This chapter summarizes the approach of this book to the initial stages of the design process, namely, need identification and analysis and conceptual design. Cognitive aspects of parameter analysis are discussed next, followed by a description of its relationships to other design methodologies. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of how the design process should proceed through concept selection, embodiment design, and detail design.

The Essence of the Methodology

The ultimate goal of the approach to conceptual design presented in this book is to help designers to “think better.” In this context thinking better means being more creative and innovative, and doing it faster. In today's competitive market, a successful product needs to perform better than its rivals and must also be introduced earlier.

The key elements of the early design stages introduced throughout the book are:

• Need Identification: Clarification of what should and what should not be designed. The main obstacle to avoid here is following customer's configurational task statements.

• Need Analysis: The thorough study of everything that may be related to the design task. We recommend organizing this stage according to the following five general categories: performance, value, size, safety, and special.

• Design Requirements: The functions and constraints generated during need analysis are summarized as a set of concise and quantitative specifications.

• Technology Identification: Conceptual design begins by naming as many general approaches for addressing the task as possible. These core technologies are assessed for their chances of success and serve as starting points for concept development.

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