Rapid prototyping, as the name implies, creates preliminary design models that are quickly tested and either discarded (as fast failures) or further refined. The models can be physical or electronic, rough facsimiles or full-scale working models. The iterative process involves form and functional design, as well as production design.
It is important that these design decisions be performed concurrently at the rapid prototype stage. Design decisions affect sales strategies, efficiency of manufacture, assembly quality, speed of repair, and product cost. Design decisions overlap and early changes in the design are less dis- ruptive than those made late in the process. Effective designs, as shown in Figure 4.3, break down the series of walls between functional areas and involve persons from different backgrounds and areas of expertise early in the design process. This process of jointly and iteratively developing a design is called concurrent design.
Concurrent design improves both the quality of the design and the time-to-market. This is especially true with the design of component parts to be completed by a supplier. Rather than designing the parts and giving the design specs to a supplier to complete, concurrent design in- volves the supplier in the design process. For example, a company may share with a potential supplier the performance specs and ask the supplier to complete the design so that the part per- forms properly and fits with space, weight, and cost parameters.
In the next sections, we discuss the three types of concurrent designs: form, functional, and production design.
FORM DESIGN
Form designrefers to the physical appearance of a product—its shape, color, size, and style. Aesthetics such as image, market appeal, and personal identification are also part of form design. In many cases, functional design must be adjusted to make the product look or feel right. For example, the form de- sign of Mazda’s Miata sports car went further than looks—the exhaust had to have a certain “sound,”
the gearshift lever a certain “feel,” and the seat and window arrangement the proper dimensions to encourage passengers to ride with their elbows out. Apple products have great form and functional design. Read about Apple’s design process in the “Along the Supply Chain” box on the next page.
Concurrent design:
a new approach to design that involves the simultaneous design of products and processes by design teams.
(a) Sequential design: Walls between functional areas
(b) Concurrent design: Walls broken down
Customers Marketing
personnel
Design engineer
Manufacturing engineer
Production personnel
Design team
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Figure 4.3 Concurrent Design, Breaking Down Barriers
Rapid prototyping:
creating, testing, and revising a preliminary design model.
Form design:
how the product will look.
A L O N G T H E S U P P L Y C H A I N
Apple’s Design Process
No discussion of innovation and design would be complete without examining BusinessWeek’s perennial “No. 1 Most Innovative Company,” Apple. Both Apple’s product and service design prowess are legendary. Michael Lopp, se- nior engineering manager at Apple, describes his com- pany’s approach to design as delivering a series of presents to the customer, “really good ideas wrapped up in other re- ally good ideas” (i.e., pioneering software in elegant hard- ware in beautiful packaging) to replicate that Christmas morning experience. Apple moves fast, constantly inno- vates, and is never satisfied. More than understanding cus- tomer needs, they anticipate what will delight customers in the future. Although Apple has received many design acco- lades, little is known about their design process. Four of their techniques, presented below, were revealed during a panel discussion at a recent SXSW (South-by-Southwest) Interactive Conference.
• Pixel Perfect Mockups Detailed mockups (e.g., proto- types) take a long time to construct but prevent misunder- standings and mistakes later on in the process.
• 10 to 3 to 1 Designers create ten completely different detailed mock-ups which are then reduced to three. After several more months of work, those three are reduced to one final design. Not many companies would be willing to discard 90% of their design work to come up with the perfect design.
• Paired Design Meetings Every week the engineers and designers have two meetings—a brainstorming meeting with no-holds-barred free thinking, and a production meeting to critique ideas and decide how to make them work. This continues throughout the development process. It is highly unusual to encourage creative thinking in the later stages of a design, or to start over when better ideas are generated, something CEO Steve Jobs has been known to do.
• Pony Meetings Top managers are famous for the “I want a pony” syndrome of pie-in-the-sky ideas. Design teams have regular meetings with execs to inform them of pony status and to keep them in the loop during the design process. This eliminates surprises and disappoint- ments later on.
The Apple design team of 20 people is quite small, with an international flair of German, British, New Zealand, and Italian designers, in addition to U.S. designers. Design chief Jonathan Ives prefers to invest his dollars in state-of- the-art prototyping equipment rather than large numbers of people. However, these designers work closely with engi- neers, marketers, and manufacturing contractors in Asia who actually build the products. Not surprisingly, Apple is
a leading innovator in materials, tooling, and manufactur- ing technology such as injection molding, as well as elec- tronic technology.
Apple gloats that it does no market research, nor does it spread risk by diversifying its products. Instead Apple concen- trates its resources on just a few products and makes them extremely well. They use their own technology and take the time to immerse themselves in the user experience. The process begins by asking, “What do we hate? What do we have the technology to do? What would we like to own?”
Meticulous designers take it from there—designers who dream up products so ingenious that whole industries are upended.
1. What about Apple-designed products do you find special as a consumer?
2. Why have no competitors caught up with Apple?
Do you think Apple can sustain its success with so few products?
3. What would you ask Apple to design next?
Sources: Betsy Morris, “What Makes Apple Golden,” Fortune, (March 3, 2008); Alain Breillatt, “You Can’t Innovate Like Apple,”
posted March 21, 2008, retrieved from http://pictureimperfect.net/
2008/03/21/you-cant-innovate-like-apple/; Helen/Walters, “Apple’s Design Process,” BusinessWeek Online (March 2008), retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/thwe_thread/techbeat/archives/2008/03/
apples_design_p.html; M.G. Siegler, “The Wonders of Apple’s Tablet,”
The Washington Post (December 25, 2009).
Getty Images, Inc.