Concept Generation

Teaching materials to accompany: Product Design and Development Chapter 6

Product Design and Development

Chapter Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Introduction Development Processes and Organizations Product Planning Identifying Customer Needs Product Specifications Concept Generation Concept Selection Concept Testing Product Architecture Industrial Design Design for Manufacturing Prototyping Product Development Economics Managing Projects

Concept Development Process

Mission Statement

Identify Customer Needs

Establish Target Specifications

Generate Product Concepts

Select Product Concept(s)

Test Product Concept(s)

Set Final Specifications

Plan Downstream Development

Development Plan

Perform Economic Analysis Benchmark Competitive Products Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Concept Generation Example: Power Nailer

Product Concept Generation

What are all of the possible ways to implement a design? Which one is best?

Product Concept Attributes A product concept is an idea that addresses the product design specification Concept generation is cheap and easy

Initially, the product concept can be fragmented, complete, abstract, or detailed

Portions of concepts can be combined to generate new concepts Concept selection is hard

Use a process!

Concept Generation (aka Ideation)

Is a process Can be learned Is not predictable You are trying to find things that are not be apparent Is easy if attitudes are positive

Steps for Concept Generation

0.Review the PDS 1.Clarify the problem 2.Search externally 3.Search internally 4.Explore systematically 5.Reflect on the solutions and the process

1. Clarify the Problem

Understanding Use the PDS to define critical customer needs Problem decomposition By function By sequence of user actions By key customer needs Focus on critical sub-problems

2. Search Externally
Interview lead users Consult/interview experts Users, vendors, etc. Search patents
http://tr.espacenet.com http://worldwide.espacenet.com/ http://www.google.com/patents http://www.google.com/patents

Search published literature Trade journals, textbooks, handbooks, magazines Benchmark related products Reverse engineer direct and indirect competitors
External searches are primarily to learn about existing concepts

3. Search Internally- Brainstorming

Individual Each team member should generate at least 10 product concepts before the first team brainstorming session Group

Group brainstorming can be very powerful. Do it!

Internal searches are done to generate new concepts

Guidelines for Brainstorming

1.Suspend judgment all ideas are accepted without feedback

Resist the urge to judge. Dont say things like:

Thats dumb That will never work That will cost too much That idea will be eliminated quickly How many pounds of unobtainiumare needed Thats a great idea

Guidelines for Brainstorming

2.Generate LOTS of ideas

Leverage / combine ideas where appropriate

3.Welcome wild ideas that may not seem feasible

Guidelines for Brainstorming

4.Use written, graphical and physical media Document everything: 3x5 note cards, design notebook, cardboard models whatever works

Use key word descriptors, sketches

Date, inventors, and 2 witnesses for really good ideas

The brainstorming should be compiled and uploaded to your Google website. It will also be in your final report.
The goal is to create scores of ideas

Ideation Example
What is half of 8?

What is half of 8?
8 2 = 4 This is one solution, but

What is half of 8?

What is half of 8?

Concept Generation Methods

Make analogies
Change the scale

Wish and wonder

Use related stimuli

Use unrelated stimuli

Set quantitative goals

Use the gallery method

Brainstorming Process
Assign a facilitator Define the topic

Agree on a stop time

Agree on recording method(s) Build on ideas of others No judging or stopping to evaluate Interruptions are OK
Your team should have at least two brainstorming sessions

4. Explore Systematically
Concept classification tree Combination table Other methods for exploring ideas: Catalog

Sort (affinity grouping)

Combine Post on a wall Revisit

Concept Generation Example: Power Nailer What existing solution concepts, if any, could be successfully adapted for this application? What new concepts might satisfy the established needs and specifications? What methods can be used to facilitate the concept generation process?

 A product concept is an approximate description of the technology, working principles, and form of the product. It is a concise description of how the product will satisfy the costumer needs. A concept is usually expressed as a sketch or as a rough 3D model and is often accompanied by a brief textural description. Good concept generation leaves the team with confidence that the full space of alternatives has been explored.

The Activity of Concept Generation A good concept is sometimes poorly implemented in subsequent development phases, but a poor concept can rarely be manipulated to achieve commercial success. Concept generation typically consumes less than 5% budget and 15% of the development time Because the concept generation activity is not costly, there is no excuse for lack of diligence and care in executing a sound concept generation method. On most cases an effective development team will generate hundreds of concepts, of which 5-20 will merit serious consideration during the concept selection activity.

Preliminary questions

After identifying customer needs and establishing target product specifications, the team should ask: What existing solutions could be adapted for this application? What new concepts might satisfy these needs and specifications? What methods can be used to facilitate concept generation process?

Concept generation activity Structured approaches reduce the likelihood of costly problems Common dysfunctions during concept generation: Consideration of only one or two alternatives, often
proposed by the most assertive members of the team. Failure to consider carefully the usefulness of concepts employed by other firms in related and unrelated products. Involvement of only one or two people in the process, resulting in lack of confidence and commitment by other team members. Ineffective integration of promising partial solutions. Failure to consider entire categories of solutions.

A Five-Step Method Step 1: Clarify the Problem Step 2: Search Externally Step 3: Search Internally Step 4: Explore Systematically Step 5: Reflect on the Results and the Process

Concept Generation Process

Clarify the Problem
Problem Decomposition

External Search
Lead Users Experts Patents Literature Benchmarking

Internal Search
Individual Methods Group Methods

Systematic Exploration
Classification Tree Combination Table

Reflect on the Process

Continuous Improvement
The 5-step concept generation method

The nailer: Step 1

Review assumptions underlying mission statement

The nailer will:

use nails (as opposed to adhesives, screws etc.). be compatible with nail magazines on existing tools. nail into wood. be hand-held.

Customer needs

Customer needs (for a hand-held nailer): The nailer inserts nails in rapid succession. The nailer works into tight spaces The nailer is lightweight. The nailer has no noticeable nailing delay after tripping tool.

Target specifications No noticeable nailing delay after pulling trigger Nail lengths from 25 to 38 mm. Maximum nailing energy of 40 J/nail. Nailing force of up to 2,000 N. Peak nailing rate of 12 nails/second. Average nailing rate of 4 nails/min. Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 second. Tool mass less than 4 kg Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 sec.

Problem decomposition Decompose complex problem into simpler sub-problems. Many design challenges are too complex to solve as a single problem. Split a complex problem into simpler subproblems.(Problem decomposition)

Some useful tips to get started Create a function diagram of an existing product. Create function diagram based on an arbitrary product concept already generated by the team or on a known subfunction technology. Be sure to generalize the diagram to the appropriate level of abstraction. Follow one of the flows (e.g., materials) and determine what operations are required. The details of the other flows can be derived by thinking about their connections to the initial flow.

Two other approaches Decomposition by sequence of user actions. Move tool to approximate nailing position, Position tool precisely, Pull trigger. Decomposition by key customer needs Fires nails in rapid succession, Fits in tight places, Has large nail capacity.

Focus on critical sub-problems

The aim of decomposition techniques is to split a complex problem into simpler subproblems, then tackle each in a focused way.

The Nailer: Step 2 - Search externally Conduct external searches to find existing solutions to either the overall problem or a sub-problem identified during the decomposition step. Use search engines (in advanced mode) to find existing solutions discussed on Internet sites.

External Search:
Hints for Finding Related Solutions
Lead Users
benefit from improvement innovation source

Benchmarking
competitive products

Experts
technical experts experienced customers

Patents
search related inventions https://tr.espacenet.com www.freepatentsonline.com

Literature
technical journals trade literature

Concept from motor-driven double-flywheel nailer patent

Step 3 - Search internally Suspend judgment Suspend evaluation for the days or weeks required to generate a large set of alternatives is critical to success. Generate a lot of ideas Most experts believe that the more ideas a team generates, the more likely the team is to explore fully the solution space. Welcome ideas, even if they do not seem very feasible Ideas which initially appear infeasible can often be improved, debugged or repaired by other members of the team. Use graphical and physical media. Reasoning about physical and geometric information with words is difficult.

Hints for Generating Solution Concepts Make analogies Experienced designers always ask themselves what other devices solve a related problem. Wish and wonder Beginning a thought or comment with I wish we could..... or I wonder what would happen if .... helps to stimulate oneself or the group to consider new possibilities. Use related stimuli Most individuals can think of a new idea when presented with a new stimulus.

Hints for Generating Solution Concepts (Cont) Use unrelated stimuli Occasionally, random or unrelated stimuli can be effective in encouraging new ideas. Set quantitative goals Set a goal of 10 or 20 concepts. Use the gallery method Use the gallery method to display a large number of concepts simultaneously for discussion.

TRIZ
In the 1990s, a Russian problem solving methodology called TRIZ (a Russian acronym for theory of inventive problem solving) began to disseminate in Europe and USA. Useful in identifying physical working principles. The key idea is to identify a contradiction that is implicit in a problem.

The nailer: Step 4 - Explore systematically After external and internal search there are probably tens or hundreds of solutions to subproblems, or concept fragments Navigate the space of possibilities With the concept classification tree With the concept combination table

Internal Search:
Hints for Generating Many Concepts
Suspend judgment Generate a lot of ideas Infeasible ideas are welcome Use graphical and physical media Make analogies Wish and wonder Solve the conflict Use related stimuli Use unrelated stimuli Set quantitative goals Use the gallery method Trade ideas in a group

Concept Classification Tree

Concept

classification tree Use it to: Prune less promising branches (carefully) Identify related versus independent approaches Highlight inappropriate emphasis (certain branches) Refine problem decomposition for a particular branch .

A classification tree for the nailer energy source concept fragments

Refining problem decomposition Too much instantaneous power (~10000Watt) for an outlet, battery or fuel cell to deliver in few miliseconds Must accumulate and then trigger

A new problem decomposition assuming an electrical energy source and the accumulation of energy in the mechanical domain

Systematic Exploration:
Concept Combination Table
Convert Electrical Energy to Translational Energy rotary motor w/ transmission Accumulate Energy Apply Translational Energy to Nail single impact

spring

linear motor

moving mass

multiple impacts

solenoid

push nail

rail gun

A systematic approach to combine partial solutions

Some of the solutions to the subproblems of (1) storing or accepting energy (2) delivering translational energy to nail

Concept combination table for the hand-held nailer

Managing the exploration process Combination tables and classification trees are not unique Just simple ways to organize thoughts Exploration step acts as a guide for further creative thinking Often the concept generation phase is not so straightforward In fact its almost always iterative...

Problem Decomposition:
Function Diagram
INPUT Energy (?) Material (nails) Signal (tool "trip ") Hand-held naile r OUTPUT Energy (?) Material (driven nail) Signal (? )

Energy

Store or accept external energy

Convert energy to translational energy Apply translational energy to nail

Nails

Store nails

Isolate nail

Driven nail

"Trip " of tool

Sense trip

Trigger tool

Step 5: Reflect on the Results 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 into process?

Common Problems that limit the Concept Generation Process Insufficient external search PDS not well defined prior to concept generation Existing concepts not leveraged Not enough ideas (think 100+) Judgment occurs during brainstorming Going with the first idea

Summary A product concept is an approximate description of the technology, working principles, and form of the product. The concept generation begins with a set of customer needs and target specifications. In most cases an effective team will generate hundreds of concepts, of which 5 to 20 will merit serious consideration. The concept generation consists of 5 steps Clarify the problem Search externally Search internally Explore systematically Reflect on the solutions and the process

Concept Generation Exercise: Vegetable Peelers

Vegetable Peeler Exercise: Voice of the Customer

"Carrots and potatoes are very different." "I cut myself with this one." "I just leave the skin on." "I'm left-handed. I use a knife." "This one is fast, but it takes a lot off." "How do you peel a squash?" "Here's a rusty one." "This looked OK in the store."

Vegetable Peeler Exercise: Key Customer Needs

1. The peeler peels a variety of produce. 2. The peeler can be used ambidextrously. 3. The peeler creates minimal waste. 4. The peeler saves time. 5. The peeler is durable. 6. The peeler is easy to clean. 7. The peeler is safe to use and store. 8. The peeler is comfortable to use. 9. The peeler stays sharp or can be easily sharpened.

Capture Innovation from Lead Users: Utility Light Example

Capture Innovation from Lead Users: Utility Light Example