Form Follows Function

DESIGN OPERATION MAINTENANCE INSTRUMENTATION/PROCESSAUTOMATION CHEMICAL PHARMA/ FOOD/ OIL/ WATER/ BIOBIOTTEECCHH BEVERAGE GAS WASTEWATER Form followsfunction In engineering products,good looksshouldnot be just skin deep Attractive design is the rule in consu- Wika : mer goods, but in most industrial pro- es ducts it still plays a subordinate role. Pictur 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. EUGENGASSMANN In the German language the word “design” has a fairly narrow meaning: The product must meet the demands of the target application, so the conscious design of the look of things. In exact knowledge of the application and the user environment is vital. English, on the other hand, “design” applies to both functional construction and external appearance. This linguistic separation of external appearance and internal function is that good design is nothing less but the highly formalized, also involves emotions and still present in the minds of many design translation of functional specifications. When the weighing of opportunities and risks. departments in industry. The result is a com- it expresses and supports functionality, de- Important questions to do with trust and plete misunderstanding of the maxim coined sign becomes a selling point. confidence are: How reliable is the supplier? by architects of the Modernist school: “form How will they react if demands change? How follows function”. Againstthe barricades exacting are they in terms of quality? The “Form follows function” does not imply A lasting change in attitudes to industrial same applies when evaluating the perfor- that external design is subordinate to the design must begin with a cultural change in mance of a product. In addition to the purely functional aspects of the product. Rather, it product management, where all products formal measures, such as speed or accuracy, says that external design is a logical conse- have their cradle. Especially in business-to- confidence in the product will play a part. quence of function, and that the two con- business dealings, purchasing is often regar- But what creates confidence in a product? cepts are inseparable. “Design is not just ded as a purely rational decision, satisfying How is it that we can decide, almost sponta- what it looks like and feels like. Design is functional needs at the best possible price. neously, which of two similar products offers how it works,” says Steve Jobs, Apple Compu- But each purchasing decision, even when it is higher quality, is more expensive, more solid, ter. In the real world, many engineers still better? The decision results not only from equate conscious attention to aesthetics with measurements but from our overall percepti- unnecessary trimmings, decoration, and cost. PLUS on of the product, its handling, shape, sur- As a result, only in few industrial companies faces, color, details, weight and so on. Our is teamwork between industrial designers Online • Further information and senses alert us to details such as whether and design agencies a normal part of every product details of the something feels like “cheap tin” or is made electronic pressure development process. But the situation is of solid metal. We immediately pick up on switch PSD-30at changing slowly, as people in industry realize process-worldwide.com design which looks artificial instead of sup- via InfoClick 2078576. porting function. The author is Head of Product Management with the Tronic Once we accept this insight, the next step Division of Wika Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG, Klingenberg/ Events • Wika at HannoverFair Germany. Phone: +49 (0) 93 72 / 1 32 - 0 2010: Hall7,Booth B21; is a detailed analysis of expectations and visit the iF online exhibi- 26 PROCESS Worldwide 2-2010 tion: www.ifdesign.de document1670402299871670027.indd26 26 30.03.2010 08:59:45 The creative phases yields the first sketches and rough models, with various basic principles tested for their effect. demands on the product from a customer’s Unfortunately it is often at this point that an perspective, and an exact description of the elegant and creative design is distorted or expected functions in use. We must also the potential of a ingenious design not fully define how the product should fit and diffe- exploited. Slipshod or bland realization will rentiate itself with regard to the target appli- kill even the best design, so attention to cation, the company’s own product portfolio, detail is crucial. and competing products. From this point on, time and costs really Next, it is time to start development and start to build up with each delay or repetiti- engineering. Most industrial companies have on. And delays come in various disguise: no internal design department, in which case a certain manufacturing process may it will be necessary to team up with a profes- turn out not to work, a surface may look sional industrial designer. This can be a diffi- different from what was wanted, a critical cult phase if the company’s own develop- material may no longer be available or ap- ment department has little understanding of proved. the value an external designer can add. But a The temptation is to give in, or to accept good industrial designer should be able to compromises—even bad ones. There is no prove their worth quite easily, however, secret recipe. But discipline and willpower through samples of their work and their are needed to achieve the common goal. detailed knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes. Early involvement of the The fruits of success development engineers can help to create a But in the end, excitement over what has working atmosphere of mutual respect. been achieved makes one forget the difficul- ties. Now it is time to present the new pro- From the ideatoaworking design duct to the board, enter it in design competi- The next phase is usually a creative one, in tions, and make potential users and decision which numerous versions and ideas are tried makers aware of the new possibilities now and compared with the design brief for the open to them. product. Sketches and simple models are The Wika PSD-30 pressure switch won the used to visualize proportions and basic func- prestigious German iF product design award tions. It could prove useful to involve several in 2009. It was also nominated by the Bava- design agencies and to have a wide spread of rian Ministry of Economics for the Design ideas. In the following selection process it is Award of the Federal Republic of Germany essential to adhere to objective requirements 2010—the highest official German award in and thus arrive at a good evaluation scale, the design arena. An award such as the iF instead of making decisions based on pure product design award recognizes a design taste ( “I like it”). which makes the use of the device, simple Once the basic design decision is reached, and convenient. A design which underlines the fine tuning begins. Of decisive im- Wika’s high demands on reliability, robust- portance now is cooperation between desi- ness and other critical quality issues. A design gner, product management, development which not only looks and feels good, but and external suppliers, for instance of tooling. which really works. ● document1670402299871670027.indd27 27 30.03.2010 08:59:59.

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