MPD 575 Design For Customization

1. MPD 575Design For Customization MPD 575 Jonathan Weaver

2. Development History Developed by Cohort 2 team: • Matthew Holl • Vinicius Jesus • Tony Lockwood • Steve Lutowsky • Additional edits by Joe Torres, Mac Lunn

3. Design for Customization DFC • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

4. Introduction to Customization Consumers that wish to distinguish themselves may purchase accessories for various personal items such as their personal computers, vehicles, homes, etc. The design of these items greatly affects the user’s ability to customize them to their preference.

5. Introduction to Customization For example, vintage PC’s required the user to manually install software drivers and alter BIOS settings when installing different hard drives, video cards, etc.

6. Introduction to Customization This was very confusing for the common consumer, and greatly limited any customization a consumer would want to make to their computer.

7. Introduction to Customization The principles, heuristics and process outlined in this lecture will illustrate how a product such as a PC can be designed for easier customization by the common consumer.

8. Introduction to Customization Benefits: • Customers will find a product more attractive if customizable • Accessories may be sold separately to increase revenue • On average, customer satisfaction will increase

9. Introduction to Customization Stakeholders: • OEM – degree of customization influences sales and customer satisfaction • Manufacturing/Assembly Plants – will be affected by the design of the product • Supply Chain – will need to inventory and merchandise the product and accessories • End user of the product – will purchase or modify the product

10. Introduction to Customization Stakeholders: • Aftermarket suppliers – must design products that are affordable, attractive, unique, and either maintain or enhance performance of the product • Dealers/Service Centers – must provide repair and/or maintenance service on the product

11. Design for Customization • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

12. Principles • Identification of opportunities • Simplification of interfaces • Adaptability • Installation/Serviceability • System robustness

13. Principles • DFC principles are directly related to the design for serviceability (DFS) principles. • Also related to design for reuse and reusability.

14. Identifying Potential Customization Opportunities • There are trade-offs between customization, cost, appearance, weight, performance, and durability • Design should capture the need and opportunity for customization. Not all products lend themselves to customization

15. Identifying Potential Customization Opportunities Methods: • Perform market studies and interview focus groups to understand how customers customize your product and competitor’s products • Research current aftermarket product offerings • Visit group discussion sites, fan/hobby clubs...

16. Identifying Potential Customization Opportunities Methods cont’d: • Interview aftermarket suppliers to identify constraints and opportunities for customization in the supply chain

17. Simplification of Interfaces • Simple, minimal interfaces between a component or system and its mating components and systems reduces the probability of compromising the system • Simplifies aftermarket development. • Simplifies installation/modification process

18. Simplification of Interfaces Methods: • Effective partitioning of the system – establish system boundaries such that the number and complexity of the interfaces is minimized • Minimize subsystem interfaces – design functional ‘chunks’ to reduce the number of interfaces

19. Simplification of Interfaces Methods cont’d: • Standardizing interfaces – utilize commonly used industry interfaces (i.e. use a com port computer interface for a PalmPilot instead of inventing a new interface) • Re-use interface hard points enabling customers to use catalogued high performance parts (Torsen differential, 9” axle from Ford Racing for example require no to little modifications to retrofit.

20. Simplification of Interfaces Methods cont’d: • Standardizing interfaces – Use of the USB port on all computers, both low power and high power • Use of Bluetooth wireless capability for all mobile devices for effective communications between PC and vehicles (Sync, MyTouch™) • Use of common connectors or standard fasteners

21. Adaptability • Allows a system to be modified without compromising or interfering with overall system performance • Minimizes the need for the system to be reconfigured to accept the modification • or hides the reconfiguration in plug and play practices not seen by the customer

22. Adaptability Methods: • Centralize system control – one control system for all the interfacing subsystems so that a change in a subsystem can be detected and accounted for (i.e. a computer typically has one microprocessor) • registry on the windows and drivers are used for this function

23. Adaptability Methods cont’d: • Implement the required system feedback to allow the system to adapt to a modification

24. Installation/Serviceability • Customers want to easily personalize their products • Reducing labor time and the need for special tools reduces the cost and inconvenience to the customer

25. Installation/Serviceability Methods: • Reduce customization costs (labor, tools, parts) • Reduce/eliminate potential for damage and injury during modification • Allow aftermarket access to system requirements and specifications • Enabled by open source, GPL and shared standards in the computer industry • Automotive OEM’s do not provide requirements and specifications of internal systems due to exposure to liability and confidentiality issues. The better approach is to gain insights into aftermarket customizations and design to accommodate them where it makes business sense.

26. Robustness • Customers do not want the reliability or performance of the product to be adversely affected following a modification • recovery point and restore functions added in later OS’s • System upgrades to ensure durability should not be necessary following ‘common’ customizations

27. Robustness Methods: • Include ‘common’ customizations during system target setting to minimize the negative effects on the durability of the product • Ensure design validation testing accounts for these system targets

28. Design for Customization • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

29. DFC Considerations • System level interfaces and effects – at what level can a system be customized and not adversely affect other systems? • System sensitivity to component specifications – a system that requires tight tolerances may increase aftermarket costs, reducecustomer satisfaction and component availability

30. DFC Considerations • Design to established aftermarket standards – otherwise, aftermarket will take a long time to adapt to new technology • Ford Product Development has a dedicated organization (Special Vehicle Order) that handles fleet customers and cascades their unique requirements to the functional organizations (police, limousine, utilities, U-haul, conversion van, motorhomes, etc.) • Use knowledge from Ford groups such as SVT, Ford Racing, SVO for insight regarding customer wants. • Probability of customization – how many customers will actually perform a modification?

31. DFC Considerations • Labor time – how involved is the modification process? • Cost of customization – an overly integral design can increase the cost of aftermarket parts but reduce installation time and labor costs. • Safety – will a common modification result in a catastrophic system failure? • Use of a modification guide and practice is used to prevent issues and guide accepted/designed for modifications; this also reduces liability

32. DFC Considerations • Damage – potential for damaging nearby components during the modification process • Tools – are special tools required for customization? • Legal – is the customization of the product legal, will it violate any state or federal mandates or specifications?

33. DFC Considerations • Ease of customization – is the customization procedure reasonable (i.e. easily performed by a customer)? • System robustness to customization – will the modification result in immediate or latent system(s) failure?

34. Design for Customization • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

35. DFC Process • Identify potential customization opportunities • Determine customization strategy • Include customization strategy in overall system architecture – boundaries for customization • Set design requirements and targets • Define validation requirements • Establishing warranty guidelines

36. DFC Process Identifying potential customization opportunities may be accomplished multiple ways: • Customer surveys • User focus groups • Competitive analysis • Aftermarket analysis

37. DFC Process • The architecting team selects potential systems and subsystems that will support various level of customization based on Marketing research • The Product Development team will take these needs into consideration for the overall system architecture • Example: Mustang V8 customers want to be able to easily add a rear axle cooler for “weekend” racing

38. DFC Process Setting design requirements/targets: • Customization must be considered during the target setting phase of the product development process • Evaluate the effects of each customizable option on each subsystem and the total system • Example: Threaded holes and plugs are added on rear axle cover to accommodate cooler pipe for production Shelby models. Cover is made available on Ford Racing catalog so that V8 or V6 customers can also easily retrofit an axle cooler on their cars. This is also adds revenue for Ford.

39. DFC Process Setting design requirements/targets: • Perform trade-off analysis between customization, cost, weight, packaging and performance • The detail design and validation phases must then ensure a system robust to customization

40. DFC Process Optimizing system adaptability: • Centralize system control and/or design an open architecture • Some recently successful electronic products (Android and Linux) have done this • Minimize a sub-system’s dependence on the overall system’s performance

41. DFC Process Optimizing system adaptability: • These should be done when establishing the overall system architecture in the system-level design phase of the product development process (PDP)

42. DFC Process Standardizing interfaces: • During system-level design, partition the system so that standard interfaces can be utilized • Design the interfaces using industry standards or catalogued items (if they exist) • Otherwise, utilize an open architecture that is easily adaptable by the industry

43. DFC Process Establishing service guidelines: • To avoid confusion and apprehension at service centers or dealerships, guidelines must be established to decide when to cover failures under warranty

44. DFC Process Establishing service guidelines cont’d: • In addition, the service centers should be educated about the various forms of customization performed by customers, and how they affect the product’s performance

45. DFC Process Establishing service guidelines cont’d: • Include acceptable forms of customization in the warranty section of the owner’s manual • Provide dealership training

46. Design for Customization • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

47. Heuristics • Minimize interfaces on a customizable component/system • Avoid one-way only customization (can go back to baseline if necessary) • Centralize system control to maximize system adaptability • Re-use high end or high performance OEM components for the aftermarket

48. Heuristics • Customization requirements must be included in the target setting phase of the product development process • A modular architecture is more conducive to customization than an integral architecture • this may conflict with DFA, DFM, cost, and quality, but it’s better for this DFC • Minimize a sub-system’s dependence on the overall system’s performance

49. Design for Customization • Introduction to DFC • Key Principles of DFC • DFC Considerations • DFC Process • Heuristics • Types of Customization • Examples • References

50. Types of Customization • Cosmetic • Comfort • Sound • Scent • Visual • Safety/Security • Performance • Convenience