Platform design strategy is currently a very important topic in modern product development; however, current methods do not fully address platform definition with respect to customer needs. Customer satisfaction is the key for survival and it is crucial that the customer be used to differentiate between different variants of a product, also known as a company’s product portfolio. This research explores the utility of high-level customer needs as a direct means to define the product’s base platform and differentiating modules. Our approach is to outline platform and differentiating modules during the conceptual design stage of product development and plan a product portfolio before any embodiment design occurs. Modern design tools such as the Functional Basis, functional modeling and modular heuristics are used in this approach. Based on a case study, a function based and customer need motivated design method for conceptual design of product portfolios is proposed. The developed method is validated by applying the technique to existing products and by comparing the results against known product platforms. Finally, the method is applied to a new product to generate conceptual design of product variants.
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ASME 2004 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
September 28–October 2, 2004
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Design Engineering Division and Computers and Information in Engineering Division
ISBN:
0-7918-4696-2
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
A Customer Needs Motivated Conceptual Design Methodology for Product Portfolios
Ravindra M. Kurtadikar,
Ravindra M. Kurtadikar
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
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Robert B. Stone,
Robert B. Stone
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
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Mike Van Wie,
Mike Van Wie
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
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Daniel A. McAdams
Daniel A. McAdams
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
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Ravindra M. Kurtadikar
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
Robert B. Stone
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
Mike Van Wie
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
Daniel A. McAdams
University of Missouri at Rolla, Rolla, MO
Paper No:
DETC2004-57289, pp. 153-166; 14 pages
Published Online:
June 27, 2008
Citation
Kurtadikar, RM, Stone, RB, Van Wie, M, & McAdams, DA. "A Customer Needs Motivated Conceptual Design Methodology for Product Portfolios." Proceedings of the ASME 2004 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 3a: 16th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. September 28–October 2, 2004. pp. 153-166. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2004-57289
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