Product Design

Product, design and communications

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Welcome!

In this session, you will learn about:

• Creating a value proposition
• Communicating through design
• Design process skills

At the end of the session, you will apply your knowledge to create your own unique and innovative product!

Value Proposition

What is a value proposition? It identifies:

• What your product is?
• What and how it solves your customer’s problem?
• Why should the customer buy your product?

Why is a value proposition important?

• It helps you understand what your product will do for your customers
• It conveys to the customer why they should buy your product and not your competitor’s product

How To Create A Value Proposition?

DEFINE THE PROBLEM

Who ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS

CUSTOMERS' NEEDS

1. Define the problem

Clearly identify the problem you want your product to solve for your customers. Ask yourself: What is the problem your product is addressing?

2. Who are your customers?

• Identify your target audience - who do you want to buy your product?
• Be specific
• You can use demographics to help specify your target audience
• Build a customer profile
• If there is a competing product on the market, find out the customer profiles of those who buy and engage with this product.
• Importance of identifying your customers

3. Customers’ needs

Now that you know your target audience, identify your customer’s needs. Your product should focus on and fulfil your customer’s needs. Ask yourself: What problem or need does your product address for the customer? How does your product do this? What makes your product unique/ different? What are the benefits of your product? How is your product different from your competitors? How does your product solve the problem better than your competitors’ product?

Let’s put this all together using a value proposition map

Using this map you can group together the key ideas behind your product and directly link it to your user group (customers)

Gain Creators

Gains

Products & Services

Jobs

Pains

Pain Relievers

Strategyzer, 2020

Value Proposition Map

Customer Gains

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Customer Pains

Gain creators

Customer JOBS

PAIN RELIEVERS

Let’s look at an example

Out of these coffee house chains which are the two most popular? Costa Tim Hortons Lavazza Starbucks

Case Study

Factors:Coffee range More than coffee Technology

Read this article to find further information on the similarities and differences between Costa and Starbucks

The Better Competitor?

Considering all these factors who is the better competitor?

Costa

Starbucks

Some considerations to remember

• Keep your customers at the centre of your value proposition
• Make sure your product meets the customers’ needs
• Be clear and concise
• Avoid using jargon - remember you want to grab your customer’s attention! You don’t want to bore or confuse them into buying your competitors’ product
• Summarise your value proposition in 1-3 sentences

Click here for further resources

Knowledge Check

Who is central to creating your value proposition?

Investors

Customers

Your company

What are 2 out of the 6 elements of the value proposition canvas?

Revenue structure

Costs

Customer gains

Products & Services

Key Partners

Communicating through Design

Just as people communicate through words and body language, things communicate to us through their designs. On the right are all speakers but they each communicate something different because of their colours, forms and materials.

Design Elements & Principles

Using design elements and principles, we can communicate our intended message to the user through the design of our products. A design is created with elements... point, line, shape, form, tone, texture, colour and space ...that are put together using principles contrast, balance, scale, repetition, unity, rhythm, movement, focal point

Top tip: Click on each heading to zoom in for better resolution

Source: Paper Leaf Design

Top tip: Click on each heading to zoom in for better resolution

Source: Paper Leaf Design

Colour Theory

Colours have meaning and different combinations of colours communicate different things.

Activity: Colour Theory

Find a photo of your favourite video game, country or football team on google or on your phone and drop it into the colour the theme extractor by clicking this link: https://color.adobe.com/create/image

Fiddle around with the colour options on the left column. Once you are happy with the colour palette, take a screenshot to save it. This will be used for the next activity.

Welcome to Engineering Design Skills

Three important design skills I want to focus on

Iterative Design

User Experience

Drawing

I want you to design the most luxurious yacht based on a theme of your choice

There are no limitations, you have an infinite budget. Go nuts.

You are free to take inspiration from yachts like on the right. Just try to be original.

The most luxurious yacht at the end of the session wins a free yacht.

Only joking. We don't have a yacht to hand!.

Sketch your yacht based on a theme

You will have 3 minutes to sketch your yacht.

Your theme can be anything. E.g. Your favourite video game, football team, country. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and get creative in this section.

You can sketch your yacht on whatever you want. Use the screenshot of the colour palette earlier to help you with your design! Paper and MS Paint are ideal.

User Experience activity: Alter your yacht to suit the customer

You will have 5 minutes to identify the key features of your yacht. Think of the shape, size, colour, materials etc.

This slide is here to demonstrate the importance of User experience (UX). UX is one of the most employable roles in the world at the moment. This is because successful companies tailor their product to the user first. An engineer must ask these questions when in the design stage of any product, from iPhones to houses.

Why should anyone buy your yacht? What makes it different to anyone else’s? What is your target market?

Take note of your inspiration, environmental sustainability, aesthetics… Justify why your yacht should exist

Use quick research and development to identify and explain the features you have added to your yacht.

Iterative design activity: Ask a nearby person what they think of the yacht and complete a final sketch to suit their opinion

Ask a family member, friend, roommate, etc. Nobody around? Send a snapchat! Based on their feedback, do a final sketch - you will have 10 minutes to complete this task.

Once finished, take a photo of your final product. Send/show that photo to a family or friend. Ask yourself: Does it look good? Is it your dream boat? Would it float? Could you even sell it? How much would it cost?

This might seem unnecessary, however iterative design is a key factor to a successful product in the world of engineering.

Plenary

In this node you have learnt:

• What is & how to create a value proposition
• How to communicate colour through design
• 3 design skills: Drawing, User Experience & Iterative design

We hope this has given you an insight into the world of engineering! Thank you for reading and participating!

Congratulations on finishing the Production, design and communications node!

References: To view the list of resources and links used throughout this node click here

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