Tools

Tools and Techniques

Summary of Tools and Techniques

Tools are organised according to the Key Design Activities of the Design Maturity Model. Some may be familiar under these or similar names. Some others, such as 'Process on a page' have been developed during the GDP project in response to company needs. The key goals of many design tools are to:

bring together opinions, experiences and perspectives from around the business and supports teamwork
encourage a customer focus and customer involvement
promote creativity and divergence when developing alternatives
encourage decision making based on information rather than prejudice or gut-feel

Topic	Tools & Techniques
Market understanding	Market segmentation (perceptual map) Purchasing motivation matrix Market structure illustration Online market information sources The competitive file (database) Market size & share estimation (end-user demand) Market size & share estimation (manufacturers sales) Competitive analysis - comparative product scaling
User understanding & involvement	User / customer interviews Focus groups Lead user analysis Stakeholder analysis - lifecycle approach User profiling - personas Direct observation - ethnography, shadowing Stakeholder selection & planning matrix Delphi technique Contextual inquiry
Product definition	Conjoint analysis Kano model QFD Image boards Affinity diagrams Product on a page - mission Product on a page - advert
Concept design & Prototyping	Concept selection: Controlled convergence Morphological charts Osborne's checklist Concept selection: Weighting & rating Concept selection: Dot sticking Four types of testing - exploratory, assessment, validation, comparison
Design for production	Unit cost analysis Design efficiency calculation Design complexity scorecard Boothroyd & Dewhurst complexity factor Value engineering / value analysis
Project generation	Brainstorming Brain writing / C-Sketch / 6-3-5 Method Idea log
Process & project management	Process on a page Project on a page Process mapping (brown paper)
Organisation	Belbin's team roles Who / when map

Action Workshops

In association with the Design Maturity (DMM) audit, a number of follow-on workshops have been prepared to introduce some tools and techniques which could prove helpful.

Workshop theme	Workshop aims	Typical Tools
Markets and Users	To encourage a systematic and team based approach to the externalisation of market and user data collection. To encourage a team focus on the positioning of product concepts based on benefits delivered to users. To encourage a user-centred approach to product design.	Market segmentation (perceptual map) Competitive analysis Market size, share & growth estimation What business are we in? Direct observation (applied to existing product or product concept Voice of Customer User observation (applied to explore future concepts)
Creating a Product brief	To encourage the generation of product briefs based on genuine market and user insight. To encourage a shared and visual approach to the communication of market and user information.	Kano Model Product mood boards User storyboards Brochure design Product specification
Concept generation and selection	To encourage assumptions to be questioned and develop a divergent approach to the generation of concepts. To encourageess and creativity. To ensure early consideration of the product architecture, and its impact on the user and production. To encourage effective integration of ID and ED and not one 'pulling' the other.	Thematic storyboards (similar products, point of use, typical users, similar user interfaces, similar technology) Morphological charts Controlled convergence Value engineering DFM / DFMA / DFMAD FMEA
Managing Industrial Design	Encourage a self sufficient approach to the identification and selection of appropriate designers To provide guidance on effective designer briefing and management.	Designer selection Designer briefing Designer management Design Investment Value Analysis (DIVA)
NPD process, Organisation and Teamwork	To promote a view of the NPI process which emphases teamwork and communication To encourage an approach to NPI which is understood by the full team To discourage bureaucracy and complexity in NPI	Process mapping (existing process) Process on a single sheet Project communication 'dashboard' Financial justification
Managing Collaborative Product Development	To raise awareness of the additional issues which affect collaborative projects To provide a structured walkthrough of a typical collaborative project, highlighting typical problems	Collaboration Maturity Audit Collaboration Life-Cycle Analysis

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