ENT 475 Mechatronic System Design I

Customer needs and Project Goals

Dr. Shafriza
School of Mechatronic Engineering.
shafriza@unimap.edu.my

Content
Customer needs
Needs Identification process

Customer needs
Project goals

Project goals and specifications

Customer Needs
Match between product and customer needs
ensure success
Customer need is dynamic
Mismatch in needs and goals are common in
engineering design

Customer Needs
Types of needs (a digital camera):

Direct Needs. Eg. Cost, good pictures, ease of

operation
Latent Needs. Eg. Obtaining prints, compatibility
Constant Needs. Eg. Nighttime & infra red picture,
image size, zoom and focus.
Special needs. Eg. Under water or high altitude
application

Needs Identification
Goals of Need Identification:

To make sure product is focused to needs

To Identify all needs
To guide product development process

Process Involved:

1. Scope defination
2. Gather and interpret Raw Data
3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Needs Identification
Case study Cordless screwdriver

1. Scope defination

Needs Identification
Case study Cordless screwdriver

2. Gather and interpret Raw Data

Raw data can be gathered via interview,
questionnaire or focus group
Interview is the most efficient
Questionnaire has lowest quality
Focus group is costly

Needs Identification
Case study Cordless screwdriver

2. Gather and interpret Raw Data

Example of questions
When and why do you use this product?
What do you like and dislike about this product?
What issues do you consider when buying this
product?
What improvements would you like to see in this
product?
What would be a reasonable price for this product?

Needs Identification
Case study Electric Wok

2. Gather and interpret Raw Data

Needs Identification
Case study Electric Wok

2. Gather and interpret Raw Data

Needs Identification
Case study Water purifier

3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Primary needs

Needs Identification
Case study Coffee maker

3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Needs Identification
Case study Coffee maker

3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Example of need importance scale
Must (10), Good (7), Should (5) and Nice (3)
Need importance can be established via interview
or questionnaire

Needs Identification
Case study Electric Wok

3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Needs Identification
Case study Electric Wok

3. Needs organisation and Establish importance

Needs Identification
Discussion

Needs identification process is not exact science but

based on knowledge, intuition and experience.
Customer needs is used to establish design
specifications.
The results should be organized and documented.

Project Goals & Specifications

Project goals should focus on customer needs
What is specifications?

Precise description of what product has to do

Set of engineering target that a product has to
satisfy
Measurable criteria, goals for the design
Example?

Project Goals & Specifications

2 categories:

Functional Requirements specific performance

Eg. torque, lift weight, increase speed etc.

Constraints limitations on the design

Eg. Size, cost, weight, material etc.

Project Goals & Specifications

Product specifications example

Truck with load capacity of 3000 kg

Laptop with weight between 1.5-1.7 kg
Average time to assemble a model is less than 90
sec

Milestones
Team formation
Needs Report
Project and mission statement
Specification development

Conceptual Design
Concept generation
Concept selection

Report 1: Need and

Specification Development
Project proposal including the problem statement
The proposal should:
Demonstrate understanding of the problem
Convince that the team has a plan and ideas to solve
the problem
Need Identification, interview potential customers or
questionnaire to demonstrate market or customer base
Specification development

Further readings

Ulrich & Eppinger, Product Design &

Development
Chapter 4