How companies learn from design flaws: results from an empirical study of the german manufacturing industry

in Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Engineering Design (2005)

Design flaws often become apparent at a time when the product is already in use and its development process, which in many cases includes extensive testing of parts, components and prototypes, is ... [more ▼]

Design flaws often become apparent at a time when the product is already in use and its development process, which in many cases includes extensive testing of parts, components and prototypes, is considered complete. Such flaws may reach from poor ergonomics to the total failure of the product. Often, especially when user safety is at risk, design flaws are so severe that companies are forced to announce a product callback. Petroski suggests that many (if not most) products, which we are familiar with today, have a long history of previously flawed designs [3]. This implies that designers did indeed learn from design flaws in both senses of the word “learn”: discovering the flaw and utilizing the knowledge gained about it to find a solution. As far as discovering a design flaw is concerned, it can be assumed that the feedback from those who interact with the physical products in practice – the individuals who maintain, repair, recycle but essentially use the products – plays an important role. In their previous work, the authors pointed out hat this feedback information could not only be vital for identifying potential product hazards but helps designers to review the effects of their design measures and therefore to improve their products from generation to generation [4]. In order to obtain a better understanding of how designers learn from design flaws, a mail survey was conducted that aimed at investigating company-, process- and product-related factors of this phenomenon and to answer (among others) the following research questions: • To what extent are design flaws of a company’s (or a competitor’s) product a driving force in the development of new products? • How do the designers of a company become aware of design flaws of their products? • How successful are companies in correcting design flaws? • How do successful and unsuccessful companies differ in terms of size, activity profile of their designers and characteristics of their products? • What are possible factors that influence the success in correcting a design fault? [less ▲]

Understanding the differences between how novice and experienced designers approach design tasks

in Research in Engineering Design (2003), 14(1), 1-11

Research was undertaken to understand how to provide the most appropriate support for novice designers in engineering design. However, how designers apply their experience and knowledge is not understood ... [more ▼]

Research was undertaken to understand how to provide the most appropriate support for novice designers in engineering design. However, how designers apply their experience and knowledge is not understood and further research in this area is required. This paper describes an observational study to understand how novice and experienced designers approach design tasks. [less ▲]

Future Issues in Design Research

in Lindemann, Udo (Ed.) Human Behaviour in Design. Individuals, Teams, Tools (2003)

This chapter contains in its first part the core future issues I derived from the presentations and discussion sessions at the conference on "Human Behvaiour and Design : Individuals, Teams, Tools" as ... [more ▼]

This chapter contains in its first part the core future issues I derived from the presentations and discussion sessions at the conference on "Human Behvaiour and Design : Individuals, Teams, Tools" as well as personal reflections. The second part presents my personal views on the most urgent issues in the area of human behaviour in design, and ways to proceed. [less ▲]

Supporting the Knowledge Life Cycle

in Kluwer Academic Publishers (Ed.) Knowledge Intensive CAD (1999)

Design process ingredients: a comparison between group and individual work

in Cross, N.; Christiaans, H.; Dorst, K. (Eds.) Analysing Design Activity (1994)

In this paper a comparison is made between the design processes of an individually working designer and of a group of designers based on protocol analysis. The analysis focused on the differences and ... [more ▼]

In this paper a comparison is made between the design processes of an individually working designer and of a group of designers based on protocol analysis. The analysis focused on the differences and similarities in the ingredients of the two processes. The basic ingredients used for the analysis were: Issues, Arguments, Alternatives, Criteria, Decisions, External information, and Others. Comparisons have been made between: the group as a whole and the individual designer; the individual group members; the individual group members and the individual designer. The results provide a first step towards a better understanding of the differences between group and individual work. The paper also discusses some of the limitations of this type of study. [less ▲]

Knowledge Based Systems

in CAD/CAM Handbook (1990)