Methods in Product Design

Preface

The current marketplace is undergoing an accelerated pace of change that challenges corporations to apply new techniques to respond rapidly to this ever-developing environment. At the center of this change is a new generation of customers. As the industry adopts a consumer focus in its product development strategy, it must offer broader product ranges, shorter model lifetimes, and the required ability to process products in less time and costs. A consumer-focused product design must simultaneously meet the conflicting objectives of consumer and manufacturer. It is based on premises that (a) changing customer requirements dictate varied product features, (b) the structure of products and processes must be aligned with dynamic product ...