TY - GEN
T1 - The Prototype for X (PFX) framework
T2 - ASME 2016 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, IDETC/CIE 2016
AU - Menold, Jessica
AU - Simpson, Timothy W.
AU - Jablokow, Kathryn W.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Each year, companies spend billions of dollars on product research and design. Studies indicate that anywhere from 40-50% of those resources are wasted on cancelled products or those which yield poor results. The largest sunk cost of product development occurs during the prototyping phase of the design process, yet engineering design research has largely overlooked this pivotal stage in the design process. This study is a portion of a larger project based on a new theoretical framework for prototyping called Prototype for X or PFX. PFX draws from Human-Centered Design (HCD), Design Thinking (DT), and Design for X (DFX) frameworks and methods to enhance the design process and enable designers to prototype more effectively. Among the anticipated impacts of PFX are increases in user satisfaction, technical quality, and manufacturability of end designs. The research described in this paper marks the first step in testing the impact of PFX on final design outcomes. Results from a between-subjects analysis indicate that PFX methods helped increase the desirability, feasibility, and viability of end designs. These results imply that teams introduced to PFX methods produced prototypes that outperformed designs from the control teams across user satisfaction, perceived value, and manufacturability metrics. These results improve our understanding of the prototyping process and highlight the potential impact that structured prototyping methods could have on end designs.
AB - Each year, companies spend billions of dollars on product research and design. Studies indicate that anywhere from 40-50% of those resources are wasted on cancelled products or those which yield poor results. The largest sunk cost of product development occurs during the prototyping phase of the design process, yet engineering design research has largely overlooked this pivotal stage in the design process. This study is a portion of a larger project based on a new theoretical framework for prototyping called Prototype for X or PFX. PFX draws from Human-Centered Design (HCD), Design Thinking (DT), and Design for X (DFX) frameworks and methods to enhance the design process and enable designers to prototype more effectively. Among the anticipated impacts of PFX are increases in user satisfaction, technical quality, and manufacturability of end designs. The research described in this paper marks the first step in testing the impact of PFX on final design outcomes. Results from a between-subjects analysis indicate that PFX methods helped increase the desirability, feasibility, and viability of end designs. These results imply that teams introduced to PFX methods produced prototypes that outperformed designs from the control teams across user satisfaction, perceived value, and manufacturability metrics. These results improve our understanding of the prototyping process and highlight the potential impact that structured prototyping methods could have on end designs.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85007278931
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85007278931&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/DETC201660225
DO - 10.1115/DETC201660225
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85007278931
T3 - Proceedings of the ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference
BT - 28th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology
PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Y2 - 21 August 2016 through 24 August 2016
ER -