Concept Generation

Teaching materials to accompany:

Product Design and Development
Chapter 7
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
 Product Design and Development
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.

Chapter Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Development Processes and Organizations
3. Opportunity Identification
4. Product Planning
5. Identifying Customer Needs
6. Product Specifications
7. Concept Generation
8. Concept Selection
9. Concept Testing
10. Product Architecture
11. Industrial Design
12. Design for Environment
13. Design for Manufacturing
14. Prototyping
15. Robust Design
16. Patents and Intellectual Property
17. Product Development Economics
18. Managing Projects
 Concept Development Process
Mission Development
Statement Identify Establish Generate Select Test Set Plan Plan
Customer Target Product Product Product Final Downstream
Needs Specifications Concepts Concept(s) Concept(s) Specifications Development

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

 Outline
1. Product concept, definition
2. Commonly dysfunctions in product
development
3. Five steps in the product concept
generation process

7/4/2017 4
 Product concept
A technical description of how the product will
satisfy the customers needs
An approximate description of
the technology,
working principles, and
form of the product
Often expressed with a sketch or 3D model,
accompanied with a brief textual description.

7/4/2017 5
7/4/2017 6
 Common dysfunctions during
concept generation
Consider only one or two alternatives
Fail to consider the usefulness of the concepts
Involve only one or two people in the process
Ineffectively integrate promising partial solutions
Fail to consider entire categories of solutions

7/4/2017 7
 Product Concept Generation
Process (5 steps)
1. Clarify the problem
2. Search externally
3. Search internally
4. Explore systematically
5. Reflect on the solutions and the process.

7/4/2017 8
 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
7/4/2017 Improvement 10
 Clarify the Problem
Understand the problem
From the teams (product) mission statement
From the customers needs
From the product specifications
Decompose the problem into simpler sub-problems
Divide and conquer
Using function diagrams
Decompose by sequence of user actions
Decompose by key customers need
Focus initial efforts on the critical sub-problems
Focus on critical sub-problems
Defer solutions to other sub-problems

7/4/2017 11
 Concept Generation Example:
Power Nailer

7/4/2017 12
 Understand the Problem
From mission statement
It will use nails
It will be compatible with nail magazines
It will nail through roofing singles into wood
It will be hand held
Based on assumptions
It inserts nails in rapid succession
It is light weight.
It has no nailing delays (from the users view)
From specifications
Nail length ranges from 25-28 mm
Nailing rate is 1 nail per second.
Tool mass is less than 4 KG.
7/4/2017 13
 Problem Decomposition:
Function Diagram
INPUT OUTPUT
Energy (?) Energy (?)
Hand-held
Material (nails) Material (driven nail)
nailer
Signal (tool "trip") Signal (?)

Store or Convert
accept energy to
Energy external translational
energy energy

Apply
Store Isolate Driven
Nails translational
nails nail nail
energy to nail

"Trip" of Sense Trigger

tool trip tool

7/4/2017 14
 Search Externally
1. Interview lead users
2. Consult experts
3. Search patents
4. Search published literature
5. Benchmark related products

7/4/2017 15
 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
Literature
technical journals
trade literature
7/4/2017 16
 Search Internally (both group
and individually)
Guide for the search
Suspend judgment
Generate a lot of ideas
Welcome ideas that seem infeasible
Use graphic and physical media
Hints for generating concepts
Make analogies
Wish and wonder
User related stimuli
Set quantitative goals
Post ideas on the wall
7/4/2017 17
 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
7/4/2017 18
 Explore Systematically
Concept combination tree
Page 132
Prune less promising branches
Identify independent approaches to the problem
Expose inappropriate emphasis on certain branches
Refine the problem decomposition for a particular
branch.
Concept combination table
Page 113

7/4/2017 19
7/4/2017 21
 Systematic Exploration:
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

7/4/2017 24
7/4/2017 25
7/4/2017 26
7/4/2017 27
7/4/2017 28
7/4/2017 29
 Concept Generation Example:
Power Nailer

7/4/2017 30
 Reflect on the Results
The solution space?
Alternative function diagrams?
Alternative ways to decompose the problem?
Additional external resources?
All ideas generated and integrated?

7/4/2017 31
 Concept Generation Exercise:
Vegetable Peelers

7/4/2017 32
 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."

7/4/2017 33
 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.

7/4/2017 34
 Capture Innovation from Lead Users:
Utility Light Example

7/4/2017 35
 Capture Innovation from Lead Users:
Utility Light Example

7/4/2017 36
Other Images
Concept Generation Example:
Power Nailer
 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
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.
Problem Decomposition:
Function Diagram
 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
Literature
technical journals
trade literature
Capture Innovation from Lead Users:
Utility Light Example
Capture Innovation from Lead Users:
Utility Light Example
 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
Systematic Exploration:
Concept Combination Table