Mastering Product Understanding: A Guide to Using Sketches and PMI Technique for Effective Product Research

Welcome to this guide on how to study and understand a product's design and functionality using sketches and annotations.

It's essential to have a good understanding of how products work and the benefits they offer. 

This guide is designed to help you develop your skills in product research and analysis, using simple and effective techniques. 

Whether you are a student looking to improve your research skills or a teacher hoping to inspire your students, this guide will provide you with practical tools and strategies to enhance your understanding of product design and functionality. So, let's dive in!

1. Guide to studying how a product works and using sketches and annotations to illustrate your understanding:

1. Start by identifying the product you want to study and make sure you have access to it.
2. Observe the product carefully and try to understand its overall design and purpose.
3. Break down the product into its individual parts and identify how they work together to make the product function.
4. Create a sketch or diagram of the product and label each part with its name and function.
5. Use arrows or lines to show how each part connects or interacts with other parts of the product.
6. Take notes on any unique or interesting features of the product and how they contribute to its overall performance.
7. Try to use the product yourself, if possible, to gain a better understanding of how it works in real-world situations.
8. Make any necessary updates to your sketch or annotations based on your hands-on experience.
9. Review your notes and sketches to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of the product's design and functionality
10. Use your sketches and annotations to create a summary or report of your findings to communicate your understanding of the product to others.

By following these steps, you can gain a deeper understanding of how a product works and use sketches and annotations to effectively communicate that understanding to others.

2. How to use P.M.I. technique for Product Research:

1. Start by researching a product you're interested in studying.
2. Look for the Plus point or the good aspects of the product. These can be advantages or benefits that make it stand out from its competitors.
3. Note down these Plus points and make sure to understand how they contribute to the overall success of the product.
4. Next, identify any Interesting features of the product. These are the unique or unexpected aspects of the product that might surprise you or make it stand out even more.
5. Avoid focusing on the Minus part or the negative aspects of the product. This is not the objective of the research and can lead to unnecessary criticism or fault-finding.
6. Remember that all products are designed and manufactured for specific purposes and functionalities. Avoid assuming that a product should perform a certain function that it's not designed for.

By following these steps, you can use the P.M.I. technique to conduct effective product research and gain a better understanding of what makes a product successful.

A video post on P.M.I. can be found HERE.

3. Mastering Specificit to Drawing Accurate Conclusions from Product Research:

While it's essential to have a solid understanding of how products work and the benefits they offer, however, it's not enough to conduct research alone - you also need to draw specific conclusions that accurately reflect the findings of your research.

That's why we've put together another guide to help you be more specific when concluding from your product research. By following the practical tips and strategies, you'll gain the skills you need to draw accurate and meaningful conclusions that can inform future research and development in your coursework. 

In this guide you will find the following 5 simple steps with examples:

    

Extract from the Guide

The Ultimate 5 Steps to Concluding Product Research

1. Start with a clear research question
2. Identify key features and functions
3. Provide specific examples
4. Avoid vague language
5. Consider alternative conclusions

Drawing specific conclusions is a crucial aspect of product research that should not be overlooked. By following the 5 simple steps and examples provided in this guide, you can improve your ability to draw accurate and meaningful conclusions from your product research. 

These skills can help you make more informed decisions, drive innovation in your coursework, and ultimately contribute to the advancement of knowledge and understanding.

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Let me know in the comments what else you like to learn and watch.

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Idea Generation: How to begin? Shape Borrow? Inspiration? Research? SCAMPER? What Questions?

Practical tips and insights on how to Generate Ideas starting with Shape Borrowing - Just the way how Mr Daniel would do it.

This example is a student’s work and he was clearly stuck. I took his paper and did a photocopy and attempted a re-work. To show you how mrdanielsos would have done it differently. And effectively.

How go go from ‘STUCK’        to              ‘FREE FLOW’

Student wants to design and make something that can wipe a table dry instantly. I did not know why he chose a snail toy for a start. Obviously because of this choice, he did not know what to do next. 

I can fully understand because the paper seemed blank. Lacking in clarity. etc. In this video, I will show you from start to finish how I would get out of this predicament of getting stuck with this seemingly impossible starter with a snail toy for a product to dry a table. 

What you’ll see and learn from this video is done LIVE on the spot without pre-preparation or plans. I am approaching this as if I am actually trying to ideate on the spot.

In this video you will learn how to set your ideation page clearly. What you need to state in advance. What you need to know. How to make use of your Design Specifications and Product Research to your advantage. The SCAMPER technique will also be explained and I’ve used ‘Combine’ and ‘Eliminate’ in this video. I also spoke briefly about ergonomics and anthropometric and how they will include the size and form of the design. You will also learn what you can do after you have drawn a solution (or an idea). What to do next? What questions to ask? How to ask questions? etc.

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Product Research (Analysis) using the PMI Method - Design & Coursework Chat with Mr Daniel

The Product Research (Analysis) activity using the P.M.I. method is one of the most frequently used strategy in Design and Technology Coursework Journaling. 

The three acronyms (P.M.I.) form Plus, Minus and Interesting makes it very easy to apply and analyse or study an existing product. In the video I break the P.M.I component down and suggests a more effective way to use the PMI by not considering the ‘M’ Minus of the PMI. You can but I’m say you need not. But if your teacher insists, then DO. It’s no big deal.

In the video I also try to explain the differences between Plus and Interesting. A little nuance I discovered which many students (and teachers) find VERY challenging to differentiate, and tell apart when they try to analyse or study an existing product using P.M.I.. 

What makes the product Good but not (yet) Interesting. I’ve noted the Good but I cannot find anything Interesting. This looks Interesting but I’ve already noted it as Good. HELP!

If this sounds like you, you cannot miss this CHAT on ‘Product Research (Analysis) using the P.M.I. (Plus, Minus, Interesting) Method ‘ on Design & Coursework Chat. Look out for the other videos in the playlist on Design Problem and Situations, and How you can use the 5Whys.

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How to ACTUALLY do Product Research? Like you've never heard before. Serious.

In the previous post “How to Product Research / Product Analysis? This ONE THING your teachers never told you. SERIOUSLY simple, I’ve shown you a very simple tool to identify what an Innovative Product is like that has useful clever features you can use for Ideation.

This post I’ll show you how you can ACTUALLY do your Product Research on any reference existing product you find in the internet.

Below are examples of bag holders from a student's work. Not very ‘WOW’ actually. NOTE: But if those are the only things you can find, then pick the second/third best ‘WOW’ ones according to your standard. That will be better than having nothing to begin with.

Step 1: 

For every existing product that you found, begin by studying how the product works.. If you cannot figure out how that works, what chance do you have to ‘borrow’ it’s good features. 

Reproduce the design with sketches and some annotation as you present how the idea works. Refer to the image above with annotation ‘A’. This forces you to think and process the idea with more depth, rather than simply writing and noting the ‘plus’ or ‘interesting’ points. 

You will find it helpful later on if you decide to ‘borrow’ the good feature(s) in your ideation phase.

Sketch the example in different views using both 2D and 3D techniques. You don’t have to draw many. Neither do you develop the idea. Simply study and make note how it works.

Step 2: 

When you are done with Step 1, proceed with identifying ‘Good’ and ‘Interesting (Innovative)’ features or functions (Annotation 'B'). 

These points or features shall be those that initially made you go wild and ‘WOW, DAMN! This is GOOD!”. 

Discuss it in your journal. Dialogue with yourself and your paper. 

• Why this feature is good. 
• Why this feature is ‘WOW’. 
• Why this feature is so exciting.

When you are done, move on to the next Product Research product. 

BONUS:

Below I show you another example of Product Research on a mug which I used for hot beverages. Assuming I want to design and make a plant watering gadget. I need to get water flowing out smoothly from a small opening. Product Research a Mug like this will be helpful:

Recall:

Step 1: Study how the product works. Think deep. Describe using sketches and annotations (where required). Illustrate how the product works.

Step 2: List the 'secret(s)' that makes the product work.

In summary:

By doing the above, you may discover some real cool features you can really use for your project solution. If you cannot help but want to sketch those ideas, do so in a ‘Parking Lot’. 

You can always retrieve them when you are ready at the Ideation phase. By then you’ll have lots of ready-to-go features for your ideation.

You should realize that if you do a good job in every stage of the design process, the next step is always easy. Because usually you will already have the data and information to move on to the next step.

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How to Product Research / Product Analysis? This ONE THING your teachers never told you. SERIOUSLY simple.

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Product Analysis. 

Product Research.

I prefer the term ‘Product Research’. Because when you say ‘Product Analysis’ and you do that, you do it just like everybody else. Waste of time. Do it the PRO way. Read on.

If you need more help, you can always count on the PRO. Enquire or make an appointment now.

Now what is this ONE thing your teacher never told you about Product Research. This one thing will save you hours of useless work. This one thing will earn you credit in your Ideation design phase WITHOUT even you started that. How about that?

When you search for an existing product in the internet, first of all, the product must preferably be Innovative, Unique or a Clever concept or design. 

The above image is part of the ultimate PDF guide [The “Park, Evolve & Morph” Ideation Technique”. Get it now if you have not done so.

However, some times students may be left hanging for a long time wondering what innovative, unique, good or clever means? Look up google images and which to pick?

Sometimes a teacher don’t even realise they need to begin searching for those products. 

So students attempt useless work after useless work. Wasting time. Achieving nothing.

Do not let that be you. Ok? For God’s sake. I’ll reveal to you this ONE secret.

Remember this ONE thing when you search for existing products in your research phase (getting ready for Ideation). Ready?

If you find an image (the product function you are looking for, e.g. a phone holder), and IF that product does not make you jump up and shout out loud “WOW, Why didn’t I think of that? This is damn GOOD”, then SKIP and find another one.

Look out for unique special value-added features or cleverly designed functions. PICK those. 

When you have them, use the Plus and Interesting (Innovative) of the P.M.I., and pick up those features. Note them. Sketch them. Park them somewhere. Now you have ‘earned some credits’ for ideation even before you started.

<Hey, book an appointment now and supercharge your progress>

Further reading:

The ULTIMATE “Park, Evolve & Morph” Ideation Technique Blog Post

And remember to get the ultimate PDF guide [The “Park, Evolve & Morph” Ideation Technique” here.

Design Opportunities to THE Design Opportunity

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Save you hours of confusion frustration and useless works.

 Get your Ultimate Guide to Mindmapping from Theme to Design Needs & Opportunities HERE: https://mrdanielsos.gumroad.com/l/gamlp

Designed Solution Outcomes and Origins

All designed product solution outcomes come from either one or a combination four of the following origins...

1) a problem is identified and there is a need to resolve it,

2) there is a need for making things better and hence an opportunity for improvement,

3) there may be a challenge to design for an alternative solution, and

4) an inspiration by nature or objects that inspires the challenge to design something.

When you have a design situation (or an identified need or opportunity), you must be very certain about the origin of your intention to design and the end objectives of your solution.

Is this design attempt to solve a problem? To improve something? A challenge to design an alternative solution? Or a combination of the four origins? Unless you are clear in the beginning, you will never realize your intention because you never knew in the first place what the product must achieve to do at the end.

So you must be able to articulate clearly your intention and the outcomes of your proposal, both verbally and in writing (i.e. on record in your design journal).

Identifying a Good Design Opportunity

A good design opportunity is one that is real and studied. You'll have to be able to justify what you claimed through research and conclude your findings with facts that the issues you mentioned are indeed real and is socially recognizable. There is no other way.

Putting Research on Record Support your researches with photographs and images taken in a real context rather than conveniently browsing through the intenet and simply printing and putting down the source (URL). Finally do not forget to annotate and record what you are doing on your supporting photographs or images.

Conclusion + Moving forward... The objective of this section is for you to ultimately be able to select the ONE design opportunity which you will work on for the next few months.

A problem statement (see image below) beginning with "In what ways..." will enable you to think broadly, and as you change some of the key words within your statement, you will be able to gain new perspectives on the design opportunities.

A well drafted problem statement will lead you to further research where you will really dig deep into your design opportunity... looking out for existing examples, comparing them, etc. 

 The better your research at this stage, the better prepared you will be when you arrive at drafting your Design Brief and subsequently your Design Consideration and Limitations.

Product Research & Product Analysis

Product Research. Product Analysis. 

Are they the same?

What is Product Research? 

When do we do Product Research? 

Why do Product Research? 

The same questions for Product Analysis.

All these questions will be answered in a little while.

Introduction

Very often I see students propose 'Design Opportunities' where product solutions for them are either not a practical necessity in reality or are already in existence.

Another common problem students have with their identified 'problems' is the ignorance that the 'problem' belongs to an isolated case. That means, no one else really have the problem! If a 'product' is created, that product benefits practically no one else. Therefore you must make sure your identified 'problem' does affect a wider group of audience. And this wider audience must recognise and admit to it. You can find that out through a survey or very careful and focused observations. You want to find a problem that is common but unsolved (yet).

The next observation is an extension of the problems highlighted above. They are 'problems' identified from 'worst-case-senerios'. In addition to the failure to study the 'problem' to cover a wider audience, the identified 'problems' came from situations where you only find them in the worst services, the worst hotel, the worst restaurant, the worst food court, the worst toilet, the worst home - where businesses or people are ignorant or did not care about using good existing solutions. 

If you picked 'problems' from cases like the above, frankly speaking, what can you expect on the quality of the service they provide or the suitability of the products they use?

So as a golden rule, identify problems from preferably the best case scenarios. You have a higher chance of hitting a real problem is needs to be solved.

There are many problems from 'worst-case-senerios'. For example, 'the waiter is using a tray that is too small', 'the chair in the hotel room does not match the decoration of the room', 'the toilet is not clean in this hotel', 'the food served does not look appealing', 'the table in the hotel lobby is empty', 'the queue  is too long', 'the flower vase has no flowers', etc. - But remember, we are not in the business of 'rescuing' a failing business, or a failing food store or a failing hotel just because there was a lack in training or business knowledge or even common sense. For all those 'problems' above, the solution is simple. Get some professional help. Get some training. Start using existing solutions. 

In a mini conclusion, an identified 'problem' that the 'carpets are dirty or the decorations of the hotel room is ugly' does not mean that all other established hotels are also the same. An identified 'problem' that 'there is a long queue and customers are getting frustrated' does not mean that all other established services are like that too. Those belong to isolated sad cases of companies or individuals that require basic trainings.

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PART A: Product Research

(Existing) Product research is important right after you think you have identified a design opportunity and before you happily start idea generating. Failure to do so may result in your final product solution being nominal at best.

The objective of (Existing) Product Research is to be aware of all other possible solutions whether they are directly or indirectly solving the problem you have identified. Conduct a thorough search off-the-shelves and online to find out for yourself what could already be out there. 

The good places to look for off-the-shelves product solutions are the specialized shops and city malls where the latest and the most innovative are likely to be found. For internet research, I recommend scouring through the design related websites I have collated. You can find a long list of them on the right hand side of the blog titled 'Design References'. For internet research, the more effective you are with keywords, the more successful you will be to find what you want to find.

Steps:

·         Find existing product solutions through the Internet and from shops (if any).

·         Take note of more ‘web-links’ within the web page that may give clues to the original website of the product or ‘web-links’ that may provide more information about the product.

·         Note that there may be more than one possible existing solution to a single problem.

·         Print the product solution images and paste them in your journal.

·         From the Internet read and study how the problems are presented and how the solution is being described.

·         Save all the web page URLs and information for later use and retrieval.

·         A HANDY TIP: You can use the information to modify and adapt to your own Design Needs & Opportunity write-up later.

NOTE:

1. If you do find existing products, your design challenge will be to bring the existing innovates further and better. 
2. If you do not find any existing products, you might be on your way to inventing a great product solution!

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PART B: Product Analysis

Product Analysis follows Product Research. In Product Analysis, you would have with you at least one existing product to study in detail.

• Study their functionalities and their innovations beyond those beautiful forms. 
• Study the product background. 
• Find out who designed them. 
• Find out why they are designed the way it is. 
• Find out what problems they solve. 
• Note what is good and why. 
• Note what is not so good and why. 
• Note what are the limitations on the existing products.
• Note what could have been done (in your opinion) but not present and why. 
• Find out what else could be practically proposed to make the product work even better.

For product solutions that has more than one solution

• Find out what other products are similar. 
• Find out their similarities and differences between the various similar solutions. 
• Find out what else could be practically proposed to make the product work even better.

At this stage you may also find yourself consolidating good features and functionalities. Save all these ideas for the idea generation stage.

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PART C: Identifying Possible Areas for Improvements

Study the products carefully again and identify possible improvement areas by asking the following questions:

·         What it cannot do yet, but would be nice if it can do?

·         What it cannot do yet, but would be beneficial to the Elderly using it if it can do?

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Final Words

Product Research and Product Analysis should not be done only at the beginning stage of the design process. Throughout the stages of Idea Generation and Development, in addition to your creativity in innovating new functionalities, continue to consult existing solutions and be inspired by them for your next design.

In whatever you do in your design journal, never forget to include images and meaningful annotations.

Finding Design Opportunities 'On-Location' and Using 'On-Location Photographs'

Finding Design Opportunities using 'photographs' and 'observations' on-site are pretty similar where you use your eyes and 'observe' what you see and use your mind to make sense of what is happening on the ground.

Record your observations in detail using more photographs, various forms of illustrations and annotations. The difference is, the former you can do it at the comfort of your home, and the latter, you do it, well, ... on-location!

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  Introduction

Using on-location photographs are useful strategies to identify genuine needs and design opportunities. 

Firstly because the source - the photographs -  came from a real location.

And secondly, the activities happening and the people involved in them are also genuine. They are happening in the real world in real time. 

Nothing gets closer than experiencing problems first hand. No drama. 

The best sources of information gathered from researches are from primary researches. 

Using a photograph that you take on your own is as close as it gets to primary research.

Fig. 1: A (Fictional) Sketch showing People in a Satay Club and the Activities Around

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STUDENT: "I have the photograph(s) now. What do I do with it?" (see Fig. 1, 2 or 3)

Step 1: A General 'Scan' of the Environement

Cover every corner of the photograph or the chosen location, stop and observe (in detail) at the activities that is going on. Identify objects and products that people interact with. Identify the Target Audiences (Targer User or Target Group) as you go along. Anaysing activities with the Target Audiences in mind is more useful than with a generalized group of people.

• You can begin anywhere in the photograph or the scene, or
• You can select a point and go clockwise or anti-clockwise, or
• You can begin by imagining how you would start walking as if you are in the picture from left to right or vice versa.

Look at what is in front of you and ask, 'What do I see?" then ask more questions (keeping the theme in mind) to 'dig' out more information from the scene. You can use  '5W1H' to help you with this activity.

For example, you ask:

• "Who are the people there?"
• "Where are they going?"
• "What are they doing?"
• "Why are they doing ....?"
• "What (products) are they using to do...?"
• "What problems might they be facing?"
• "Why do they have this problem / inconvenience / frustration?"
• "What could have caused the problem / inconvenience / frustration?" , etc.
• "How does this or that work?", etc.

Or you may have spotted someone's expression and then ask,

• "Why does he/she look quite frustrated?"
• "What happened actually?", etc.

The number and the type questions you can ask is limitless. One question will lead to the other as you try to dig out what is happening at that moment. The more questions you can generate to grill the activities in the photograph or the scene, the more information and insight you will get. 

 

Step 2: Use P.I.E.S. to Identify and Make a list of Needs

• Begin with the Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social  ('P.I.E.S.') Needs analysis tool to make a list and categorize the different type of NEEDs on the activities that is going on in the scene.
• Start from identifying Physical Needs, follow on to Intellectual Needs, Emotional Needs and finally Social needs that either present or required based on your observations and interpretation of the photograph or on the scene.
• From identifying and recording the various types of NEEDs, Design Opportunities can be identified.

Step 3: Use  'Activity Mapping' to Study Processes and identify Objects for Improvements

To start using the 'Activity Mapping' tool, you should first select an identified NEED area from Step 3.

For example, your target group are the Elderlies and you target location is Home. There are so many areas around the home. You may choose to focus on the Kitchen.

There are so many things that can happen in the kitchen and you may have identified some 'physical needs' related to activities happening in the kitchen. You might choose to focus on one of activities which happens to be 'pouring a cup of water' from a kettle in the kitchen.

Due to aging and poorer eyesight with less agile hand-eye coordination, you find there was frequent spillage of water on the table. So this is a 'Physical Need' area that needs to pay attention to.

You can then use 'Activity Mapping' to study how an elderly would interact with the cup and kettle and how he pours water out of it into the cup.

• The Activity Mapping is an excellent tool for working out processes and procedures, and also for identifying Products in use. Which in turn is excellent for identifying potential product improvements.

Step 4: Identify the Root Causes

• If you do follow faithfully from Step 1 to 3, I am sure you will by now gathered quite a bit of investigations and insights about what has gone on within the environment concerned. 
• You will also be loaded with quite a bit of identified Design Opportunities after engaging 5W1H, the P.I.E.S analysis & the Activity Mapping  tool to identify NEED areas and the products involved.

However, not every problem or design opportunities you have identified are good for solving. Design Opportunities may refer to all identified 

a) problems or potential problems to solve,

b) areas for product for improvements,

c) design challenge for an alternative or another clever idea, or

d) opportunity for an invention.

• In reality, some 'problems' you identified may not even be problems as it seems! They are in your potential design opportunity list because of your 'assumptions' and 'good guesses' that they are problems. 
• Next, you should be concerned about finding the root causes of those 'problems' you have identified to making sure your design opportunity is really worth spending the next few months solving and subsequently working out a solution.
• To 'find the root cause', you'll have to engage the 'Five Whys' technique to test your assumptions and to get to the root cause(s) of those so-called 'problems' you have identified. 
• The ultimate 'Five Whys' questioning technique is almost a full-proof litmus test to reveal the real problems from your initial assumptions and from those that were thought to be problems.

• By the end of this step you should have at least 3-5 confident potential Design Opportunities for selection.
• Even if you end up with 1 or 2 design opportunities it is fine. Because you will be very sure you have found genuine needs to solve.

Step 5: Existing Product Research and Product Analysis

Identifying the root cause of the problem in Step 4 is important. An equally critical step next is to do an Existing Product Research to study existing products and solutions that may have already been designed for the 'problems' you identified.

• Existing product research is probably the second most important step after the Five Whys. 
• Even if you have found the root cause of the problem and that may potentially be the ideal design opportunity, there is still a possibility that you might not be aware of existing solutions that have already been designed. You do not want to end up creating stuffs that has already existed. Do you?

• Research and study all existing products that are directly or indirectly related to the problem you have identified.
• Understand and compare their functionalities.
• Seek to understand how and why they are designed they way they are and what problems do they solve.
• If you discovered that solutions for the problem already existed, you can still transform that into a design challenge to design and create a better one. 
• But before you do that, you got to study every possible existing solution in the market.

• Do Product Analysis on them to identify all the features and functionalities, the good and the bad points and their 'hidden' potentials.
• The P.M.I. technique can be used here.
• 'Hidden' potentials refer to possible 'functionalities' that the products could have done to cater to the problem better but is have not yet realized as a designed feature in the existing solutions you have studied. If you find 'hidden' potentials they are probably the most valuable Design Opportunities you can ever find.

Step 6: Selecting Design Opportunities using 'Benefits' as Criterion for Selection

• Finally we arrived here. You've got a few Design Opportunites now. How do you go about selecting the best one for your coursework?
• One way is to make a list of 'benefits' for each one of them. 
• Assuming if a solution is found, what are the benefits and who benefits. etc. 
• Then compare the benefits and select the one that benefits the most people.
• In other words, you want to compare the 'catchment area' of the benefits. Does this solution only benefit me? Him or Her? Or does it benefit a wider group of people? A family? A society or community? The neighbourhood? The nation? Or internationally?
• The Design Opportunity that has the widest 'catchment area' should be the winner.
• But also bear in mind time, ability and technological feasibility. That means even if you choose the most promising one, are you able to design and make it with your current ability, knowledge and time, and using what is available in the school to realize your product solution?

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Closure... more examples...

Fig. 2: A (Fictional) Sketch showing Tourists in a Hotel and the Activities Around

 

Fig. 3: A (Fictional) Sketch showing a Bell Boy Moving Luggages

All figures 1, 2 and 3 can be used as practice for the six steps described in this post.

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Now go and plan where to go for your observations or to gather photographs for identifying Design Opportunities.

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