Design Management Group

Managing Industrial Design

Before beginning a product design project, thought should be given to the potential role of industrial design. What are the potential benefits to be gained and how do we begin to plan the engagement. Activities during this stage include:

Finding and selecting a designer

Before beginning the search, it is crucial to identify the selection criteria which can later be used when evaluating the pros and cons of different possible suppliers. These criteria will differ from company to company, but will include elements such as location, price, specific skills, IT and communication, track record and personality or rapport.

Often, designers are chosen based on word of mouth or previous experience. However, it can be difficult to locate the right designer with the right skills. Alternative approaches include design directories, web links and the local Business Links design councillor. If all else fails, seek out examples of products that you like and contact the manufacturer to identify the industrial designers involved.

As a rule of thumb, between 5 and 10 candidates should be identified and 3 of these asked to respond to a draft brief. It is essential that all team members support and agree the final choice, especially those who will be working closely on a day to day basis.

During this stage, there will be an iterative development of the brief and the proposal from the selected industrial designer. Ideally, the final brief should be co-developed to ensure that the content and deliverables are appropriate and agreeable to both parties. Make sure that the final proposal satisfies the requirements of the project and has clear, measurable deliverables at the end of each phase.

An effective brief:

• Formalises what is required from the industrial designer
• Identifies the critical aspects of the design mix
  • - Usability issues
  • - Form and feel
  • - Technical and quality aspects
• Summarises any critical constraints
  • - Timescales
  • - Budget
  • - Resources
  • - Manufacturing / process
  • - Scope of project
  • - Specific technical constraints
• Provides contextual information
  • - Company background
  • - Market information
  • - User requirements (if known)
  • - Expected sales volumes

Managing the relationship

As the project progresses, the relationship between the engineers and industrial designers becomes increasingly important. It is vital that all concepts are jointly supported and are feasible and producible. Managing the relationship demands a joint appreciation of the following issues:

Project responsibilities & plan

• - Knowing who is responsible to deliver which aspects and when
• - Breaking the project into discrete phases

Product interface management

• - Having an agreed approach to change management
• - Identifying the system architect
• - Task partitioning based on an understanding of the interfaces between components, modules and sub-systems

Risk / problem management

• - Identifying and managing the technical, commercial and market risks
• - Being aware that difficulties inevitably happen and that a shared solution maybe even renegotiation is always more effective than blame and 'finger pointing'

IT management

• - Ensuring IT compatibility and effective data transfer

Communication

• - Identifying the modes of informal and formal communication between internal and external team members, including scheduled meetings and design reviews

Case example - Thermo Spectronic

In order to choose the right consultant and ensure that they whole team was behind the decision, Thermo Spectronic followed a clearly defined process. Initially, four consultants were shortlisted. One had been used before, others were chosen either on the basis of individual recommendations and a 'cold call' sales pitch. They quickly narrowed the options down to two and drew up a comprehensive list of around 20 selection criteria.

Ultimately, the winning criteria were a mix of location (close) and personal rapport. The selection process involved people from across the business, to ensure that everyone's needs were considered. As an independent 'sense check', they called some of the consultants previous clients for references. The structured approach was more successful than previous attempts, where the designer was selected by 'gut feel'.

Further information

• Cooper R, Press M, (1995), The design agenda: a guide to successful design management, John Wiley & Sons, UK
• Kelley T, (2001), The art of innovation, Harper Collins Business, London
• Thackara J, (1997), Winners: how today's successful companies innovate by design, Gower Publishing, UK
• Ulrich & Eppinger, (2000), Product design and development, McGraw Hill, USA
• Walsh, Roy, Bruce & Potter, (1992), Winning by design, Blackwell Business, UK
• www.designcouncil.org.uk/g
• www.designdirectory.co.uk