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Phases of new product design

Short answer

New product design proceeds through feasibility study, preliminary design, and detailed design. Feasibility checks viability; preliminary design selects the best concept and layout; detailed design defines every part with analysis and prototyping, followed by planning for manufacture, distribution, use and retirement.

Describe the phases of new product design from the feasibility study to the detailed design and analysis. State the purpose and the output of each phase.

New product design proceeds through a series of phases, each ending with a review and a go/no-go decision. This avoids spending money on an idea that cannot succeed.

 Feasibility study
        |
 Preliminary design
        |
 Detailed design & analysis
        |
 Planning for manufacture, distribution,
 use and retirement

1. Feasibility study

Purpose: to find out whether the product is worth developing.

  • Is the need real? Market size, customer opinion, competitor products.
  • Is it technically possible with present knowledge and materials?
  • Is it economically viable (estimated cost, selling price, return on investment)?
  • Is it legally and socially acceptable (safety, standards, environment)?

Output: a short feasibility report with the main concepts and the decision to proceed or stop.

2. Preliminary design

Purpose: to select the best concept and fix the overall layout.

  • Alternative concepts are generated and sketched.
  • Approximate calculations are done for power, size, major forces and cost.
  • Concepts are compared (decision matrix) and the best one is chosen.
  • Critical risks are identified and tested with simple models or mock-ups.

Output: layout drawings, main dimensions, a list of major components and materials, and cost estimate.

3. Detailed design and analysis

Purpose: to define every part completely so that it can be made.

  • Stress, deflection, fatigue, wear and thermal analysis of each part; selection of standard components such as bearings, belts and fasteners.
  • Material, tolerance, fit and surface finish for each part.
  • Prototype building and testing; the design is modified from test results.

Output: complete working drawings, bill of materials, design calculations and test reports.

4. Later planning phases

After the detailed design the team plans manufacture (process selection, tooling, quality control), distribution and use (packaging, transport, installation, manual, service) and retirement (disposal and recycling). Considering these early keeps the design economical to produce and responsible to dispose of.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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