C hapter 3 the Design Context
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intensive, and often expensive, that product characteristics are
highly determined by them. (This stands in marked contrast to
products for which a market is identified and a product and appropriate process determined later.) These products are often produced
in bulk form and then used as parts of other products as more or
less raw constituents. Many nano-based products that could be
potentially produced in bulk form, such as nanocomposites using
polymeric or metal matrix materials, are process intensive and can
be thought of in these terms as essentially primary products to be
used in other more functionally complex products.
production Volumes
Another broad and traditional way of characterizing products has
to do with long-made distinctions between high-, medium-, and
low-volume production quantities—considerations that are best
made in relation to the cost of the product, its technical sophistication, and its manufacturing process determinants. Clearly, many
common “high-production/low-cost/low-sophistication/intensiveprocess” products are produced with great economy of scale in
huge numbers by strongly deterministic manufacturing processes.
The humble stamped pie plate provides an example. In terms of
our discussion, these are “process-intensive” end products for
which care must be taken in assuring that a competitive advantage
would accrue before any even seemingly minor design variations
are undertaken. (For example, is there really a market pull for elliptically shaped pie plates made of expensive high-strength nanocomposites as the base material?)
Value
Further product characterizations hinge directly around relative
product value as perceived by the target market. Higher perceived
value is often accompanied by premium final costs to the user,
particularly in technologically sophisticated products. High final
product costs on the market—especially if coupled with high production volumes—can in turn justify larger research and development costs (including more extensive design and analysis activities)
that are oriented toward further increasing the actual or perceived
value of the product. The sporting equipment field, for example,
has long been a test bed for the introduction of new materials. The
value perceived by the buying audience of having a better golf club
made of a new material that improves its driving power can be so
persuasive that final product costs to the consumer can be surpris-
52
intensive, and often expensive, that product characteristics are
highly determined by them. (This stands in marked contrast to
products for which a market is identified and a product and appropriate process determined later.) These products are often produced
in bulk form and then used as parts of other products as more or
less raw constituents. Many nano-based products that could be
potentially produced in bulk form, such as nanocomposites using
polymeric or metal matrix materials, are process intensive and can
be thought of in these terms as essentially primary products to be
used in other more functionally complex products.
production Volumes
Another broad and traditional way of characterizing products has
to do with long-made distinctions between high-, medium-, and
low-volume production quantities—considerations that are best
made in relation to the cost of the product, its technical sophistication, and its manufacturing process determinants. Clearly, many
common “high-production/low-cost/low-sophistication/intensiveprocess” products are produced with great economy of scale in
huge numbers by strongly deterministic manufacturing processes.
The humble stamped pie plate provides an example. In terms of
our discussion, these are “process-intensive” end products for
which care must be taken in assuring that a competitive advantage
would accrue before any even seemingly minor design variations
are undertaken. (For example, is there really a market pull for elliptically shaped pie plates made of expensive high-strength nanocomposites as the base material?)
Value
Further product characterizations hinge directly around relative
product value as perceived by the target market. Higher perceived
value is often accompanied by premium final costs to the user,
particularly in technologically sophisticated products. High final
product costs on the market—especially if coupled with high production volumes—can in turn justify larger research and development costs (including more extensive design and analysis activities)
that are oriented toward further increasing the actual or perceived
value of the product. The sporting equipment field, for example,
has long been a test bed for the introduction of new materials. The
value perceived by the buying audience of having a better golf club
made of a new material that improves its driving power can be so
persuasive that final product costs to the consumer can be surpris-