In this course, you will learn how to plan, develop, and maintain a physical product according to a systematic method without having to rely on elusive creativity or luck.
The content of this course is based on the German "Konstruktionslehre" (En. Theory of Design) - an engineering methodology established in the 1970s, taught at elite German technical universities and used by many organizations. The premise of this method is to give engineers or product designers the tools and resources to easily break down any technical problem and arrive at an optimal solution that fulfills the customer's needs. Together with Design Sprint, TRIZ and VDI2221, the German Konstruktionslehre is one of the most commonly applied design methods in the industry.
We will start by getting to know the scope and background of modern Product Development Processes, the current trends and challenges that impact the way we work. We will then learn why a systematic approach is best suited for tackling product development and introduce methods that form the basise of our technique.
Once this is covered, we will jump into the hands-on part of the course. It starts with gathering the product requirements, formulating its specs, and setting up a solution-neutral, graphical representation of our product's functionality - the Function Structure. It serves as a basis for developing discrete engineering solutions for each functionality and combining them into a working Product Concept.
In the next step, we will learn how to transform the Concept into a final product ready to be manufactured, applying rules for simple, clear, and safe design. The resulting Embodiment Design of the product forms a basis for Simulation, CAD modeling, Tolerancing and Dimensioning, and Rapid Prototyping.
The last chapter will teach you how to recognize, trigger, and handle Engineering Change Management after the Product release to accommodate changing customers' needs.
By the end of this course, you will be able to systematically develop your product idea and design it into a successful product without the risk of getting stuck or arriving at a sub-optimal result.
