PRODUCT DESIGN- 1.24

Question 1

Explain Primary Sources of Research

Answer 1

Primary Research involves collecting information yourself, from various sources,
eg.
-questionnaire’s,
-communication with client/ user,
-direct contact with experts

Question 2

What are advantages and disadvantages of Primary Research

Answer 2

Advantages:
-Information is new, up to date and relevant
-Can be designed to obtain specific information

Disadvantages:
-Time consuming
-Costly
-Accuracy of the information will depend of the skills of the researchers

Question 3

Explain Secondary Research

Answer 3

Secondary Research are generally easier to obtain and can provide good background information,
eg.
-articles from books or magazines
-items from catalogues
-handouts
-Internet
-data sheets

Question 4

What are Questionnaires

Answer 4

Questionnaire’s are usually a written set of questions conducted face to face, by mail or online

Question 5

What are advantages and disadvantages of Secondary Research?

Answer 5

Advantages:
-Less costly than Primary Research
-Less time consuming

Disadvantage:
-Information may not be relevant or up to date
-It may not be specific to the business’ needs

Question 6

What are advantages and disadvantages of Questionnaire’s

Answer 6

Advantages:
-quick and convenient
-Responses may be truthful

Disadvantages:
-In-depth opinions are not usually obtained
-Responses may not be accurate

Question 7

What are Surveys?

Answer 7

A questionnaire is a set of questions you’re asking an individual.
A Survey is the process of collecting, analysing and interpreting data from MANY individuals, and aims to provide an insight about a group of people.

Question 8

What is the purpose of a Design Specification?

Answer 8

The specification is a statement of the qualities that a design must possess in order for it to be a good solution to the problem. It is more precisely known as the Product Design Specification (PDS).
-The following sub-headings can be used to organise a logical and effective specification.
For example, Purpose/ Function, Materials, Size, Safety, Quality, Cost

Question 9

What is the purpose of a Manufacturing Specification?

Answer 9

-The manufacturing specification lists the information which are needed to produce the product, so that ideal products can be produced.
-It is a detailed specification which records the stages of the process, with details of all characteristics, eg shape, size, texture and colour, required in the final product.
-It also lists where standard components can be used, eg screws, nuts and bolts

Question 10

Explain Thought Showers as a Generation of Idea

Answer 10

-Thought Showers are a method of quickly generating a large number of ideas within a group.
-No such thing as a bad idea
-Some of the best concepts come from seemingly ridiculous statements

Question 11

What are advantages of Thought Showers

Answer 11

-No criticism of any idea is allowed
-Judgement is withheld until later
-All ideas are welcome, no matter how bizzare
-The emphasis is to produce a large number of ideas

Question 12

What are disadvantages of Thought Showers

Answer 12

-Larger groups can result in too much input
-More organisation is required

Question 13

Explain Lateral Thinking as a Generation of Idea

Answer 13

Lateral Thinking involves looking at problems from new angles and making unexpected connections

Advantages;
-A creative was of problem solving
-Helps find creative and practical solutions
-Uses a creative approach and look at it from different angles

Question 14

Explain Attribute analysis as a Generation of Idea

Answer 14

-Attribute analysis is a technique which may be used to develop new concepts or designs for familiar products. It simply asks how the attributes can be varied, thinking creatively about these variations.

Eg, a paperclip has many properties and uses

Question 15

Explain SCAMPER as a Generation of Idea

Answer 15

-SCAMPER is based on the theory that everything new is actually a modification or something that already exists.

Question 16

What does each letter of SCAMPER mean?

Answer 16

S- Substitute
Replace/ change parts, materials, use other processes/ machinery

C- Combine
Combine parts or ideas, combine with other products

A- Adapt
What ideas can you incorporate

M- Magnify
What can be made larger/ modified
Add extra features
What can be exaggerated

P- Put to other use
What else can it be used for?
Can a child/ elderly use it?

E- Eliminate
What can be removed without altering its function?

R- Rearrange
Should I turn it upside down?
Backwards or different patterns?

Question 17

Explain SCAMPER in terms of McDonald’s

Answer 17

S- Substitute
Plain burgers, different meals, paper straws

C- Combine
Make it a meal (cheaper), happy meal

A- Adapt
Ubereats/ Mac Delivery

M- Magnify
Bigger burgers, drinks, portion sizes

P- Put to other use
Happy meal boxes into plates/ gales
Drive thru lanes (park and lanes)

E- Eliminate
Take things off the menu
Paper straws

R- Rearrange
Service kiosks, drive through

Question 18

Explain Inversion as a Generation of Idea-

Answer 18

–Inversion involves turning a situation or problem upside down
-Look at it backwards
-Think of the opposite, rather than focusing on the positives

Question 19

What is a design critique

Answer 19

A design critique refers to analysing a design usually by a group through conversation with the ultimate goal of improving the design by giving feedback on whether it meets its objectives.

Question 20

What is a design development

Answer 20

A design development is a process of creating a more detailed, refined design
-The purpose is to explore the potential of a product

During this, they will:
-start to detail the spec and prioritize needs
-consider requirements
-model ideas
-check the likely cost implications

Question 21

What is the development and refinement of ideas

Answer 21

-When describing the phases within the design stages, there are 3 elements
-divergence, transformation and convergence
At the start, you must generate ideas and approaches
-Also, must evaluate what has been developed, brings together the features

Question 22

What are 2D and 3D Computer Simulations

Answer 22

A type of modelling
-will test features, such as proportion, scale and function
-modelling can be achieved through traditional materials or 2D/ 3D computer simulations

Benefits to the company:
-doesn’t require physical components- reduce costs
-can speed up production process
-Ideas can be edited

Question 23

What is a Work Order?

Answer 23

-A sequence of actions which have to be followed to complete a task satisfactorily

Question 24

What is a Schedule?

Answer 24

-A schedule outlines a sequence of actions which have to be followed to complete a job or task satisfactorily in a specific time frame.

Question 25

Explain characteristics of Gantt Charts

Answer 25

A Gantt chart shows you what needs to be done, when and in what order
Gantt charts indicate:
-The activity to complete
-How long each activity will take
-Monitor whether the project is on schedule
-The full duration of time for the project
-The end time of the entire project

Question 26

Explain the one-off selection method?

Answer 26

-One off production is where individual products are made one at a time to meet specific customer preferences, our coursework project

Question 27

What are the advantages and disadvantages of One off Selection

Answer 27

Advantages:
-High profit margins for bespoke products
-Employees may gain enjoyment from using their specialist skills
-Customer gets exactly what they want

Disadvantages:
-Highly skilled staff are required- increases costs
-Highly skilled staff may not be available, which can make training staff very expensive
-Can take more time

Question 28

Explain what mass production selection method is?

Answer 28

-mass production involves continuously making identical products. This allows the production process to be heavily automated

Question 29

What are the advantages and disadvantages of mass production

Answer 29

Advantages:
-able to make larger quantities
-consistency in production means products are identical, which means customers know exactly what they are buying
-highly automated process

Disadvantages:
-expensive to buy all machinery needed for automation
-no variation in products, all exactly the same

Question 30

Explain what Batch production is?

Answer 30

-Batch production involves making a set quantity of identical products. The quantity is known as a ‘batch’. The batch size could be 10, 10000 or a million identical products

Question 31

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Batch Production?

Answer 31

Advantages:
-able to make a variety of sizes or flavours, etc
-can be partially automated (machines and manual labour)
-can produce more products compared to one off production

Disadvantages;
-not as flexible regarding customers’ taste as one off one production
-not fully automated- costs are still high

Characteristics:
-shorterruns than mass
-produces variations
-may require processes to stop in order to make changes- expensive and time consuming

Question 32

Why evaluate a product

Answer 32

-evaluation is the process of examining a product to determine what’s wrong, not working and why

Question 33

Explain the types of evaluation

Answer 33

FORMATIVE:
-Done as a continuous process in the development of a product. It is a method of evaluating the product at every stage during it’s development/ manufacture which allows you to make necessary changes there and then.

SUMMATIVE:
A method of evaluating a product at the end of the product design (end of project). This focus is on the outcome- strengths/ weaknesses of the project.

Question 34

Explain the term ‘fitness for purpose’

Answer 34

The term ‘fitness for purpose’ refers to the fact that the designer must ensure that the product must do what it was designed for.

A company would want to ensure their product is fit for purpose for reasons such as:
-help improve sales of the product
-could enhance company reputation
-reduce the number of customer returns