**2. Problem definition**

122 Industrial Design – New Frontiers

Fig. 1. The product design model, with the embodiment design model enclosed.

components in the area of plastic parts.

education, culture.

A product is assembled from components, sub-assemblies and parts into a working whole. The product has a structure with different levels. The product aspects can have constraints for certain parts that exclude parts form the product layout, for instance heating

For a matter of fact all the product designs could be designed with the design aspects which may contain a number of embodiment design elements such as: design with X, engineering database, the designer needs, product structure, product layout, creativity, designer role, Product design concerns the solving of design problems from the assignment to the final product. It covers the whole design process. In the literature you find many design method, but every method has the same goals; a product design that works and solves the design problem. The design method to use depends on the design problem, the designer's knowledge and experience and the needs of the user. The main issues in the design process and embodiment design are creativity, innovation, performance fulfillment and high design efficiency. The design efficiency is an expression of assembly time and number of parts which is an index number how efficient the product design is done and how much design space is left for optimisation of the product design.

Embodiment design is a part of the whole design process, but in this phase of the process, the product concept gets concrete form and material, which includes certain manufacturing processes. But sometimes you want to focus on the main design aspects for instance implementation of a new material in a complete new business area. This means that embodiment has to take place already in the conceptual phase of the design process. The real problem is "how do you move embodiment design to the conceptual phase?" in an efficient way. This question should be answered in an ultimate manner, which gets gestalt in a new definition about embodiment design. Embodiment design can move to the conceptual phase by focusing on design with X, one of methods within embodiment design. The focus on the innovative product solution within embodiment design will make it easier to answer the question.

The idea of "the first time right" is also giving a new perspective to the whole design process and to embodiment design. Of course this includes the embodiment phase in the

Product Design with Embodiment Design as a New Perspective 125

stadium of concept development (Otto & Wood, 2004). During idea generation it is to avoid irrelevant designs solutions and conservative design solutions nevertheless but focus on

Product design is the process of defining all the product's characteristics which affects product quality, product cost, and customer satisfaction. A product design could be designed badly than quality, cost and satisfaction go downward. Product design approaches regular need adaptation, because lifestyles change every decennium. Sometimes it is even going much faster for instance the use of computer, iphone, ipad, etc. So product design is not business as usual, because the process should be suited to the actual design problem. In most cases researching the design problem is the best way to start the design process. (Shih-WenHsio & Jyh-Rong Chou, 2004) The design team is often formed after the design research in which the boundaries are defined and all the design tasks that should be performed until

**Innovative design solutions** 

mixed design solutions and most on innovative design solutions, see figure 2.

the product is detailed and the prototype tested.

**Mixed design solutions**

Fig. 2. Possible design solutions

Identification of 1market needs

 Product Design Specification Concept development Embodiment design Detailed design Design for Assembly Life Cycle Assessment

Evaluation

starting the design process.

The product design process contains at least the followings activities:

The above activities occur at different design levels and different stages. For instance evaluation should be done on the end of the every design stage. Competitors products should be researched for ideas which may be used in own product design. Here it is six of one and half dozen of the other such an important activity may be benchmarked, before

**Conservative design solutions Irrelevant design solutions** 

Problem analysis and formulation of the Design Brief

new perspective by avoiding the iterations in the design process. This can only be reached when all stakeholders have the same goal in mind. This opportunity will seldom occur because collaboration requires compromises in a design team and in the organization, but it counts also for embodiment education.
