1 Introduction
From EvolutionaryProductDevelopment
For any organisation it is important to maintain or strengthen their market share by keeping their products and/or services up to date. Industrial designers often take part in the team that develops new products. Sometimes they even lead such teams. They can make use of a number of methods and techniques that are helpful with some of their tasks, but for others (especially for form giving) designers still need qualities such as experience and intuition. In this thesis, it will be shown that this seemingly intuitive way of working has regularities and patterns that can be reproduced. These will lead to a theory that can help a designer with the form giving of products. According to this theory, six phases can be distinguished in the life of a product. These phases will be called product phases, where each phase will be described by means of ten product characteristics. It will be shown, that in general products will follow the product phases in the same order. The aim of the research described in this thesis is two sided, since it endeavours to improve insight of a product's life cycle, and on the other hand it strives to develop a means that can help a designer in the process of product development.
1.1 Origin of the theory of product phases
The theory of product phases originates in the design practice of the bureau Van Dijk en Eger (later: Van Dijk/Eger/Associates, nowadays: WeLL Design) that was founded in 1979. From the very beginning, the author tried to describe the experience of the bureau in terms of a model. The first publication was realised in 1987 in 'Dutch Design' (Eger, 1987) on the occasion of a large exhibition that five museums in the Netherlands had organised regarding design in the Netherlands. In the first publications the product phases were named 'product levels'. As seen in the quoted text below, the first publications were not very detailed.
Performance
The first question is whether the product performs satisfactorily. It is possible to sit on a rock, but a wooden stool at the right height makes sitting more comfortable. A back support is the next step, followed by arm-rests. Covering, cushions, colour combinations and design only come into play at a higher level of development.
Optimisation
Once the first requirement has been satisfied (i.e., the product works) optimisation is then considered. The product must work correctly, and fully satisfy the specifications. After this stage, some attention is paid to the safety of the product. At first, one may be the sole supplier, the monopolist, but at the second stage competitors emerge. Efforts then come to be focused on achieving better performance than the competitors' product or a better price for comparable performance. Ease-of-use or ergonomics also starts to become important now. (...)
Detail
Once performance has been satisfied and some measure of optimisation has been attained, detail appears on the scene. Now, there is very little difference between products with regards to their price/performance ratio. The manufacturer has to add some extras, such as accessories, 'bells and whistles' in order to give his product some added value in relation to the rest of the market. At this stage, design and detail start to occupy a more prominent position. (...)
Segmentation
Design was already starting to play an important part during the detail stage, but its relevance to segmentation is even greater. At this stage, ownership of a product is no longer the decisive factor. The product's penetration of the market is such that almost everyone has it in some form or another. Owning the product is no longer a means of expression. It can be made into a means of expression again by creating a particular ambience around the product, a lifestyle; the owner can then indicate who he/she wants to be. If a product has less of a technical role to play and more people possess it, it will reach the segmentation stage more quickly. (...)
Individualisation
The last and highest stage in this series is individualisation. In this stage, the consumer himself wants to have a significant say in the design of the product. The manufacturer supplies the components which the consumer then uses to determine the end result. (...) This stage is well established in home furnishings market, since the consumer decides for himself what to put in his room, what to put on his walls and what to put on the floor. It would seem that individualisation is on the increase, since a consumer buying a lounge suite can customize their requirements, adding chairs, a sofa, or even a table using a system. This is quite different from the past, where the consumers choice was constrained to just a complete lounge suite (Eger, 1987, p. 69-70).
In a subsequent publication (Eger, 1991) the first five product phases were named as follows:
- performance,
- optimisation,
- itemisation,
- segmentation, and
- individualisation.
The sixth product phase, awareness, is first described in an article in NieuwsTribune (Eger, 1993), and afterwards in the book 'Succesvolle Productontwikkeling' (Eger, 1996). However, the thinking about this phase started much earlier. After a lecture at the M&M-Kongres 'Werken aan betere resultaten' (Eger, 1988) someone in the audience raised the following question: "I am a manufacturer of shoes. Your product phase individualisation has already existed for some time in our market. What I would like to know is what comes next, after individualisation?" From that moment on this became a point of interest for further detailing of the theory. During subsequent lectures the first efforts were made to answer this question, finally resulting in the description published in the book 'Succesvolle Productontwikkeling' - see below.
Awareness
To make clear what is meant by the product phase awareness it is necessary to go further into the need for self actualisation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow, self actualisation leads to another attitude towards life, another vision on humanity. (...) The self actualised person wants different requirements from products and has to be approached in a different way. The self actualised person will make high demands upon products concerning functionality, form giving, span of life and environmental consequences. He is autonomous, independent, and able to remain true to himself in the face of rejection or unpopularity. He is not depending on status and will judge products primarily by their quality. This does not mean that form giving is not important. However, it does mean that the lifespan of the product is just as important, as he will find it difficult to throw it away. In some cases, such as antique furniture, the product becomes more attractive as the effects of wear become more visible (positive aging). Also, the reparability of products will become more important." (Eger, 1996, p. 67-68)
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