design team Flashcards
What are designers roles?
Designing and developing products that will function properly, be easy to use and appeal to the intended target market.
Communicates with other team members throughout the design and manufacture of a product.
When are designers involved?
Developing a brief.
Analysing a brief.
Producing a specification.
Generating ideas.
Developing proposals.
What are ergonomists?
Tasked with ensuring that all aspects of the design team consider the science of ergonomics within the design of the product. The role of the ergonomist is to ensure:
Aspects of ergonomics are addressed in the design.
The design meets the anthropometrics of the correct range of users. They must select the correct measurements and make sure that the designer has the correct information to help them design the product.
The designer considers the psychology of the product and all the different senses and how they will potentially interact with the product.
When are ergonomists involved?
Provide guidance to the rest of the design team relating to the physiological elements of design of the product to ensure that the target market can use the product comfortably and safely.
Involved in designing the user trials during the evaluation of the prototype to make sure that the user/client can safely and comfortably use the product before it goes into mass production.
What are lawyers?
Lawyers are members of the design team for many different reasons. There key role is to :
Ensure that the product complies with all relevant safety standards and that if the product does fail in operation that the company has tested the product to ensure that it meets safety standards.
Protect the company from any legal issues that could potentially arise when the product is used by consumers.
Ensure that the intellectual property of the product is protected by insuring that patents, copy right and trademarks are all registered with the appropriate agencies. Lawyers will also take action against any other company which infringes the intellectual property of their company.
To ensure the company follow all legal requirements for their employee.
When are lawyers involved?
Whole design process
What are production engineers?
The production engineer is responsible for ensuring that the parts for product can be manufactured. A production engineer typically has a wide knowledge of engineering practices and is aware of the management challenges related to production. Their role is:
To accomplish the production process in the smoothest, most-judicious and most-economic way.
Tell the company and the designer what machines and special arrangements will be required to ensure that the product is successfully manufactured.
To be more realistic about the limitations of the machinery to manufacture the product and they provide good advice to the design engineer.
When are product engineers involved?
Research
Producing a specification
Generating ideas.
Development
Manufacture
What are project managers?
The project manager leads the design team and plans with the different members of the design team. The project manager is responsible for making sure that the product is designed and manufactured within the company’s time frame.
The project manager uses a Gantt chart to identify the key priorities of the project and who is responsible for the tasks. The project manager also ensures that there are regular meetings of team to talk about the progress of the design.
When are project mangers involved?
Key part of all elements of the design process
What are market researchers?
The market researcher is the person that helps at the start and end of the product. A market researcher role is to :
Investigate during the research stage of the design process by finding out using a variety of different techniques (surveys/focus groups etc) what the project think is wrong with existing products and what changes they would like made it the product.
Identify the target market for the design team and this will allow the ergonomist to be able to find the correct anthropometric and physiological data that will need to be considered in the design of the product.
Involved in making sure that the marketing team are aware of the target market and target the marketing campaign to the niche market identified. A niche market is a market that is a particular demographic.
When are project managers involved?
Research
Branding / promotion/ marketing
What are material technologists?
The materials technologist is responsible for ensuring the correct material is selected for the successful manufacture of the product. The materials technologist will:
Work with the manufacturing engineer to make sure that the tools and equipment can be function successfully and manufacture a product to a high quality.
Ensure that the material meets the designer’s specification and they are responsible for investigating and researching different materials.
Responsible for making sure that the finished the product is successful in operation and does not fail.
Checking the quality of the materials purchased and identifying any flaws that occur in the material.
When are project technologists involved?
Research
Development
Manufacture
Benefits of working as a design team?
Promotes diverse thinking
Gathers ideas from a range of people/ experts
Ideas can be shared and discussed
Idea’s could be developed quicker and with fewer problems.
Disadvantages of working as a design team?
Ideas could be driven in the wrong direction by stronger members of the design team
Some members may not be team players / conflict
Idea’s could be constrained as idea’s could be easily dismissed before they are explored.
What’s an internal designer?
a designer who works for the company and is on the payroll
Advantages of internal designers?
Lower initial cost per day than a freelancer
Easier to maintain, manage and control time activity and quality
Knows the business better
Consistent and relationships with staff
What is subcontracting?
Subcontracting refers to the practice of bringing in an outside company or individual to perform specific parts of a contract or project.
In most cases, a company subcontracts another business to perform a task that cannot be handled internally.
Advantages of subcontracting?
Only brought in when needed
Specialists can be brought in when a project is too diverse or special expertise
Only pay for the sub contractor for the time they are working on the job
Disadvantages of subcontracting?
Reliability of contractor (could hold up the production process)
May miss deadlines
No commitment
What is an external designer?
a designer who does freelance work for contract work for the company that is only paid when the company need them they can also work for other companies at the same time
Advantages of external designers?
- recruit on demand minimizing risk of overhead wastage
- reduces HR requirements due to smaller salary team
- can hire for specific skills that are needed
- different ideas brought to the table
Disadvantages of external designers?
- repeat access to individual people is difficult
- tactical resource rather than strategic asset
- increased project management to ensure budgets
- can be more expensive
