Scenario based product design

Creating good products is not an easy thing to do. There are usually many different people who have an interest in the product. People such as the user, of course, but also marketing managers, production engineers, maintenance workers, recycling specialists, and government representatives, just to name a few. Each of these stakeholders has his own ideas and agenda, which may conflict with the ideas and agendas of others. Designers have an extremely tough job trying to satisfy the differing needs and desires of all stakeholders. Moreover, it is very difficult for designers to determine what those needs and desires are in the first place - especially when dealing with complex products and/or products that don’t exist yet. To make matters worse, designers are always confined by time and cost constraints. Through the years, various methods and tools have been developed that support designers in dealing with these difficulties. But, so far, these methods and tools have only been a band-aid on a wound. Design has essentially remained a process in which designers are forced to make assumptions about what other people want. This is especially true when designing products that are new, that are complex, and that involve many different stakeholders. The goal of this research was the development of a new product design method that adequately supports designers in determining stakeholders’ preferences and finding the best compromise between those preferences. A method that gives stakeholders insight into the consequences of their decisions and enables them to express their preferences. A method that provides designers with the information necessary to create a good design. A method that specifically supports the design of products that are new, that are complex, and that involve many different stakeholders.