PRODUCT DESIGN SPECIFICATION

MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

THE PRODUCT DESIGN SPECIFICATION

October 2010

Andrew Taylor

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THE PRODUCT DESIGN SPECIFICATION

INTRODUCTION

A design specification, or Product Design Specification (PDS), is a document prepared early

in the design process. It sets out the requirements that the design will attempt to satisfy. It
states in an unambiguous and comprehensive way what the aims and requirements of the
product are and the important characteristics it must possess. It does not, and must not,
attempt to define how these are to be achieved, i.e. it must not assume or imply particular
solutions.

The design specification includes both technical and non-technical considerations and is
prepared before the major part of the conceptual design work is carried out.

A PDS is essential to any design project. It should set clear objectives, define constraints
and provide a summary of key information. It sets out what is required of the product, but it
does not define the product itself. A well prepared PDS is an invaluable aid in a project,
however a poorly prepared PDS can constrain the process and create problems.

Starting to prepare a PDS as early as possible can help to shorten the overall design process
and increase the likelihood of achieving a successful result. A design specification is a
‘dynamic document’, it can be changed and of course it will grow and be subject to some
changes as the design develops. However, effort spent in preparing a sound PDS early in
the project may save large amounts of time and cost in later stages.

Bear in mind that the term ‘product’ as used here can mean any type of product, process or
system. It refers to whatever is being produced as a result of the project being carried out.

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The Purpose of a PDS

A well-written PDS:

 Clarifies objectives and constraints.

 Assists discussion and communication, both within the design team and with other
parties, such as managers and clients.

 Provides a basis for later evaluation of concepts and designs.

 Summarizes important information for easy reference.

 Helps in recording and documenting the design process.

 May become a contractual document.

Origin of the PDS

The PDS is prepared by the design team, or project team, and they should retain ‘ownership’
of the PDS throughout the design process. It should not be confused with a design brief,
which is a statement used to initiate a project and is usually provided by a client. Also, it
should not be confused with a technical specification for a product, or Product Specification,
which is a document written later when the design is complete and the final product can be
fully described. A Design Specification, or PDS, does not define the product itself.

The single word ‘specification’, therefore, is used in different ways, depending on the field or
stage of the project, and this can give rise to confusion or misunderstandings. It is important
to be able to appreciate the distinction between a Design Specification and other types of
specification.

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Sometimes, a design specification is provided by a party external to the design team, e.g. a
client or the marketing department, and there is pressure on the designers to work to the
specification that has been provided for them. However, designers bear the responsibility not
only for the success or failure of a design but also for product liability and safety and,
therefore, it is essential that the design team maintains control of the design specification.
This necessitates a proactive approach. Of course, any specification or brief provided (or
imposed) cannot be ignored and the content must be carefully considered. The important
requirements or elements should then be incorporated in the team’s own PDS. Any
unrealistic or contentious issues must be discussed with the originators of the “external”
specification so that agreement can be reached on the PDS elements before the project
progresses to the decision-making stage.

PDS CONTENT

The PDS document is a check list and should be written in concise terms. It is not an essay.
The types of information it should contain are:

 Goals, objectives and requirements.

 Constraints.

 Relevant information.

There may be considerable overlap between these three categories, they cannot be
separated in writing the PDS.

The PDS document should not include:

 Potential design solutions, explicit or implied.

 Unnecessary (or overly severe) constraints.

 Vague or ambiguous statements.

In a well-written PDS the elements are:

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 Concise.

 Relevant.

 Quantified as far as possible.

 Helpful to the designer(s).

Elements of a PDS

The PDS should start with a clear statement of the major objectives of the design.

The following 32 elements are taken from ‘Total Design’ by Stuart Pugh [1]. Bear in mind
that this is a starting point and it is not a mandatory or complete list. For any particular,
project some headings will be superfluous (though often surprisingly few) and other headings
may be added and/or subdivided. For example, ‘Environment’ may be split into ‘Working
Environment’ and ‘Environmental Impact’, which are two very different things.

1. Aesthetics.
2. Company constraints.
3. Competition.
4. Costs.
5. Customer.
6. Disposal.
7. Documentation.
8. Ergonomics.
9. Environment.
10. Installation.
11. Legal/statutory.
12. Life in service.
13. Product life span.
14. Maintenance.
15. Manufacture.
16. Market.
17. Materials.
18. Packaging.
19. Patents.
20. Performance.
21. Politics.
22. Processes.

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23. Quality and reliability.

24. Quantities.
25. Safety.
26. Size.
27. Standards and Specifications.
28. Storage/shelf life.
29. Testing.
30. Timescales.
31. Shipping/Transportation.
32. Weight.

The elements may be arranged in any order, they are listed above in alphabetical order
merely for convenience. Many people start with ‘performance’, or those aspects they feel are
especially important for that particular design. The items should be numbered for ease of
reference and updating.

YOUR INITIAL PDS

A good starting point for any PDS is Pugh's list of 32 headings discussed below [1], but
concentrate on the key points first rather than attempting to say something about everything.
In particular the points related to performance, functionality and the tasks to be performed
tend to be important.

Writing a good design specification is not easy, but bear in mind that it does not have to be
perfect from the start, it will develop as the design progresses. It is advisable to start drafting
a PDS early (even from day one). You can start by simply listing any design considerations
in a general way without trying to provide much of the quantified data. This list can then be
developed into a full PDS as the project progresses.

Note that the first three phases of the design process, i.e. Investigation, PDS and Concept
Generation are easier and more effective if carried out in parallel, not sequentially. In this
way work in one area will assist progress in the others.

Much information for the PDS will be missing in the early stages of a project. Don’t let this
hold you up. In your first draft PDS it is acceptable, and necessary, to put in estimates, or
your best guess, for unknown numbers. Just make it clear that an estimate has been used

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and further revision will be necessary. You can also state where it is not possible to make
estimations, or have elements stated as questions to be addressed. These techniques can
be very helpful in eliciting information from the client company or others who may be able to
provide useful input. The PDS is your document, use it to help you.

There is sometimes concern that writing a PDS early will limit creativity. If well prepared the
design specification will not constrain creativity and, in fact, will often stimulate ideas and
promote understanding.

THE FORMAL PDS

The informal draft will at some point, fairly early in the project, need to be written up as the
first version of an agreed PDS. This can be designated ‘Version 1’ or ‘Issue 1’ so that it can
be updated and recorded for subsequent changes.

It is often helpful to differentiate between essential and desirable factors in the PDS. This
may be done by making careful use of the words ‘must’ and ‘should’ in the document, or a
letter may be used to denote the importance of each element, for example,
‘essential/desirable’ (E or D) or ‘demand/wish’ (D or W).

There is no ‘correct’ length for a PDS. This will depend on the particular project and the
stage reached, but the PDS should as comprehensive as possible as early as possible.

Repetition should be avoided - some factors will be valid under more than one heading and
you will need to choose the most appropriate location. This can then be cross-referenced if it
is relevant to other parts of the PDS.

Notes on the PDS elements

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The following notes on each of the 32 elements are intended to provide some food for
thought as a starting point for preparing a new design specification. The notes are not
exhaustive by any means and many other points may be relevant in your particular project.

Aesthetics

This is clearly a difficult aspect to quantify. Statements such as ‘should look nice’ or ‘must be
aesthetically pleasing’ are not helpful and should be avoided. Descriptors or adjectives
which state what messages or impressions the appearance should convey can be helpful,
e.g. robust, hygienic, dynamic, sporty, safe, reassuring.

You should think about the likely preferences of the user groups and about people’s self-
image. Appearance usually needs to be appropriate for a particular working environment, for
example, a kitchen, workshop, office, building site, the street etc.

Some features may need to be visible, for example, safety handles, escape routes,
informative text or signals etc.

Company Constraints

These might include such things as:

 Current company policies and practices.

 Constraints from previous products.

 Financial constraints.

 Manufacturing methods.

 Company facilities and expertise.

Competition

 Is there any direct competition, or not? Who? What? Price?

 Which aspects does our product have to improve on?

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Costs

Costs are often very difficult to anticipate and any financial information at this stage is likely
to consist of rough estimates. It is usually easier, and more appropriate, to state an
estimated selling price, or range, based on market information or competition than to predict
manufacturing costs.

Cost considerations could include e.g.:

 Selling price.

 Amortised development costs.

 Target product cost – materials and manufacture.

 Other costs, e.g. transport.

 Whole-life costs.

 Financial viability (payback periods, profit margins etc expected).

 Disposal costs.

Customer

 Who is the customer (for the design)?

 Is there one customer or several? There is often more than one!

 What do we know about the customer(s)?

 What are the needs of the customer(s)?

Disposal

 Any potential hazards or particular problems.

 Who is responsible for disposal?

 Recycling requirements

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 Environmental legislation.

Documentation

 Is any documentation required with the product?

 Who is the documentation for?

 How will it be supplied?

 What formats might be appropriate?

 Could safety be an issue?

Ergonomics

 User groups.

 Percentile range to be considered, e.g. 5th to 95th percentile.

 Constraints, e.g. on weights to be lifted.

 Any important human/product interface requirements.

 Lighting.

 Noise.

 Fatigue or RSI risks.

 Major safety concerns.

Environment

This heading may be split into two very different aspects:

1. Working environment. Location. Indoor/outdoor/hostile conditions. Temperature,

pressure, humidity. Dirt and dust. Insects, animals. Shock loading, vibration.
Corrosion. Abuse.

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2. Environmental Impact. Pollution, toxicity, use of resources etc. Legislation.

Disposal.

Installation

 Who will perform the installation?

 Any special considerations?

Legal/Statutory

 Are there any legal or legislative issues that need to be taken into account?

 Acts of Parliament, EU Directives etc.

Life in Service

 Expected life in use.

 Frequency/duration of use.

Product Life Span

The period the product is expected to be in production before it becomes obsolete or

superseded.

Maintenance

 Can some maintenance be expected or should it be maintenance-free?

 Who will maintain it?

 Implications if maintenance is neglected.

 Maintenance policy.

Manufacture

 Manufacturing facilities and resources available.

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 Manufacture in-house or contract out?

 Any constraints on processes.

Market

 Market size.

 Customers and users – characteristics and requirements. Benefits sought.

 Market segments.

 Market penetration aimed for.

 How is it to be sold?

 Where is it to be sold?

Materials

 Constraints or restrictions on materials.

 Particular materials that are preferred and reasons why they are preferred.

 Non-flammable or flameproof materials?

 Non-toxic materials?

Note. Avoid general statements like ‘materials must be light and strong’.

Do not specify materials to be used unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

Packaging

 Any particular requirements, e.g. for protection, transporting, storage.

 Is packaging important at the point-of-sale?

 Any essential information on the packaging.

 Maximum size.

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 Maximum costs.

 Packaging shelf life.

Patents

 Are there any existing relevant patents?

 Possible infringement of patents.

 Company/client policy on patents.

Performance

Note. You might find an additional sub-title of ‘Function’, or ‘Functionality’ is helpful here.

There may be many types of information relevant here e.g.

 Required performance, e.g. speed, loads to be carried, accuracy etc.

 Particular tasks to be accomplished.

Politics

Consider the implications of any political policies, attitudes or impending changes.

Processes

 Any process specifications that need to be adhered to.

 Preferred processes for manufacture.

Quality and Reliability

 Are there any quality standards that need to be complied with, general or specific?

 Company policy.

 What will the customer expect?

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 Use and abuse must be anticipated. Expect people to use the product in ways which
were not intended by the designers. Does this raise any safety issues?

Quantities

This is important information. The following could be considered:

 The number of products required.

 Over what period are products required?

 One-off, batch or mass production?

Safety

 Major risks.

 Relevant standards and legislation.

 Regulatory bodies/authorities.

 Any measures that need to be taken to ensure safety.

Size

Any maximum or minimum requirements? Are there any specific size requirements or
restrictions?

Standards and Specifications

 Any relevant UK and International standards.

 Codes of practice.

 Company standards.

Storage/Shelf life

 Will the product need to be stored?

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 Storage period.

 Storage conditions.

Testing

 Any testing requirements.

 Is prototype testing necessary or possible?

 Where – within the company or off-site?

 Will it need to be tested with a representative sample of the user group?

 Will tests need to be witnessed, or approved, by external parties or bodies?

Timescales

 When is the design to be finished?

 Is there a market or commercial ‘window’ to be aimed for?

Note: a project plan is not needed here, only mention timescale factors that might
influence the design or development of the product itself.

Shipping/Transportation

 Means of transport.

 Are there maximum allowable sizes and weights?

 How many might be transported at once?

 Air transport issues (e.g. pressure changes, security etc)

Weight

 Is weight important?

 Any maximum or minimum weight restrictions.

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 Ergonomic issues.

REFERENCES

1. Pugh S, 1991, Total Design, Addison Wesley.

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Questions

Before proceeding to the next section, answer the following questions:

1. How would you structure the content of the PDS?

2. What would you do where there is repetition of information under more than one heading
in the PDS?

1. What is a PDS?

2. What are the reasons for preparing a well-written PDS?

3. How does a PDS differ from a) a design brief, and b) a technical

specification?

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Optional Material

A Sample of Typical Errors in a PDS

In this example, consider the case of a PDS for a device that assists disabled people to make hot
drinks safely in their own home. The following are examples of poor statements that could be
made in this PDS:

Performance

“The device must be able to tilt to an angle whereby no more than 10% of the full capacity
remains in the kettle or teapot”

This statement is not suitable as it implies a solution, i.e. a kettle-tilting device. The PDS must
state what the aims and requirements of the product are, but it must avoid defining how these are
to be achieved.

Target Cost

“£15 - £20 retail price”

It would be preferable to state a maximum retail price, ideally together with the basis/rationale
for the value.

Materials

“Materials should be light and strong.”

This statement is too vague to be helpful in the design process.

Size

“Compact; approximately the same size as a standard kettle”

This is an unnecessary constraint to include unless it is justified.

Safety

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“If released suddenly or inadvertently pouring should stop”

“Should” cannot be used in this statement; pouring “must” stop.

Quality and Reliability

“The product must be manufactured to a high quality so as to be reliable and safe”

It is not clear here what is meant by “high quality”. Perfection is expensive, and quality must be
appropriate to manufacture and use contexts. Reliability and safety depend on many design
factors in addition to quality of manufacture.

“Product must be able to withstand the impact of being dropped from a height of 2 metres”

This is an unnecessary constraint for a kitchen environment.

Aesthetics

“Product should be aesthetically pleasing”

This is entirely subjective and not helpful. The statement could be made more specific by
referring to such things as compatibility with a domestic kitchen or lounge environment, and
also any likely user preferences.

Ergonomics

“The product is to be used primarily by the elderly and disabled. All handles and human
interfaces shall therefore be designed in such a way as to enable ease of use.”

This statement is too general. Factors such as user limitations, single-handed operation and
visual semantics need to be taken into account.

Company Constraints

“The design should employ current company manufacturing facilities”

This statement is too vague. The actual facilities to be used should be mentioned.

Testing

“The design should be life tested for at least 4000 operation cycles.”

What is the basis for this requirement?

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Exercise 3

Exercise A

Prepare an initial PDS for the shower aid that was described in Topic 3.

Exercise B

This exercise is provided to give experience in thinking about the working of individual elements. It is
not assessed, but you may submit it if you wish to receive feedback. An example of a PDS compiled
from several student projects is included below. The aim of the project was to design a gripper, or
‘end-effector’, for a light electrically powered manipulator arm to be fitted to a powered wheelchair.
The device was intended to allow the user to carry out some everyday tasks in a domestic, or similar,
environment. Comment on any of the elements of the specification which you feel are unsatisfactory,
giving reasons. Also, are there any major points which have not been included but which you believe
would have been important in an initial PDS?

Example Product Design Specification

End-Effector for a Wheelchair-Mounted Manipulator Arm

AESTHETICS
Form – the shape of the end-effector should be uncluttered and ‘look good’.

Colour – should be coated using a suitable colour scheme.

COSTS
The cost of the end-effector should be kept to a minimum. £3000 is the maximum total selling price
of the manipulator arm together with the end effector. Cost is of great importance to this design as the
end user has limited funds.

CUSTOMER
The product should be primarily for disabled people with poor lower/upper limb function or people
with cognitive and degenerative disorders resulting in the use of a wheelchair and loss of a wide
variety of limb usages e.g. lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling , placing (rotating).

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DISPOSAL
The product should not incorporate any toxic or carcinogenic material. Should be 100% easily
recyclable and non-hazardous.

ERGONOMICS
The product should be primarily for disabled people with poor lower/upper limb function or people
with cognitive disorders resulting in the use of a wheelchair. The user interface should be
comprehensible. The noise output should be kept to a minimum. The anthropometric data should be
thoroughly analysed for reach and height data.

ENVIRONMENT
The environment the end effector will be used in will have to be suitable in the following areas of the
home:

 Domestic.

 Office.

 Leisure (on holiday).

INSTALLATION
The product should be easy to install and calibrate.

LEGAL/STATUTORY
All documentation should be approved through the correct governing bodies.

LIFE IN SERVICE
10 years.

PRODUCT LIFE SPAN

20 years.

MAINTENANCE
The end-effector should have minimum maintenance.

MARKET
The market for this product will affect 9 % of the total population. This is a very large market size and
will allow the company to make large profits. The existing products on the market are not as versatile
as our product. The product can be sold through mail order and specialist suppliers.

MATERIALS
Plastics and aluminium.

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Materials should have the following characteristics:

 Low cost.

 Non corrosive.

 Non toxic.

 Non carcinogenic.

 High tensile strength.

The material will be selected using CMS-perittus software.

PATENTS
All existing patents must be sourced and collated.

Existing patents must not be infringed.

PERFORMANCE
The product will be used 365 days a year.

It should be able to carry a load of 2.5 kg.

It must perform with precision and adequate speed.

The end-effector must have an integrated temperature sensor at the contact points. There must be a
bleep warning if the contact temperature range, and time, is exceeded. The user must be alerted as the
limits are approached.

QUALITY AND RELIABILITY

The product must be manufactured to a high quality and be reliable and safe. It will adhere to any
conforming standards.

QUANTITIES
1000 units mass production.

SAFETY AND STANDARDS

The product must have no sharp edges resulting in injury to the user.

When coming into close contact with the face it should not harm the person.

The product must conform to British and European standards

The product should be highly insulated and protected from misuse.

The end effector must have an integrated lock mechanism to prevent grip failure.

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TESTING
A prototype will be made and tested under normal user conditions. Non-destructive testing i.e. wear
tests, load bearing tests etc.

FMEA should be carried out.

WEIGHT
The weight should be no more than 450 grammes.

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Topic Summary

After studying this topic you should now be able to:

1. Understand the purpose of a PDS.

2. Understand how to structure and prepare a PDS.

3. Determine what content is suitable for a PDS.

4. Prepare a PDS of your own.

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