The brief

This section looks at the product design brief, which is typically a statement of intent. This is an essential part of the design process, helping the designer understand the business problem he or she is required to solve. The brief also sets out the terms under which the designer can do this, including budgets and deadlines. However, although the brief states the problem, it isn’t enough information with which to start designing, although it may come before your research, and so will play a more prominent role from the start.

Getting the product design brief right is important; without a clearly defined brief it can prove almost impossible to go on and design and develop a successful product. The first thing that needs to be done when creating it is to start by clearly defining all of the aims and objectives identified through research and/or discussions with the client. Writing the brief is best conducted as a knowledge-sharing activity. Involving all relevant parties, including designers, client, engineers, marketing, end users and manufacturers, at this early stage in development helps to inform the brief and reduces the chance of misunderstandings. The brief can be complex or, equally commonly, somewhat vague and ambiguous. It is rare to find a really comprehensive brief. It is also uncommon for the brief to be a single coherent document—rather it is usually a file containing a record of all relevant issues and documents.

When writing a brief, try to consider the following important questions:

Who is the product aimed at?

Carefully define your market. Failure to do this may result in a brilliant product that appeals to entirely the wrong market sector. Or it may appeal to the right group of end users, but have inappropriate functionality, visual language, or material properties. If your product crosses between user groups, it may require more than one variation.

What are the anticipated production volumes?

Knowing how many of the proposed products you intend to make has a profound effect on the choice of manufacturing and production processes and materials usage. This will impact on the product development process, the time to market, and the business investment.

Does it have to conform to any statutory or voluntary standards?

If you don’t understand or address this area, you may develop a product that you are not legally allowed to sell. Failure to integrate the requirements of any standards will almost always incur expensive redevelopment.

What does it do and how does it function?

Although this may be obvious to the inventor of the technology or the engineering team, as a product designer you must fully understand the functionality of the device and how and where the end user is likely to use it.

Why is it better than your competitors’ products?

Having an accurate awareness and understanding of this aspect of your product is essential—and not just for marketing purposes. If the design team understands the uniqueness of your product and where the differences lie, this will influence their approach.

Which components are contained within the product?

Switching parts, assemblies, and components during the design phase can lead to delays and possibly expensive modifications. You may not be able to pin down all your component choices at an early stage, but you should do as much as you can and always have a contingency plan.

Is the product a stand-alone item or part of a larger group or system?

Once again this will affect the choice of visual language used. Products in a range may need to have a similar look to fit in coherently. For example, if you look at Apple’s iPod, even without the logo it is easy to spot that it is a product from Apple’s range.

Are there environmental considerations (life cycle, recycling, waste, energy use in production)?

This is an area of increasing importance and can have an enormous impact upon material choice and production methods.

Structuring the brief

Typically the product design brief will comprise input from three key product development perspectives, namely marketing, technical, and sales:

• The marketing part of the brief describes the anticipated product, its functionality, and its market positioning with respect to the product’s main competitors and brand imperatives. It may also have a “wish list”of functions and features, as well as customer “must haves.” It will also either refer to, or enclose, recent consumer research findings.
• The technical part of the brief specifies the constraints on investmentfor new tooling, existing parts or components that need to be reused, a preliminary PDS covering performance, cost, and intended manufacture, and standards that need to be respected. It will usually clarify or define key functional criteria that are likely to influence a future design.
• The sales part of the brief will typically cover all aspects relating to sales and distribution, including the product’s Return on Investment (ROI) and sales planning (targets and forecasts). In addition it may cover key account needs and commercial implications for the new product in the context of other products in the manufacturer’s lineup. Typical outputs would include documents and reports that illustrate research into social, economic, and technological matters.

It should be pointed out that not all products are created as a response to a brief. Some designers do not work to a brief, while others rise to the challenges inherent in a tightly restrictive brief. Many designers also set and shape their own design briefs in self-initiated projects. It is common for designers to work in this way in the lead-up to the major annual design festivals now held throughout the world. Whatever the approach and style, this key document wil be tested and explored according to the customer’s or client’s needs, as the next development stage.