Midterm 1 Flashcards
Benefits for Following a formalized PDP when designing a product
To ensure all the proper development steps/checks are taken
To ensure an efficient process (fast development)
Provides an easy structure/method for justification and documentation
Can yield non-obvious results
Describe the difference between a “solution” and a “design” as described within the context of our design courses
A solution is anything that solves the problem (not necessarily well!). A design is something that is in some way a best possible solution.
What does it mean to be “solution netural” in terms of defining a problem for design
It means having no trace of potential solutions in the problem statement and trying not to think about solutions when first defining a problem. This relates to describing “what” the product must do but not “how” it needs to accomplish the task. It’s useful because it allows full design freedom for the designers. This means that more solutions can/must be considered which aids in finding outside-the-box creative design solutions.
True or False. It is always benficial to consider a broader definition of your end user.
False. Having too broad of an end user can introduce compromises in performance
2 distinct potential uses for performing a fishbone diagram
To further refine a general problem
TO highlight the hierarchy of potential causes
Briefly describe what is meant by an “Ethnographic study”. What types of things can you learn from one? Is this a quantitative or qualitative market analysis technique?
An ethnographic study watching users in a usage environment (this is the main idea).
These can be used to ID any potential emerging needs (such as annoyance behaviors), see actual product usage or misuse, … (anything else that makes sense)
It is a qualitative technique
Why it is useful to do some ballpark engineering calculations (Physics of the Task) early on in the problem
This can be useful to determine overall feasibility. Also useful for determining the scope of intended solutions.
Name three distinct advantages of functional decomposition over physical decomposition
You don’t need an existing product to dissect
- Provides a more abstract solution neutral representation of the task/product
- Utilizes a standardized language that can be used to describe/analyze/compare broad classes of products and insights you gain are not product specific
- Can provide clearer insights into design issues, especially those not apparent in the physical structure of a final design
Describe the main reasons why a designer would design using codes and standards.
Safety
To meet laws/regulations
Efficiency (leveraging previous experience)
Describe one reason for performing a physical decomposition
It is easy to do; It helps develop an understanding for the current state-of-the-art.Physics of task sometimes becomes clearer by physically exploring components in existing solutions.
Describe the purpose of developing product design specification during design process
To keep the design team organized and focused toward a defined goal
