technology, is the primary problem
 FOCUS INITIAL EFFORTS ON
THE CRITICAL SUB-PROBLEMS
 Experts
Lead users Patents

SEARCH EXTERNALLY
Literature Benchmarking
Suspend judgment Generate a lot of ideas

SEARCH INTERNALLY
Use graphic and Welcome ideas that
physical media seem infeasible
HINTS FOR GENERATING
SOLUTION CONCEPTS
Make analogies
Wish and wonder
User related stimuli
User unrelated stimuli
Set quantitative goals
Use the gallery method
 EXPLORE SYSTEMATICALLY
Prune less promising branches
Identify independent approaches to the problem
Expose inappropriate emphasis on certain branches
Refine the problem decomposition for a particular branch.
CLASSIFICATION TREE
 CONCEPT COMBINATION TABLE
Convert Electrical
Energy to Apply
Accumulate
Translational Translational
Energy
Energy Energy to Nail

rotary motor w/
transmission spring single impact

linear motor moving mass multiple impacts

solenoid push nail

rail gun
REFLECT ON THE SOLUTIONS
AND THE PROCESS
Is the team developing confidence that the solution
space has been fully explored?
Are there alternative function diagrams?
Are there alternative ways to decompose the problem?
Have external sources been thoroughly pursued?
Have ideas from everyone been accepted and integrated in the
process?
FIN