Otto, Kevin : Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Wood, Kristin : University of Texas at Austin
Preface
Preface
Product Design presents an in-depth study of structured design processes and methods. In general, we have found
that the exercise of a structured design process has many benefits in education and industry. On the industrial
side, a structured design process is mandatory to effectively decide what projects to bring to market, schedule
this development pipeline in a changing uncertain world, and effectively create robust delightful products. On
the educational side, the benefits of using structured design methods include concrete experiences with hands-on
products, applications of contemporary technologies, realistic and fruitful applications of applied mathematics
and scientific principles, studies of systematic experimentation, exploration of the boundaries of design methodology,
and decision making for real product development. These results have proven true whether at the sophomore introductory
level with students of limited practice, or at the advanced graduate student level with students having years of
practical design experience.
Based on these observations, this book is intended for undergraduate, graduate, and practicing engineers. Chapter
1 of the book discusses the foundation material of product design, including our philosophy for learning and implementing
product design methods. Each subsequent chapter then includes both basic and advanced techniques for particular
phases of product development. Depending on the background of the reader, these methods may be understood at a
rudimentary level or at a level that pushes the current frontiers of product design.
Historically, this work grew out of a partnership effort between the authors, while we were both teaching product
development courses and carrying out research in mechanical design. We both share similar philosophies on design,
teaching, and research. Having each developed new methods in design, we were interested in transferring these and
others' methods into practice. We also strongly wanted to bring the excitement of the real world, both in physics
and the marketplace, to the design classroom.
A fundamental premise of our teaching approach is that reverse engineering and teardowns offer a better paradigm
for design instruction, permitting a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and then execution.
Design instruction is no different than other domains; to learn design one should both follow this learning cycle
and DO design. Reverse engineering and teardowns permit us to achieve this combined goal. We begin with a concrete
product in our hands, seeing how others have designed products well, rather than rushing straight to the execution
stage. With this in mind, we both independently set out to teach and successfully apply advanced methods, such
as customer needs analysis, functional modeling, optimization, and designed experiments on real products.
We quickly started sharing experiences, what worked and what did not, and progressively began to string together
a series of techniques and that fit naturally together. When one of us had a success, we would brag to the other,
or when something failed, we'd lament together. After a bit of systematic testing, we developed the methodology
presented in this book, which has proved remarkably robust when applied.
We would like to extend our special thanks to the many persons who directly contributed to this book. These include
John Baker, Joseph Beaman, Geoffrey Boothroyd, Ilene Busch-Vishniac, Jim Claypool, Richard Crawford, David Cutherell,
Michael Fang, Conger Gable, Javier Gonzales- Zugasti, Matthew Haggerty, Nicholas Hirschi, Maurice Holmes, Jerry
Jackson, Jerry Jones, Jennie Kwo, Doug Lefever, Aaron Little, Michael Manente, Robert Matulka, Dan McAdams, David
Meeker, Jon Miller, Steve Moore, Jeff Norrell, Caroline Pan, Erick Rios, David Roggenkamp, JoRuetta Roberson, Phil
Schmidt, Stephen Shiner, R. S. Srinivasan, Robert Stone, Carlos Tapia, David Wallace, Joe Wysocki, Janet Yu, and
Erik Zamirowski. Without their intellectual help, this book wound not be.
Many others have sparked our thoughts and inspired us in many ways. These persons include Erik Antonsson, Wolfgang
Beitz, Joe Bezdek, Bert Bras, Jonathon Cagan, Uichung Cho, Chin-Seng Chu, Don Clausing, Jim Coles, Ray Corvair,
Michael Cusumano, Jack Dixon, John Elder, Steven Eppinger, Rolf Faste, Woodie Flowers, Mark Foohey, Chee-Seng Foong,
Douglas Hart, John Hauser, Chester Hearn, Alberto Hernandez, Steve Hoover, Kos Ishii, Gerry Johnson, Nathan Kane,
Paul Koeneman, Sridhar Kota, Bill Maddox, Spencer Magleby, David Masser, Ryan Ratliff, David Rosen, Bernard Roth,
Warren Seering, Jami Shah, Sheri Sheppard, Alexander Slocum, George Stiny, David Thompson, Irem Turner, David Ullman,
Bill Weldon, Daniel Whitney, Joseph Wieck, Doug Wilde, and Rick Zayed.
We would like to thank the many persons, companies, and organizations that contributed case studies, important
data, and funding that make the examples real world. These include A.T.&T. Corp., W E. Bassett Co., Design
Edge Inc., Desktop Manufacturing Co., Digital Equipment Corporation, Eastman Kodak Co., Ford Motor Co., MIT Bernard
Gordon - Curriculum Development Fund, June and Gene Gillis, General Electric Inc., International Business Machines
Corp., Keurig Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Science Foundation, Robert
Noyce, Pre Associates, Product Genesis Inc., Polaroid Corporation, Raychem Corp., Raytheon Corp., Texas Instruments
Inc., Verein Deutches Ingineur, and the Xerox Corp.
We would especially like to thank MIT's Bernard Cordon Curriculum Development Fund and to the NSF Center for Innovation
in Product Development at MIT, which provided necessary funds to make this book possible. More importantly, the
supportive, dynamic and perceptive environment of academic faculty, students, staff and industrial researchers
at MIT's Center for Innovation in Product Development cannot be understated, they have made many insights possible.
Warren Seering in particular is a great help; he cannot be sufficiently thanked for his vision, insight, advice,
and outright help in working in product development.
We would also like to thank the colleagues who reviewed early drafts of the book and provided constructive criticisms.
A special group of early reviewers are the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy, Engineering Mechanics
Department, including Col. Cary Fisher, Dr. Dan Jensen, Maj. John Wood, Capt. Michael Murphy, and Maj. Mark Nowak.
We appreciate their assistance in implementing the material in their courses during Dr. Wood's sabbatical. They
truly tested, twisted, shaped, and criticized the material at the most fundamental of levels.
Many others have contributed to the organization and form of the book. In particular, the authors wish to thank
Neal Blumhagen, who created the cover artwork and a number of hand drawings in the text. Ann Weeks, artist, Erik
Zumalt, digital artist, Michael Young, media coordinator, and Sicily Dickenson, director of the UT Instructional
Media Lab, contributed wonderfully to the numerous illustrations and photographs in the book. Finally, Laurie Wood
contributed her creativity to a number of the illustrations.
Kevin Otto
Kristin Wood
Summary
Designed and targeted for the undergraduate, graduate and practicing engineer.
Product Design presents an in-depth study of structured design processes and methods.
Features
Fundamental approach--A systematic and methods-based strategy to product development.
Reverse engineering and product teardowns (dissection) offer a better paradigm for design instruction, permitting
a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and new design execution.
Students see good design before they attempt design.
Systematic methods provide structure for the learning of design.
Concrete experiences with hands-on products.
Students gain confidence through improving commercial products.
Application of modern technologies.
Rapid numerical exploration links engineering analysis to design.
Studies of systematic experimentation.
Easy to follow explanations permit effective improvement of products.
Exploration of the boundaries of design methodology.
Authors explain underlying assumptions and limits to design methods.
Decision making for real product development.
Industrially proven methods and their underlying reasoning are explained.
Discusses foundation material of product design, including a philosophy for learning and implementing product
design.
Perspective is gained on what methods can do and will do in the future.
Each chapter includes both basic and advanced techniques for particular phases of product development.
Permits instructor customization of the material--High-level or in-depth study on the various aspects of product
development.
Presents theory and concrete examples of emerging design techniques and principles.
The reader will study contemporary design-for-manufacturing, design-for-the-environment, prototyping, and design-for-assembly
methods.
Table of Contents
1. Journeys in Product Development.
2. Product Development Process Tools.
3. Scoping Product Developments: Technical and Business Concerns.
4. Understanding Customer Needs.
5. Establishing Product Function.
6. Product Teardown and Experimentation.
7. Benchmarking and Establishing Engineering Specifications.
8. Product Portfolios and Portfolio Architecture.
9. Product Architecture.
10. Generating Concepts.
11. Concept Selection.
12. Concept Embodiment.
13. Modeling of Product Metrics.
14. Design for Manufacture and Assembly.
15. Design for the Environment.
16. Analytical and Numerical Model Solutions.
17. Physical Prototypes.
18. Physical Models and Experimentation.
19. Design for Robustness.