Product Design: Creativity, concepts and usability
- New Delhi PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. 2012
- 317
This book presents a well-organized structure for learning the process of designing a product. Creativity and Concepts are the two major elements of product design emphasized in the book. Usability is also stressed as an important aspect of product design because it is advantageous to know the requirements of the users and their expectations.
The book extensively describes the concept of problem formulation through user centred design (UCD) survey, need statements and major requirements, and specifications and constraints. It also addresses the concept of idea generation of a formulated problem with the help of an idea-rack and optimization through configuration exploration. The text explains several other concepts of product design, such as product life cycle, design phases, simplicity, richness and complexity, uncoupled and decoupled designs, risk management, synthesis and analysis, interdisciplinary approach, and flexibility.
The book is eminently suitable for the students of mechanical engineering, besides being useful to students of all engineering disciplines. Academics will find this text useful for the introduction of an interdisciplinary course on product design either at the senior undergraduate degree level or at the postgraduate level.
Contents: Preface Acknowledgements 1. DESIGN AS A DISCIPLINE 2. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE 3. DESIGN PHASES 4. FORMULATION: PART 1 USER CENTRED DESIGN SURVEY 5. FORMULATION: PART 2 NEED STATEMENT AND MAJOR REQUIREMENTS 6. FORMULATION: PART 3 SPECIFICATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS 7. IDEA-RACK 8. OPTIMIZATION THROUGH CONFIGURATION EXPLORATION 9. USABILITY CONSIDERATIONS 10. SIMPLICITY, COMPLEXITY AND RICHNESS 11. DECISION MAKING 12. UNCOUPLED, DECOUPLED AND COUPLED DESIGNS 13. PRODUCTS OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC SOCIETIES 14. SUITABLE LIFE STYLE References and Suggested Reading Index
KEY FEATURES :
Many examples of products from day-to-day life.
Concept explanation using case studies and anecdotes.
Discussions on philosophical, creative, and conceptual aspects of design process.