13 Apr 2020
Factors Affecting Product Design - The Take-Away
The world now is full of opinions and it is very difficult to satisfy all these opinions. Like how any new invention that gets appreciation, also counts criticism along the way. No product is going to make everyone happy, some people may praise the design part and other group doesn't care at all. This challenging opportunity has drawn the attention of many creative geeks to land their careers in Product Designing as there is always a scope of creativity. Understanding the emotions of the end-user is an important aspect of a Product Designer. Getting the feedbacks and improvising the nooks and corners of the design gives out a highly impressive outcome. Since the design forms the index of the product before formulating the strategies it is important to have a look at the factors affecting product design.
Factors Affecting & Influencing Product Design
This column narrates the detailed descriptions on the factors affecting product design, let's get a deep understanding.
1. Customer Requirements
One of the important aspects is to meet and satisfy customer requirements. Since the end-users are the ones who leverage the product and so it's a designer duty to get the requirements from the client before formulating the prototype and conceptualizing the idealogy. To fit in all possible variations & conditions, the designed product needs to be streamlined in a way it draws attention and convinces the targeted audience. Also, the designer should be able to eradicate the use of high-end technologies if it creates a negative feeling or unlike emotions to the client.
2. Functionality
Meeting the purpose for which the product is designed gives away great customer satisfaction. The designed product should be functionally commanding and should be extensively meeting the end goal. Functionality is one such factor influencing product design, and again it's the designers' responsibility to maintain the coordination between the look and the way it needs to work.
3. Cost
A product designer must balance the top-notch appeal and the cost-effectiveness together. Saying so, the cost comes next in the list of factors affecting product design. Acquiring all the required essentials in the allocated budget marks the designer's name everywhere. This is one big pressure that a designer holds before crafting the creative outlet. Thus, the cost stays as a valid factor in determining the high quality in a great functional product.
4. Materials
Having adequate knowledge of the material before designing a product is essential. The designer must be updated and well renewed with all the new materials & technologies existing in the market. The quality material preferred while producing a product gives major impacts on the design part. In order to impress the audience and to create the desired product, the designer must be aware of the availability of new and better materials.
5. Durability
In addition to effective product design, product protection is also very essential and that should be as environment-specific protection. If your product is going to be used in an industrial setup then it must follow the IP (Ingress Protection) that is considered to prevent from falling quickly due to water and dust. Therefore, power tools must be resistant to dust and particles, some may even need to be water-resistant. And, if the products are intended to be used outdoors for a longer time then it should ensure that they are well sealed and have a quality finish to prevent degradation. This also marks as important factors affecting product design and determining its durability.
6. Shapes
Acquiring the desired shape & size end up in determining the technology that the product needs to build. Also, customers welcome a product if it follows the current trend & fashion. So all these factors need to be considered while designing the product.
7. Culture
If a product is targeted only to a particular culture and state, then this needs to be kept in mind while designing that as a certain culture may accept your design while others may find it offensive. For the long-lasting capabilities, it is important to consider the environmental factor as well.
Conclusion
Every new day the market encounters a whole lot of products for diverse targets, however, the scope for improvement keeps increasing in every aspect as trends keep changing. As long as the newer versions of products keep coming, the field of product design will never lay down. It would be a filed where one would always have the opportunity to experiment and innovate. Moreover, in the new product development process, product design plays a vital role. On designing a new product, the product development team has to overcome the above factors affecting product design, balance the influencing factors and should strive to excel all its challenges to meet the requirements as expected.
13 Apr 2020