This handbook provides guidance on generating and selecting design concepts for new products. It begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs and using tools like the Kano Model and SWOT analysis to gain insights. Next, it focuses on establishing product specifications, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between essential requirements and desirable features. The handbook then explores various concept generation techniques, such as brainstorming, TRIZ, and mind mapping, and emphasizes the value of systematic exploration and external research. Finally, it presents different concept evaluation methods, including the Elimination matrix, Pugh matrix, and the Kesselring evaluation matrix which help teams narrow down options and make informed decisions about the most promising concepts.

Below, you'll find brief explanations for various topics covered in our Conceptualizing Handbook. These summaries provide a quick overview, but if you're looking for more in-depth understanding or detailed guidance, we encourage you to download the full handbook. Simply click the link to access it and explore the comprehensive strategies and tools for effective concept generation and evaluation.

1. Analyze needs

Understand the customer’s needs so you don’t solve problems that nobody asked for.

Tools

SWOT-analysis

Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats to gain information about products/teams to ensure appropriate milestones.

Example:

2. Establish specifications

Plot the criteria in a preliminary product design specification sheet. The template can be found here: 67-XXXX.

Example:

Tools

Needs-Metrics Matrix:

Create a simple needs-metrics matrix that represents the relationship between needs and metrics

Example:

• Collect benchmarking information
   Example:
   

• Set ideal and marginally acceptable target values for each metric
   Example
   
• Reflect on result and process

3. Generate concepts

Use different techniques to generate a solid base of concepts.

1. Clarify the problem TO BE FINISHED

2. Understand the problem and decompose it into simpler sub-problems if possible/needed

3. Search externally TO BE FINISHED

4. Consult Experts
5. Search Patents
6. Search Published Literature
   • Existing solutions (don’t waste time reinventing the wheel)

• Benchmark Related Products

• Search internally TO BE FINISHED

• Brainstorming
• Working alone
• Does FlexLink already have a similar product/solution?
• Have FlexLink investigated this kind of problem before? Conclusions?

• Explore systematically TO BE FINISHED

• Reflect on the solutions and the process TO BE FINISHED

Tools

TRIZ 

Russian theory of inventive problem solving to help you systematically generate solutions.

The 40 principles can be viewed here.

Example:

You own a furniture store in a small building. The store wants to attract customers, so it needs to have its goods on display. But it also needs to have enough storage space to keep a range of products ready for sale.

The furniture needs to be large (to be useful and attractive), but also small (to be stored in as little space as possible). 

Using TRIZ, you can generalize this contradiction into a general problem and apply one of the 40 Principles of Problem Solving – a key TRIZ technique – to it. Something like general solution “Principle 1 – Segmentation”.

This solution advocates dividing the product and making it easy to assemble/disassemble. And you develop ready-to-assemble versions of all your furniture, so that display models can take up the room that they need while inventory occupies much less space per unit.

*bild för exemplet*

Mechanical? principles

Consider the typical solutions that already is tried and tested. TO BE FINISHED

Brainstorming

Involve several people, i.e put together a Team TO BE FINISHED

Morphological Matrix

A chart or design matrix (table) that aims to provide a framework within which new or different ideas can be produced or considered.

Starbursting

Challenge in the middle and on each of the points write: Who, what, where, when, why & how. Generate questions from these keywords. TO BE FINISHED

Five whys

Ask whys to reach the ultimate cause of the problem. Childish but surprisingly effective. Investigate the link between cause and effect!

Brainstorming

Set it up as a team exercise, describe the problem and use a time limit. No judging for now. TO BE FINISHED

Reverse brainstorming

Gives a different perspective. Focus on the problems and encourage thinking backwards. We have a natural tendency to see problems over solutions.

Example:

When creating a new sports car design:

• How do we make this sports car engine less reliable?
• Can we make the interior more dangerous?
• Where can we make the seat more uncomfortable?
• How do we remove this paddle shifter functionality?

Reverse thinking

Expand your thinking by asking yourself what someone else would do in your situation. What would the opposite approach be? Reflect on the ramifications.

Mind mapping

Tool for visualizing different concepts. Group, organize and draw connections like branches from a tree. TO BE FINISHED

Gap filling

State where you currently are and where you'd like to be. Fill the gap with a variety of solutions.

The 6-3-5-method

6 people | 3 ideas | 5 min Then rotate the worksheet and either add 3 ideas or develop previous ideas.

(At most 108 ideas in 30 minutes)

Slip-writing

Write ideas on cards and submit anonymously. Ideas are then shared and modified. Submit anonymous concerns, suggestions and thoughts for each idea. Good for transparency.

Preselection

Gather data to validate or invalidate concepts early.

4. Select concepts

Rank the concepts to arrive at the best solutions.

Tools

Kesselring matrix

It is nice b/c TO BE FINISHED

Example:

Pugh matrix

Decision matrix that encourages self-reflection with minimal bias. Criteria is weighted and rated on each solution as (+) or (-) compared to baseline. Click this link for a template: TO BE FINISHED

Example:

5. Test concepts

TO BE FINISHED

• Define the purpose of the concept test.
• Choose a survey population.
• Choose a survey format.
• Communicate the concept.
• Measure customer response.
• Interpret the results.
• Reflect on the results and the process.