MPD 575 Design For Customization

MPD 575Design For Customization MPD 575 Jonathan Weaver

Development History Developed by Cohort 2 team: • Matthew Holl • Vinicius Jesus • Tony Lockwood • Steve Lutowsky • Additional content by Tjuana BufordCohort 8, November 2007

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Identifying Potential Customization Opportunities • There are trade-offs between customization, cost, appearance, weight, performance, and durability. • Do not want to miss an opportunity for customization or compromise a design that customers will not customize.

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.

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

Simplification of Interfaces • Simple and 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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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

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

Installation/Serviceability Methods: • Reduce customization costs (labor, tools, parts) • Reduce/eliminate potential for damage and injury during user modification • Allow aftermarket access to system requirements and specifications

Robustness • Customers do not want their product reliability adversely affected following a modification. • System upgrades to ensure durability should not be necessary following ‘common’ customizations.

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.

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 – requiring tight tolerances will increase aftermarket costs, reducing customer satisfaction.

DFC Considerations • Design to established aftermarket standards – otherwise, aftermarket will take a long time to adapt to new technology. • Probability of customization – how many customers will actually perform a modification?

DFC Considerations • Labor time – how involved is the modification process? • Cost of customization – an overly integral design can increase the cost of aftermarket parts. • Safety – will a common modification result in a catastrophic system failure?

DFC Considerations • Damage – potential for damaging nearby components during the modification process. • Tools – are special tools required for customization?

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?

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

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

DFC Process The architecting team then decides which customizations will be accounted for in the overall system architecture.

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 customization on each subsystem and the total system.

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.

DFC Process Optimizing system adaptability: • Centralize system control and/or design an open architecture. • Minimize a sub-system’s dependence on the overall system’s performance.

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).

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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. • Minimize a sub-system’s dependence on the overall system’s performance.

Types of Customization • Cosmetic • Comfort • Sound • Scent • Visual • Safety • Performance

Types of Customization Cosmetic Customization: • Modifications that change or enhance a product’s appearance to the user’s preference.

MPD 575 Design For Customization