What is a product design specification?
What is a product design specification?
A product design specification, or project specification, should include all of the relevant information for that product. It should detail any appropriate market research and the necessary demands of that product too. It needs to indicate that the product follows the right guidelines as well.
What should be included in a product design specification?
| Requirement | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
| Product performance | What’s the purpose of the product? How fast does it work? |
| Economics | How much will it cost to run successfully? |
| Cost of production | How much will it cost to make? What about manufacturing costs, & downtime? |
| Quantity needed | How many are needed? Can that amount be produced in budget/time? |
| Life span of product | How long is it expected to stay on the marketing for? |
| Customer audience | What demands do customers have? Collect data to pinpoint customer issues |
| Product competition | What else is already similar out there? Any patents that hinder development? |
| Service life of product | How long will it work as a functional product? How often will it get used? |
| Environment of product | Expectations of wear, tear or noise using product & conditions needed to function |
| Size | How big is the product? Size dimensions & notes on storage |
| Weight | How light or heavy the product is and any lifting requirement? |
| Maintenance | Does it need cleaning or care? Can the customer do this easily? |
| Material | Do any of the materials used have any industry standards? Is it safe? |
| Ergonomics | Is it easy to use, and move where applicable? Is it user friendly? |
| Appearance | The overall look of the finished product, is it compact and aesthetically pleasing? |
| Finish | Colour and surface specs |
| Weight | How light or heavy the product is and any lifting requirement? |
| Quality | Reliability using data from similar product lines |
| Product packaging | What packaging does it have? Does it require special packaging? |
| Industry standards | Which locations are you releasing the product in? Respective regulations |
| Testing of product | Outline any product tests to be completed, with details on costs and results |
| Product safety | Confirmation that the product is safe to use |
| Design time | Identify full design time, otherwise costly modifications |
