Concept Generation and Concept Selection
Examples: dust-pans, pens, kettle, peeler
Step 1: Clarify the Problem (Group)
• Establish a Mission Statement and Customer Need List for any product of your choice
• Identify the problem statement based on the Mission Statement and Customer Need List
| • | Example: “Design a better vegetable peeler” None of the peelers work for everyone in every situation |
Some of the customer statements
• “Carrots and potatoes are very different.”
• “I cut myself with this one.”
• “I just leave the skin on.”
• “I’m left-handed. I use a knife.”
• “This one is fast, but it takes a lot off.”
• “How do you peel a squash?”
• “Here’s a rusty one.”
• “This looked OK in the store.”
Based on these customer statements, the customer needs can be identified as
• The peeler peels a variety of produce.
• The peeler works both right and left handed.
• The peeler creates minimal waste.
• The peeler saves time.
• The peeler is durable.
• The peeler is easy to clean.
• The peeler is safe to use and store.
• The peeler is comfortable to use.
• The peeler stays sharp or is sharpenable.
Step 2: Function Diagram (Individual)
Write down the Function Diagram.
Make Assumptions
Example: For the function “Peel produce for household food preparation.” Assumption: hand
powered device
Step 3: Choose a Subset of the Subfunction (Individual)
Choose a subset of the subfunctions upon which to focus concept generation.
Example: Important subfunctions for the peeler can be identified as:
• manipulate vegetable
• apply (hand) power
• separate skin
Step 4: External Search (Individual)
Identify the appropriate type of lead users and related technologies.
Example: In case of the peeler, the type of lead users will be good cooks, professional chefs,
vegetarians
And the related technologies are: how peaches are peeled for canning
Step 5: Internal Search (Individual)
Brainstorming based on your engineering background
Step 5: Generate Concept Sketch (Individual)
For the important subfunction developed earlier, generate and list 1 concept sketch
List and sketch these. (Express each concept with a short title (3-4 words) and a simple
sketch). * The sketches can be computer generated or hand drawn
Step 6: Concept Screening and Concept Selection (Group)
Prepare the matrix, rate and rank concepts, select the best concept
The post problem statement based on the Mission Statement appeared first on My Assignment Online.