Reverse Engineering

The purpose of reverse engineering a product is not to just understand how it works, but also to understand the “designers intent”.

Try to deduce through investigation, research and experimentation, what the designers were thinking when they made the choices they made. Everything in front of you has been done a certain way through choice. So the game is to think like an archaeologist and try to work out what were they thinking when they did a certain thing.

Assignment 1 - 2 Pages - User Experience:

The weight, size, feel, appearance and performance of a product has all been designed. Why has it been done that way? Why is it like this? Simply listing product attributes and comparing them to others is not going to get a great score. You need to scratch deeper below the surface and come to a reasoning as to why something has been made the way it has. Some other tips:

• Who is the target audience for your product, what design features have been chosen because of this audience. Could a different audience be more effective?

• The difference between a user and a customer. The customer buys it but the user uses it, they aren't always the same person. Is this having an effect on your product?

• Do your market positioning analysis so that we can compare your product to others that are competing or alternatives to get the same job done. This will also help inform your improvements and trade-offs.

• For styling, I wouldn't just describe the packaging and the product, some key facts (size weight etc..) are helpful, but it's obvious stuff I can pick up just from looking at it. What do you think is the design intent behind these decisions? Why this box, why like this, why these colours, how does it compare to the alternatives etc...

• Is the styling trying to build a connection to something that makes the user think of that association? Why have design features or aesthetic decisions been done the way they have? Is your product a grill fryer and the designers wanted to create an image of Texas BBQs as part of their 'product story' to unconsciously communicate to you a sense of heritage and prestige? Or is it all white plastic and shiny stainless steel to give you the impression of hygiene and cleanliness? Vacuum cleaners for example often take styling ideas from cars. Is there a comparison that can be drawn with your product and why might they have done this?

• Anything can be changed and improved, but we can assume that the budget is fixed, so if you want to change something here, you might need to change something else over there... For example, if I think the handle should be made with an extra rubber layer to make the grip feel better, more secure, higher quality (touch points get all the attention), where could I make a saving somewhere else? Should I remove some metal parts or fake metal chrome on plastic to save money to put the savings into things that make the product work better? So discuss the possible trade-offs you've identified rather than saying I'd make everything better.

Improvements (relevant for assignment 1 - 3, not just this one):

Each assignment will ask you to suggest improvements around that theme. There are always things that can be done better or differently, but they need justification and reasoning. Although don’t panic… it's the smallest element of the mark scheme so definitely include something (otherwise you'll score zero) but no need to sweat it if there isn't much you can think of.

We've a soft spot for drawings and sketches. They are a great way of communicating quickly and work very well for the improvement part.

Assignment 2 - 2 Pages - Role & Function:

Overview:

A few of you were let down slightly by the lack of any 'introduction' to the product. You hit us straight with a detailed discussion about packaging or product performance. A simple setting of context would have been useful.

Since all 3 assignments will ultimately 'hang together' there's no need to give a basic product intro now, but I would recommend 'setting the scene' with relation to the role and function of the product... what does this mean? Before you dive in showing us the details of how little sub assemblies or components might work, show us the whole product with a quick overview of how it works... food goes in here, lid goes on releasing an inter-lock, switch here turns on motor which spins blades and blends food... obviously don't just tell me. Show me!

A good technique (but not the only one) is to try and make an 'x-ray' image of the product, overlaying images of components over a transparent layer of the product is a simple way to show where all the key parts are and how they interact with each other. Alternatively sketch from scratch or draw onto photos to highlight different key sub assemblies etc...

This should give us a good overview of the product function so that we now have the context for any deep-dive investigations you want to do.

Deep Dives (relevant for assignments 2 & 3):

Separate to the overview for good marks we want to see you explore and explain why certain things have been done the way they have and has anything been done in a particularly clever and interesting way. For example labelling what something does is the bare minimum we would expect, but some parts may have been made in an interesting way that gives it additional functions. From my discussions this morning some examples might be:

• The shape of a cutting blade or housing... how does this effect performance, why has it been done this way, what would happen if we did it a different way, could we improve it?

• The shape of a component improves boiling performance and channels steam away from the electronics

• By doing something this way enables an improved performance and function without the need for additional components.

• Is there anything that you don't understand what it does? Maybe there are some unexplained features that don't do anything but might have done for an earlier version of the product?

Basically if we can't identify the reason immediately at a single glance then it's an interesting area to explore.

You don't need to cover everything, just the interesting parts. Blenders and mixers could have a PhD on the blade design so even if your product is 'super simple' there's always interesting stuff to explore. Big complicated products, streamline your efforts to the bit(s) you find most interesting. Obviously feel free to run your ideas past us.

Assignment 3 - 2 Pages - Manufacturing, Assembly & Cost

On page one we’d like to see a large photo of all the parts laid out and arranged so we can clearly see all the components that went into making your product. Try and get it down to every single nut and bolt.

This image can be arranged to say more than one things though, you might want to think about arranging the parts in sub-assembly clusters, or by material or by made vs bought or by assembly sequence. Whatever you think works best for your product and its complexity.

We’d then like to see an analysis of its assembly and how it’s made, why not time yourself trying to put it all back together? This might reveal some interesting insights into things that could be made easier or whether it’s hand assembled or machine made. Also think about any injection moulded parts, what can you work out about the mould design and its complexity?

Finally cost, please don’t bother trying to work out the cost of the machine and mould tools. You could easily be a factor of 10 or 100 out for reasons we won’t be able to deduce from the product. But you will be able to ascertain with a high level of certainty the complexity of the tool or not. Is it a simple 2 part clamshell or a 5 part mould with removable cores and over-moulds? We won’t ever know how much it might have cost but we can definitely say that this is a complicated piece of work and highlight how we’ve come to this conclusion.

At these high volumes (assume 20,000+ a week as a minimum) if you work out the cost of all metal and plastic parts based on their weights and the wholesale price of the material you won’t be far off.

The assignments are meant to be hard, they are meant to challenge you, this isn’t first and second year anymore where you can just follow the instructions and ace it. You’ll need to think for yourselves, seek out inspiration and ask for help! We’ve got a fantastic team of super experienced people to help you. Bring your products along each week, be curious and we’re happy to talk about careers and other stuff too. The overwhelming majority of students who took this class found it hard but loved it because of it. We’re looking forward to seeing you all soon!