Leading in Product Design - TU Delft

The added value ofindustrial design engineersSpeed and qualityA structured approach to innovation means thatindustrial design engineers create products which:• respond to market needs and therefore have agood chance of success;• are truly innovative;• have a short time to market.The industrial design engineer also has a numberof other talents, which are crucial to productdevelopment.Better communicationThe industrial design engineer knows about everyaspect of product development. So he facilitatescommunication between specialists drawn fromdifferent disciplines.Focus on resultsThe industrial design engineer makes sure thatproduct design teams always focus upon the finalresult, not upon the specialisations of individualmembers.Creative inspirationWhen part of a team, industrial design engineerscan act as creative catalysts. They are goodat generating ideas, devising concepts andfacilitating creative sessions.All aspectsThe industrial design engineer considers everyaspect of a product: user-friendliness and design,but also distribution and technical factors likeproduction and assembly.LifeStrawAfter an extensive user testing in Ghana, PrabhuKandachar and his team re-designed a 25 cmlong personal water purifier that canturn most of the world’s surface water into safedrinking water. The LifeStraw Child consistsof several filters and two compartments withhalogen-based resin and carbon, respectively.The straw has a capacity of 700 liters or oneyear. “Over a billion people are without accessto safe drinking water”.Designer: Prabhu Kandachar (team leader)Product: LifeStrawwww.lifestraw.comEXAMPLE10