A growing vocabulary of buzzwords like the Internet of Things, Industrial product design, and Industry 4.0 is thrown around, but their meaning is becoming diluted as time passes. The concepts should be applied in engineering and industrial design, but they are often overlooked. Older practices and error-prone judgments persist, as well. Although many technological advances and improvements have been made, very few actually find their way into manufacturing workflows.
Designing products is a very rewarding job. By creating something out of nothing, they create something aesthetically appealing and functional that not only looks best but also gets the message across. A product designer’s ability to create great products based on specifications is undeniable.
Even though technology has the potential to revolutionize industrial product design, it has been limited in its effect so far. The hardware and software cost of these solutions, as well as their extreme complexity, have slowed their adoption, and many smaller companies still use the conventional “trial and error” method. However, CAE remains an exclusive right reserved for multinational corporations, despite signs of democratization in CAD solutions.
There are also challenges and common mistakes that happen in a product design. Being aware of these mistakes can help to ensure that you don’t make them as a designer. Let us look at a few of them.
Focusing On Appearance
Designers tend to overlook the fact that appearance is not everything. It is true that a product must be visually appealing to its customers, or else your sales will go down, and business won’t prosper. However, it is more important to have a top-notch product that is not only visually appealing but also suitable for cost and performance. The purpose of products is to perform a certain function. They won’t be visually appealing for anything if they cannot perform that function – and people want products that are both functional and attractive. You do not want to end up with a product that’s priced too high for prospective buyers.
A lack of knowledge about which design tool to use
I am able to design all kinds of things with just my Sketch – sounds familiar? Designers can become so enamoured with a particular tool that it becomes their only method of working. In some situations, they may use it to do a job the tool is inefficient at. That’s a mistake that should be corrected. Losing time and decreasing work quality is the result. Designers must make the most of current technologies and use the most effective tools for product design. Here I am not trying to criticize Sketch, I am saying it’s not efficient for designing. As a matter of fact, Sketch, coupled with Plant, makes for an excellent design tool. Nevertheless, you might not want to use all of its features.
Putting Intellectual Property to the Side
Infringing on a copyright is a serious offence, and it could cost you money even if you settle out of court with the right holder. When a product is designed, product designers tend not to think about intellectual property. This is a monumental mistake that may result in significant financial and reputational damage. Hence it becomes vital to always consider someone else’s intellectual property so that you do not get dragged into a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Be sure to conduct your own research and make sure that the work is not a violation of any copyrights before making the work a part of your work. You should ask the owner for their permission if it is copyrighted and ask them to give it in writing in order to prevent being called an intellectual thief in the future.
Missing requirements for products
The problem with product designers is that they trust their instincts so much that they produce the wrong goods. That’s because their work is not based on specifications. It is highly recommended to wait until you have a detailed understanding of what the product needs to do before starting work. If a product is not made according to specifications, regardless of how beautiful it may be, it will never be appreciated. It happens that you complete a design for someone with vague requirements. Then you lose your cool as the demand changes as it progresses. Finally, the client felt that you were to blame for the mess, so the design had to be discontinued. Getting good requirements and specifications before starting can always prevent this.
Conclusion
Thus we have seen in this blog some of the best practices and challenges in industrial product design. The awareness and adoption levels of computer-aided solutions in industrial design are low despite growing evidence supporting their benefits. It is clear that virtually all designers will benefit as engineering simulation becomes increasingly democratized. You can’t afford to let product design be an afterthought. Make it a priority on your roadmap and reap the benefits of this strategic process.
