The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

24.5. Design Strategy Formulation

The fundamental design strategies discussed previously along with the four general types of product design situations yield a Design Strategy Matrix that reveals the basic strategy options available with respect to design (see Table 24.2). The Design Strategy Matrix indicates which strategies are appropriate for a particular design situation. For example, with the development of digital cameras, which were (are) discontinuous in several ways, essentially five strategies are available to firms with respect to how they orient their design as they create products for this category. Design can be carried out that results in presenting a product to customers that offers: low cost, design eminence (in terms of image, ergonomics, and so on), advanced new features, a particularly appropriate fit to customers' needs, or a desirable alternative to other comparable product offerings. The way that a strategy is executed differs depending on the specific design situation involved. For example, as indicated in Table 24.2, a feature leadership strategy for a discontinuous design (product) involves a distinctly different challenge from that of a renovative design situation.

There are various ways of operationalizing each of the different strategies. For example, OXO International achieves design eminence through ergonomic design that establishes an identity in addition to providing comfortable, "easy-to use" products. The iMAC employed a design eminence strategy ...