Visualization Method of Product Design Intent and Examples of Application in Product Development: Concept and Application of Design Map

It is said that design involves deciding the composition and structure of the things to be made, determining the details of each part and the methods of making them, and recording them in the form of documents and drawings. The designer should create a series of scenarios in which the desired function is broken down into steps according to the specifications of each material. The material is then embodied and assembled to make the desired function and is socially implemented. The series of scenarios mentioned here, which the designer should consider, is the design intent. Instead of discussing strategies and products, this article discusses a methodology for visualizing 'design intent,' which is essential for teams to implement them in the society systematically and how teams can share it. Furthermore, this article shows that the product design intentions of designers could be decomposed using two methods, product design and process design, regarding the visualization methods of product design intentions. Using these two methods, we present the idea of a 'design map' that visualizes product design intent in the form of a tree diagram, and a total 'Himozuke' method that includes other visualization tools. As an example application, we show that these methods work effectively in the development of superlarge flat panel displays, and as a result, both 'shortening the development period' and 'improving the yield in mass-production prototypes,' which are important key performance indicators during the development period, were significantly improved.