2.1 designers and the product cycle

8/2/2019 2.1 Designers and the Product Cycle

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2.1 Designers and the product cycle

2.1.1 Describe the product cycle

Designing is a part of the product cycle.

1. Product is designed2. Product is made and sold3. Product is absolete (out of use)

This cycle is complicated as all of these groups are part of it:

- Distributors- Retailers- Accountants-

Product Engineers

CAD (Computer-aided Design), CAM (Computer-aided Manufacture), designer becomes part of the cycle by creating the

prototype from a personal computer.

Built-in obsolescence (planned obsolescence) in the UK:

- Process of a product becoming obsolete in other words useless- After a certain period of time and use, the product is non-functional

anymore as the product is intended.

- Designers and manufacturers approximately calculate the durability ofthe product when it is designed.

Essential because:

- Manufacturing decision by a manufacturer to make products out of dateor useless within a known time of period

- As the company or the manufacturer are aware of the durability of theproduct they are able to make new products when customers come back

to buy another product to replace the old.

- In addition, main goal of planned obsolescence is to ensure customers willcome back and are encouraged to buy the product multiple times

increases the profit of the company, as prospective customers become

stabilized customers.

There are some problems associated.

- eg. When competitors (other companies) offer similar products but withlonger durability and specs, it is likely that customers will choose the

better one.

- If the case gets too extreme it will certainly backfire at the companyresulting bad reputation of the brand.


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Even though planned obsolescence have the potential of bringing negative

effects, it is still useful to the companies when they have to control the costs of

the product.

- eg. An MP3 player manufacturer can use cheaper accessories, which willlast around 5 years, rather than accessories with durability of 20 yearsvery unlikely that a customer will use an MP3 player for 20 years.

- Thus, customers can lower input costs without fearing a customersbacklash.

Product life cycle is the course of events that occur when a new product Is

released. The most common 5 steps are:

- Product development- Market introduction- Growth- Maturity- Decline/ stability

Product cycle:

1. Product development, including market analysis, product design,conception and testing. Both designers and manufactures carefully

consider how they will produce new and fresh product this

preparation is extremely important.

2. Market introduction product is initially released. Role of advertisementand marketing are crucial in order to attract the customers.

3. Growth phasewhen sales of the products accelerate and start to makeprofit. As production levels increase, gross margins should steadilydecline which makes the product less profitable on a per unit basis.

Competition between similar products is very certain. After growth phase,

product meets maturity phasewhen the product reaches the upper

bounds of its demand cycle, further advertisement and marketing is

unnecessary because there is very little increase of demand.

4. In decline/ stability phase, product reaches or passes its highest demand.Thus, demand will either remain steady or slowly decline and eventually

be replaced by the new product.

For the companies trying to sell their products it is crucial to understandthe planned obsolescence and product life cycle in order to produce well-

planned products that will encourage the customers to buy their

companies products.


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Planned product obsolescence:

- Process of a product becoming obsolete or non-functional after a certainperiod or amount of use, as planned or designed by the manufacturer.

- Planned obsolescence also affects when after maturity of a product itmust be taken off the market.

- For an industry, planned obsolescence stimulates demand by encouragingpurchasers to buy again sooner if they still want a functioning product.

- Planned obsolescence was first thought of in the 1930s by an engineerworking for an electric company, this was only possible due to mass

production he proposed that to increase sales of flashlight lamps by

increasing their efficiency and shortening their life. this method was

then introduced into car manufacturing in 1934 when it was decided to

limiting the life of automobiles.

- Planned obsolescence is used by companies to generate more revenue;this is possible because certain components on products are made only to

last for a certain period of time, an example of this is water filters that are

fitted on taps to make the water safe and consumable. These are speciallydesigned to last for a short period of time for two reasons because there is


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a potential health hazard if there is a large amount of imperfections in the

water; the second reason is so that there are greater revenue for the

company which is due to more items replaced with old ones.

2.1.2 Discuss the role of the designers in the product cycle

Designing is part of a product cycle:

- need is generated, product is designed, made and sold, absolete.- Cycle is complicated by distributors, retailers, accountants and product

engineers have an influence over the cycle.

- Designers are not part of the process.- CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacture)

prototype is produced by the designer from his or her personal computer

(PC), which blurs this distinction.

2.1.3 Outline the product cycle in terms of early, mature and late stages of

development

- In the early stages of the product cycle, many changes to the product takeplace until it develops to the mature stage diffused into market, gains

acceptance, sells well.

- In the late stage, product begins to decline in need and therefore in sales.2.1.4 Identify products that are at the early, mature and late stages of their

product cycle

The ballpoint pen is in the mature stage, as it still sells well although the design

does not change much. The cassette tape is in the late stage, as it has beenovertaken by successive generations of products.

2.1 designers and the product cycle

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