Enhancing the usability of consumer products through manufacturing: Part I- Developing the usability-manufacturing attribute linkages for a hybrid bicycle

Global competition, concern for the environment, and the need for customiza tion are forcing manufacturers to produce usable products at an affordable price. For a product to be successful in the marketplace, it is essential t o determine what constitutes usability and then to design it in the product and ensure it through manufacturing. The product features, which affect a product's usability, are affected by product and process attributes. If a r elationship between the design of a product and its manufacturing attribute s can be developed, it would be possible to enhance a product's overall usa bility during the course of its manufacturing. This paper, first of the two -part paper, shows how the usability of a product and its design and manufa cturing attributes can be related by using a hybrid bicycle as an example. A four-step transformation matrix procedure similar to Quality Function Dep loyment methodology is used to develop the usability and manufacturing attr ibute linkages. In the first level of analysis, information is extracted fr om the user about those product characteristics which dictate its usability (e.g. should be light and tough) and determine the technical requirements (e.g. strength/weight ratio) that are required to achieve it. In the second level of transformation, various product features (e.g. frame tube) were r elated to the technical requirements. The third level of transformation rel ates various process techniques (e.g. extrusion, heat treatment) needed to achieve usable product features and shows the associated costs. The fourth level relates each of the process techniques to specific process variables that make the process effective (material, quenchant, etc.). Thus, a clear relationship between product usability and manufacturing process variables is established. Significance: The methodology enables a consumer product designer to relate product usability to the manufacturing attributes. Through proper selectio n of the process variables, designers can enhance the product usability dur ing the course of manufacturing.