Design Management Group

A guide to effective product design

One of the outputs of the Good Design Practice program is a booklet entitled A Guide to Effective Product Design . This gives background information on a number of topics related to product design and development, describes some essential tools and techniques, and provides suggestions for further reading.

Topics covered include:

• What is good design?
• How do we take advantage of good design?
• How do we choose the right projects?
• How important is an effective process?
• How do we encourage strong teamwork and effective communication?
• How can effective market segmentation and positioning help?
• How do we involve users and customers?
• How do we write an effective specification?
• How do we value early Industrial Design input?
• How do we select and manage an industrial designer?
• How do we brief an external industrial designer?
• How do we offer variety to customers without complexity to the company?
• How do we reduce risks through prototyping?
• What is design for X ?
• Bibliography
• Glossary