Product Design and Development
Product innovation is a strategic dynamic capability that allows firms to create, design, develop, and maintain competitive offerings to customers and markets. This capability requires managers to develop competencies and skills in the methodologies, techniques, and tools needed for the different phases of the product innovation process.
During the design phase, several techniques are used to identify promising and viable ideas and validate a product concept. Ideation requires the use of empathy analysis, the design of personas, and journey maps, while concept design involves the application of the Kano method, morphological analysis, and TRIZ creative processes. Later, product concepts need to be refined through conjoint analysis, functional analysis, reverse engineering, and fast technical and commercial diagrams. The product development phase requires a detailed design and parameters specification through applying Quality function Deployment methodologies, the Taguchi method for robust design, and Kansei engineering for emotional design. Several other techniques, such as sentimental analysis, neural networks, and emergent emotions, model the customer’s response to a particular design.
The development phase is completed by assessing prototypes, usability testing, quality assurance, manufacturing, and sustainability considerations. Integrating design with manufacturing and operations requires applying design for Six Sigma and life cycle costing analysis. In today’s environmentally conscious markets, the application of tools for sustainability is critical. A well-rounded product and design manager must master this portfolio of methods and tools.