Back to the drawing board – the secrets for successful design

Good design is about meeting the needs and requirements of people in a society and translating them into a manufactured product at the right price. It’s important to consider the ergonomic needs, the aesthetic aspirations, the technological functionality, the materials and manufacturing processes, as well as the environmental issues. All this has to be balanced against the cost of resources and time.

Here are five key points for good design:

1. Know your market - Who is the customer, who is the user and are they the same person? What do they want from the product, why do they want it and what for? Where will the product be used and in what way? Where will the product be bought and how will it be stored or distributed and disposed of? Write it all down

2. Create a concept - Think of as many ideas as possible and develop them into concepts through sketching and modelling. Each concept must cater for all of the market needs and requirements. Choose the final concept that would most appeal to your market and that is practically achievable.

3. Attention to detail - A good product has finesse, attention to feature details, colours, textures, shapes and overall form. This needs to integrate well with how the product works; how it will be used by people; how the product would be made in industry, from what materials and how it would be assembled and serviced.

4. Model and prototype - Before committing yourself to the final design, get a feel for what the product is actually like. Make models and prototypes to test and evaluate whether your design satisfies the market. Get feedback from real potential customers and users, listen carefully to and note their comments, and be prepared to modify your design

5. Organise your project - From the outset, break up tasks and set clear deadlines for each stage. Seek advice from experts and people who know about the product or market, while protecting your ideas through professional bodies. Document all of your work, design methods and process for future reference in case you have to go back to the old drawing board!

Dr Bob Eves and Tim Reynolds are Senior Lecturers in the School for Design, Engineering and Computing.