Road to Best Design

Going from concept to product requires many stops in between. Translating end-user requirements into product specifications should not depend solely on the experience and talent of individuals at the design office. This chapter introduces a repeatable methodology with which any design idea can be rationalized with certain constraints that may come from materials, costs, process selection, or utilization of sustainable manufacturing processes or recyclable materials. Although a talented designer provides a unique signature to their products, complete reliance on it jeopardizes the sequential nature of sustainable production. To overcome this talent-related constraint, a methodological approach such as House of Quality (HoQ) is used to arrive at the best design.