Aids to innovation in the design and manufacture of hand-held consumer products

The market for hand-held consumer products intended for use in typical modern households is expected to expand well into the next millennium and increase in competitiveness. In order to succeed in this market, products need to satisfy consumer expectations with regard to both fitness for purpose and the desirability of ownership. New opportunities for designers to satisfy modern consumer expectations arise continuously through advances in production technology and the availability of better materials. Designers need methods that aid the innovative process and the reported work describes a methodology for developing new products from the ideas residing in existing artefacts. The methodology deals specifically with hand-held artefacts having a mechanical function where the function of the artefact is to transpose and transform human hand effort into a form more suitable for performing a particular task without the aid of an electrical power source. The methodology has been illuminated with practical examples extracted from the work of undergraduate product design students. The students’ design ideas have been used to demonstrate the potential of the methodology in generating innovative product proposals.