Chapter 1: Introduction Product Design and Development Fourth Edition by Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger

Goals of Book and Course Examine structured approaches to product design and development (e.g. functional decomposition, set-based design, …) Develop the knowledge and tools to be able to work successfully on cross functional teams (e.g. identify customer needs, intellectual property, economic decision making, …)

Bias of the Book Assumes a For-Profit enterprise Considers primarily Discrete Goods (printers, and power drills rather than plastic film) Considers primarily Physical Products rather than engineering services or software.

Bias of the Teacher SMIU Rules for Good Design Does not hurt anyone Makes money Works OK

Excellent Design Enhances lives Makes tons of money Delights the user

Role of Structured Methods Creativity vs. Recipe in design Creativity vs. Recipe in product development process Most people think of design activities as rather creative efforts. As such, they resist the notion that structure can and should be applied to improve the process. However, product development (which includes many design-related activities) is often quite procedural, with sets of activities that can generally be documented, studied, and improved. It is the recognition of the structure of these processes that facilitates improvement of the practice of product development.

Effect of Organization The organization or structure of design teams can significantly affect your life and the company.