PRODUCT DESIGN STUDY NOTES

• ALWAYS WRITE IN SENTENCES, START BY RE-STATING THE QUESTION THEN GIVE YOUR ANSWER.

• ALWAYS WHEN REQUIRED GIVE A REASON

MATERIALS

Mild Steel Mild Steel is a ferrous metal which means that it contains Iron and will rust unless the surface is protected. Advantages -Cheap to buy - Easy to work with - Durable -Has Strength - Easily pressed or bent - Easy to Finish -Lightweight in Sheet Form - Can be drilled easily

Finishes -Painting - Galvanising - Powder Coating -Plastic Coating - Zinc Coating - Chrome Plating

Manufacture -Welding - Punching - Drilling -Press Forming - Riveting - Cutting -Bending - Folding - Blanking

Nylon Nylon is a Thermoplastic which means it softens when heated and hardens when cooled. This softening and hardening can be repeated indefinitely . This is called Plastic memory. Advantages -Can have any colour as part of material - Hardwearing/Durable - Impact resistant - Can be easily shaped

Manufacture -Compression Moulding –Heated Plastic is placed in a mould cavity, it is then compressed into shape by a heated punch. then removed from the mould

Injection Moulding – Is used when a large number of plastic components are required , very accurate very quick. Plastic granules are heated until soft enough to be injected under pressure into a mould. It then cools then can be removed.

Plastic injected in mould and compressed

Plastic is allowed to cool and mould formers removed

Plastic is granules are heated until soft

Heated plastic placed in mould Heated plastic compressed Removed from mould

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel is ferrous metal and it is also an alloy, which means it is made of a mixture of materials. However because it has high chromium and nickel levels it has improved corrosive resistance then other ferrous metals.

Advantages Visual / Appearance – Looks good through shiny appearance, see Mid Steel Manufacture -See Mild Steel Finishing - Spray painting, Dip Coating, Powder Coating, Electro Plating

Thermoplastics

Advantages – Comes in many colours, Products can be easily mass produced tough/durable, resist chemicals, products produced at low cost using certain processes, products will be light, products will be resistant to fatigue/wear, Colour is built in

DESIGN (ERGONOMICS)

Anthropometrics Products are designed around the dimensions, capabilities, and responses of the people who use them. Anthropometrics deals with the measurements of the physical characteristics of human beings. However human beings come in different sizes this is provided for in Anthropometrics as there are what are called percentiles. 5th Percentile – Smallest 50th – Average 95th – Largest Which data to use depends on what is being design, eg. A seat height at the 50th would result in those in the 5th not being able to put their feet down, or a door height at 50th would result in all those at 95th not being able to fit through. 50th is rarely used but in certain circumstances it can be appropriate Answering a question When answering a question on Anthropometrics it is important to name the part of the product, name the percentile used and say why that percentile is used naming the body part or body parts, be very specific e.g. width of palm. So that is :

PART PERCENTILE (Male/Female) WHY (Naming Body Parts)

E.G. the position of the handlebars has been designed to fit the 50th percentile of 2-4 year old’s arm reach so that almost all potential users can comfortably use them.

Physiology

When designing products the human body’s capabilities must be taken into consideration. Products must be designed to avoid stress, strain, fatigue, and injury to a person using a product. A persons strength, muscle control, posture, flexibility, joint movements and reaction times must be considered. E.G. How does a person, pick up, push, lift, open, close, hold, put down Answering a Question When answering a question it is important to mention the product part , the human limitations, and how the person interacts with the product. PRODUCT PART HUMAN LIMITATIONS INTERACTION

The padded saddle will have been designed so that its height can be easily adjusted with minimum effort and physical strength. This makes the bicycle suitable for the range of users.

Psychology

Mental and emotional triggers can stimulate human behaviour. It is important to design products that appeal to people. How people receive, perceive and process information is important in design. When you have bought something in the past you would have thought “I like that” which means psychologically that product has appealed to your senses and triggered a favourable response. e.g. The purpose of the product, is it to be comfortable, safe, look good, practical etc What does the product have that triggers a part in your brain that the product has these things thus psychologically you are drawn to it

Answering a Question When answering the question you must ensure that you mention the part of the product, the psychological feeling and an explanation of how that ties in with the product. PRODUCT PART FEELING EXPLANATION The use of blue as the colour for the saddle has been chosen to ensure the user can see

one of the key parts of the bicycle. This is very useful to users because they will know where to sit.

DESIGN

Durability Durability basically means that a product will withstand wear, tear and decay. Answering a question You should mention the part of the product or the product, how it is a durable and an explanation as to why has to be durable. PRODUCT PART HOW EXPLANATION

Safety Safety of the product mean that a product has been designed so that a person cannot injury themselves Answering a question You should mention the part of the product or the whole product and state why it is safe naming how a person would not be injured. PRODUCT PART WHY IT IS SAFE HOW A PERSON WILL BE INJURED

FUNCTION Products have many functions e.g. What is the product used for. In some cases users may find more functions for a product that the designer intended. There are 2 types of function a Primary Function and a Secondary Function Primary Function Is the main function of a product e.g. For a desk clock it is to tell the time Secondary Function Is the other functions a product will perform e.g. A desk top clock, how will it look A product with multiple attachments could have one main primary function however through attachments they have there own primary function but serve as a secondary function. e.g. A hovers primary function is to suck up dust etc, with attachments which are a secondary function to the main hover you can hover into corners or surfaces that may scratch. Thus each attachment has it own primary function.

The handles of the pot would be fixed to the main body by the use of: -Rivets

- Nuts and Bolts (Bolted on)

-Threaded Fixing

Galvanising

If an exposed steel surface comes in contact with water or moisture rust can take hold. Rust can damage the surface of the steel. To help prevent this and prolong the life of the product the steel can be galvanised. Galvanised steel is steel that has been coated with zinc in order to prevent rusting / corrosion Advantages of Galvanising -Prolongs life of product

-Prevents Corrosion

-Little Maintenance

-Increased Durability

Before Galvanising After Galvanising

Aesthetics

The shape and form of the product may determine the layout of circuits or mechanisms etc.. inside it. Products are often designed to look stylish. The style applied to the outside of a product can quite easily influence the technology inside it. Aesthetics can also alter the production / manufacturing techniques through which it is made.

Aesthetics can influence a product in ways including: -Specific shapes used, eg rectangles, circles , curved shapes -Does the product look symmetrical

-Colours e.g. Contrasting so parts stand out or Harmony so parts blend in

-Any Logo should blend in and look sleek

-Aesthetics can give a products a WOW factor

* REMEMBER * AESTHETICS IS ALL ABOUT HOW A PRODUCT LOOKS

Research

Research is a very important aspect of any design folder. However, you must ensure that the research you carry out is directly relevant to your product/project.

Design Issues when doing research include: -Materials (linked amount of product use / manufacturing) -Maintenance -Ease of Use -Ergonomics (Anthropometrics, Psychology, Physiology) -Durability of product -User -Size of the Product (Existing Products) -Aesthetics (Shape, Colour, Theme) -Target Market -Existing Products could be linked to design/popularity/cost -Environmental Issues (materials used can they be recycled)

*REMEMBER * WHY WHY WHY, BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF

Target Market

The target market is the group of people you will be marketing to, or that you think will buy your product. Each and every product is designed for specific people. It is very important because by identifying target market you can know the needs, preference, likes, dislikes, personality of those people who will use your product. So you can DESIGN your product exactly what the target customer want. Examples of Target Markets include: -Age -Sex -Income -Education -Personality -Lifestyle -Social Class -Usage

Planned Obsolescence Planned Obsolescence is a strategy used by companies and designers to cause products to be viewed as obsolete (out of date) before they actually need to be replaced. This can be done in 3 ways: 1- Create a fashion change or a demand for a new style 2- Hold back attractive features, then introduce them on a latter model, making the previous one obsolete e.g. Iphone is an example 3GS rubbish camera no flash, Iphone 4 camera with a flash and video calling. 3- Produce products that will break, wear, tear or rot before they should e.g. Some parts of a product are designed to fail, Consumers have to buy new products because the old ones are to expensive to repair.

USER TRIP

You must try to consider absolutely everything the user does, or might do, with the product in its use. You should explain every step the user goes through. For example: unpacking the product; plugging it in; switching it on; selecting functions; using it; holding it; reading it; sitting in it; switching it off; adjusting it; storing it; repairing it; replacing batteries; cleaning it; disposing of it. Not all of these will be relevant to every product but you can see that there is much more to it than just the general “using it” aspects.

USER TRIALS

A User Trial is where a user go use the product to see how it performs in all aspects. A clear cross section of the target market should be chosen. A User trial allows a designer to generate improvements to a product and changes that a designer or manufacturer may not otherwise consider.

Questionnaires Questionnaires are linked in with user research. This could involve watching experienced and inexperienced users. They should be watched closely so that improvements and further developments to the product can be identified. Such observations can then be followed up with questionnaires