Driving Effective Conversations-Prioritizing and Decision Making at Concept Development and Beyond

What if you could shift your approach in product design to focus on what really matters, and thereby create products that truly resonate with your customers?

We’ve been discovering the importance of considering a variety of inputs early in the design process. Now, we navigate the challenge of prioritizing these inputs to make the crucial trade-off decisions that can make or break your product.

We journey through the world of early concept development, discussing how setting priorities can ensure we deliver what’s truly important. We look at how these priorities can guide the product development process and how they can be adjusted when new information arises. From surprising test failures to unexpected customer issues, we explore how to reassess our priorities based on these fresh insights.

Along the way, I’ll be sharing more tools and techniques from previous episodes to help you prioritize your ideas effectively. Get ready to enhance your approach to product design and development and create products that your customers will love!

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Driving Effective Conversations-Three Major Aspects to Consider for DfX

Gain insights into working effectively with cross-functional teams, collecting invaluable design inputs without succumbing to the overwhelming flow of information.

We’ll discuss the magic behind the ‘concept space’, an efficient approach to dissect potential customer experiences, streamlining concept development at the start.

What about after that high-level concept development, when we begin our engineering design?

Early engineering diagrams can prove instrumental in evaluating modularity, layout, and interactions in product design with a team. Dianna guides us through part of a Quality During Design course lesson, shedding light on how these diagrams can be used. Each function has a different reason to look at these three aspects of product design, and it’s worth asking to help us achieve Design for Excellence.

Learn how the collective wisdom of these teams can influence design choices, ensuring that the final product appeases both the internal and external customers. So, buckle up for this enlightening episode as we demystify product design and stress the crucial role of a synchronized team effort.

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Driving Effective Conversations-Taking the Lead in Working Meetings

As a product designer, you need design inputs. Many of us have communication problems with our cross-functional teams about product ideas which then morph into product development problems later.

What can happen when we are taking the lead in working meetings, to get the information we need for design?

In this episode, we unravel the importance of communication and self-advocacy in the realm of product design. In our chat, we share how to take the lead in working meetings with cross-functional teams to get design inputs. Learn the art of preparation, involvement, maintaining an open mind, and making the most of the knowledge gained.

Let’s dig into the power of active communication and how it can not only resolve issues but also enhance outcomes for all parties involved. This episode is a unique blend of design engineering, self-advocacy, and quality during the design process. Tune in, absorb, and apply these insights to your professional journey.

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Supply Chain Management during Design, with Kevin Bailey (A Chat with Cross-Functional Experts)

Dianna Deeney interviews Kevin Bailey, from Design 1st, about supply chain management during design: how product design engineers and product development leadership can be affected by and affect the supply chain for their products.

This interview is part of our series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts”. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team within engineering projects. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they’re involved and work with product design engineering teammates.

About Kevin

Kevin Bailey is the Founder and CEO of Design 1st, a leading product development consultancy. With a dedicated team specializing in various aspects of product development, including industrial design, user experience, mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, Design 1st is at the forefront of delivering top-quality product designs. Kevin is known for his expertise in integrating cost considerations early in the design process and helping clients navigate supply chain solutions, ensuring a seamless development journey for their projects.

Kevin and Dianna talk about:

• How to approach supply chain management from a risk point-of-view, including balancing risk and opportunity.
• Kevin’s framework for successful supply chain management: FACT. Feasible, Available, Constraints, and Test.
• Engineers’ responsibilities toward supply chain management, and Leaderships responsibilities toward enabling those activities.
• His views of the current state of supply chain management challenges.

Hear Kevin’s take on why engineers need to factor in supply chain management while designing products and how crucial it is for leadership and other teammates to lend support to engineers when liaising with suppliers. We’ll also talk about how the size of the project and the roles within it should influence the product engineer’s approach.

Don’t miss out on Kevin’s thoughts on the intersection of AI and product development and a sneak peek into his company’s upcoming project. Join us for this insightful episode, packed with actionable advice for product development leaders, designers, and engineers.

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