Concept Selection
Case study: A reusable syringe
A medical supply company contacted a design firm to develop a reusable syringe with
precise dosage control for outpatient use. One of the products sold by a competitor is
shown in Figure 1. To focus the development effort, the medical supply company
identified two major problems with its current product: cost (the existing model was
made of stainless steel) and accuracy of dose metering. The company also requested
that the product be tailored to the physical capabilities of the elderly, an important
segment of the target market. To summarize the needs of its client and of the intended
end users, the team established 7 criteria on which the choice of a product concept
would be based:
• Ease of handling
• Ease of use
• Readability of dose settings
• Dose metering accuracy
• Durability
• Ease of manufacture
• Portability
The team described the concepts under consideration with the sketches shown in
Figure 2. Although each concept nominally satisfied the key customer needs, the team
was faced with choosing the best concept for further design, refinement, and
production.
Concept selection is an integral part of the product development process
Early in the development process the product development team identifies a set of
customer needs. By using a variety of methods, the team then generates alternative
solution concepts in response to these needs. Concept selection is the process of
evaluation concepts with respect to customer needs and other criteria, comparing the
ME1007 Design Principles - 2 - Concept Selection
relative strengths and weaknesses of the concepts, and selecting one or more concepts
for further investigation, testing, or development.
While many stages of the development process benefit from unbounded creativity a
divergent thinking, concept selection is the process of narrowing the set of concept
alternatives under consideration. Although concept selection is a...