Product Design | Do you have the skills to be a Product Designer ? | Operations Management
Product Design
The word product is derived from the Latin word which means ‘anything produced’. Simply, product means anything that is manufactured for sales or anything processed from raw materials to finished goods.
The product can be in form of services as well. It may be physical or virtual and tangible or intangible.
For example, a biscuit is a product produced by a biscuit factory, a motorbike is a product manufactured by a company, a good education is a product in the intangible form given by school as service. Â
Any product is made investing some cost and sold for the price as revenue. Price can be charged based on quality, cost incurred, market segment, etc.
Each product has a specific lifespan and needs to be updated time often as per the need of the customer, market trend, and valuation of product and lifecycle of the product.
The product should be relevant and functional to use. The product must fulfill the need of the customer and it should benefit them as expected. It helps to maintain the brand of the product.
The product is capable of transfer from the shopkeeper to the customer with the exchange of money. Design is a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of any product or object before it is made.
It helps to give shape to the product in the way consumers want. Thus, product design is the art of presenting the product with the standard performance, specify the materials used, manufacturing process, dimension, and tolerance of the product.
Product design is a process designer used to connect consumer needs with the organizational goal that helps the inconsistent success of a product in a sustainable way.
It should consider consumer needs and want, technology change, quality, cost, process, packaging, targeted market and overall factor affected by the design of the product.
None of the designs is successful unless the production facilities are adequate to produce the product according to design satisfaction.
The design process should be short and effective. If the design process is lengthy a competitor may occupy the market by being first to occupy the market with new products, services, and features.
However, rushing for being first May results in flaws and poor performance. Product design should focus on product shape, standards, trends, packaging, price, etc before launching the product in the market.
It should fulfill consumer needs and sustain itself in the competitive market. Product design helps for the success and failure of the business.
Product design should consider sales, marketing, research and development, production department, purchase department, customer service division, engineering, competitor’s product, customer, foreign product, advertising agency, distribution channel, etc.
Product design may be in the form of new innovative products and modification of the existing product.
A good product design helps to fulfill the needs of customers and create brand loyalty among them. No doubt that a well-designed product will consider the best quality that of competitors.
It then directly displays the importance of product which can satisfy the need and expectation of customers. Moreover, once the product design is locked, it reduces the extra time for the development of the product and unwanted cost wastages.
A planned product design maintains precaution and existence in the market. Therefore in an overall sense, it increases sales of a product with satisfied customers which directly increases the revenue of any business organization.
Test Your Knowledge: Product Design MCQs
Which of the following is not one of the phases of product design and development?
Options:Â
- A. Specify product specifications.
- B. Conduct market test.
- C. Specify process specifications.
- D. Conduct design review.
- E. Perform applied research.
The Correct Answer is E. Perform applied research.
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