IT-Based Tools to Support New Product Design: A Case Study of a Design Consultancy Firm - Information Technology and Product Development - page 66

Fig. 4.1 Stages in the design process supported by IT
in collaboration with the design consultancy which will then lead to a shared under-
standing of which of the constraints within the brief are priorities and which may be
rephrased to avoid predetermining any possible solution.
The next stage is the development of the product design specification (PDS). The
PDS is a document listing the problem in detail (Oren & Jin, 2002). The design
consultancy will collaborate with the client in analyzing the marketplace in order
to produce a list of requirements necessary to design and manufacture a successful
product. This document is not limited to the functionalities associated with the prod-
uct. It will also consider issues such as product performance, product weight and
size, operating conditions throughout the product's life cycle, approximate retail
cost, visual appearance, when the product should be available in the market, how
long the product should last in the market, and how it will finally be disposed of (or
retired). In addition, issues related to product safety, industrial standards, environ-
mental regulations, manufacturing quality, and product maintenance would also be
specified.