PROCESS Worldwide 2-201026

In the German language the word“design” has a fairly narrow meaning:

the conscious design of the look of things. InEnglish, on the other hand, “design” appliesto both functional construction and externalappearance. This linguistic separation ofexternal appearance and internal function isstill present in the minds of many designdepartments in industry. The result is a com-plete misunderstanding of the maxim coinedby architects of the Modernist school: “formfollows function”.“Form follows function” does not imply

that external design is subordinate to thefunctional aspects of the product. Rather, itsays that external design is a logical conse-quence of function, and that the two con-cepts are inseparable. “Design is not justwhat it looks like and feels like. Design ishow it works,” says Steve Jobs, Apple Compu-ter. In the real world, many engineers stillequate conscious attention to aesthetics withunnecessary trimmings, decoration, and cost.As a result, only in few industrial companiesis teamwork between industrial designersand design agencies a normal part of everydevelopment process. But the situation ischanging slowly, as people in industry realize

Pictures:W

ikaAttractive design is the rule in consu-

mer goods, but in most industrial pro-

ducts it still plays a subordinate role.

As a result, many products do not look

at all in a way that matches their “all

new” performance. The example of

the new PSD-30 pressure switch from

Wika illustrates the product design

cycle, and shows that good design

and high functionality need not con-

tradict one another; instead, form

follows function.

EUGEN GASSMANN

Form follows functionIn engineering products, good looks should not be just skin deep

The author is Head of Product Management with the TronicDivision of Wika Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG, Klingenberg/Germany. Phone: +49 (0) 93 72 / 1 32 - 0

that good design is nothing less but thetranslation of functional specifications. Whenit expresses and supports functionality, de-sign becomes a selling point.

Against the barricadesA lasting change in attitudes to industrial

design must begin with a cultural change inproduct management, where all productshave their cradle. Especially in business-to-business dealings, purchasing is often regar-ded as a purely rational decision, satisfyingfunctional needs at the best possible price.But each purchasing decision, even when it is

P L U SOnline • Further information and

product details of theelectronic pressureswitch PSD-30 atprocess-worldwide.comvia InfoClick 2078576.

Events •Wika at Hannover Fair2010: Hall 7, Booth B21;visit the iF online exhibi-tion: www.ifdesign.de

The product must meet the demands of the target application, soexact knowledge of the application and the user environment is vital.

highly formalized, also involves emotions andthe weighing of opportunities and risks.Important questions to do with trust and

confidence are: How reliable is the supplier?How will they react if demands change? Howexacting are they in terms of quality? Thesame applies when evaluating the perfor-mance of a product. In addition to the purelyformal measures, such as speed or accuracy,confidence in the product will play a part.But what creates confidence in a product?

How is it that we can decide, almost sponta-neously, which of two similar products offershigher quality, is more expensive, more solid,better? The decision results not only frommeasurements but from our overall percepti-on of the product, its handling, shape, sur-faces, color, details, weight and so on. Oursenses alert us to details such as whethersomething feels like “cheap tin” or is madeof solid metal. We immediately pick up ondesign which looks artificial instead of sup-porting function.Once we accept this insight, the next step

is a detailed analysis of expectations and

PHARMA/BIOTECH

OIL/GAS

WATER/WASTEWATER

CHEMICALDESIGN OPERATION MAINTENANCE

FOOD/BEVERAGE GAS WASTEWATERBIOTECH BEVERAGE

INSTRUMENTATION/PROCESS AUTOMATION

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Unfortunately it is often at this point that anelegant and creative design is distorted orthe potential of a ingenious design not fullyexploited. Slipshod or bland realization willkill even the best design, so attention todetail is crucial.From this point on, time and costs really

start to build up with each delay or repetiti-on. And delays come in various disguise:a certain manufacturing process mayturn out not to work, a surface may lookdifferent from what was wanted, a criticalmaterial may no longer be available or ap-proved.The temptation is to give in, or to accept

compromises—even bad ones. There is nosecret recipe. But discipline and willpowerare needed to achieve the common goal.

The fruits of successBut in the end, excitement over what has

been achieved makes one forget the difficul-ties. Now it is time to present the new pro-duct to the board, enter it in design competi-tions, and make potential users and decisionmakers aware of the new possibilities nowopen to them.The Wika PSD-30 pressure switch won the

prestigious German iF product design awardin 2009. It was also nominated by the Bava-rian Ministry of Economics for the DesignAward of the Federal Republic of Germany2010—the highest official German award inthe design arena. An award such as the iFproduct design award recognizes a designwhich makes the use of the device, simpleand convenient. A design which underlinesWika’s high demands on reliability, robust-ness and other critical quality issues. A designwhich not only looks and feels good, butwhich really works.

demands on the product from a customer’sperspective, and an exact description of theexpected functions in use. We must alsodefine how the product should fit and diffe-rentiate itself with regard to the target appli-cation, the company’s own product portfolio,and competing products.Next, it is time to start development and

engineering. Most industrial companies haveno internal design department, in which caseit will be necessary to team up with a profes-sional industrial designer. This can be a diffi-cult phase if the company’s own develop-ment department has little understanding ofthe value an external designer can add. But agood industrial designer should be able toprove their worth quite easily, however,through samples of their work and theirdetailed knowledge of materials and manu-facturing processes. Early involvement of thedevelopment engineers can help to create aworking atmosphere of mutual respect.

From the idea to a working designThe next phase is usually a creative one, in

which numerous versions and ideas are triedand compared with the design brief for theproduct. Sketches and simple models areused to visualize proportions and basic func-tions. It could prove useful to involve severaldesign agencies and to have a wide spread ofideas. In the following selection process it isessential to adhere to objective requirementsand thus arrive at a good evaluation scale,instead of making decisions based on puretaste ( “I like it”).Once the basic design decision is reached,

the fine tuning begins. Of decisive im-portance now is cooperation between desi-gner, product management, developmentand external suppliers, for instance of tooling.

The creative phases yields the first sketches and rough models,with various basic principles tested for their effect.

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