4 into 35 Does Go: Extending Sketches, Drawings, Models and Prototypes to Define a Taxonomy of 37 Design Representations for Improved Communication during New Product Development
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Abstract
Today’s highly competitive global markets have highlighted the importance of industrial design and engineering design collaboration in new product development (NPD). NPD can be considered as a sequence of activities beginning with identifying market opportunities and ending with manufacture and sales. To avoid costly rework and to reduce development time, effective externalisation of design concepts amongst NPD team members is crucial. The ideas that initially take place in the form of language, graphics or actual objects must be externalised without unnecessary ambiguity if they are to be shared with others. The absence of a common language and mutual understanding and the ambiguous loosely defined nature of some representations has led to miscommunication, misinterpretation and ineffective working practice. The aim of this research was to provide a more effective, consistent and clear understanding of design representations. The paper considers the nature of design representations and then explores the development, structure and content of the taxonomy of design representations that are employed by industrial designers and engineering designers during NPD. The taxonomy is finally appraised through a four-way evaluation.