The first step in developing a new car is figuring out who’s really going to buy it. Automakers take a disciplined approach to understand their target market and what potential customers are looking for. It’s far more detailed process than most people realise. Their studies take them from anthropology to identifying the reptilian response that gets to a customer’s emotional needs. Chris Theodore takes us through the processes and steps that he learned from his mentors and masters in the industry.
Click ‘Show Transcript’ For the Table of Contents
I. Targeting and Understanding the Customer to create Breakthrough Products
· Overview
· Targeting the Customer
i. Product Planning
· Consumer Research
i. Product Clinics
ii. Focus Groups
iii. Observational Research
iv. Feature Surveys
v. Customer Input
· Creating Breakthrough Products
i. White Space
ii. Design, Engineering and Product Planning
iii. The Fashion Cycle
iv. Anthropology
v. Demographics and Age Wave
vi. Cultural Core Values
vii. Emotional Needs
1. Reptilian Response
2. The Intellectual Alibi
viii. Breakthrough Product Summary
ix. Case Studies
x. Historical Breakthrough Correlation
xi. Future Breakthrough Products
xii. Conclusion
II. Design
· Overview
· Story Boards
· Inspiration
· Design fundamentals
i. Proportion
ii. Theme
iii. Gesture
iv. Surface
v. Line Resolution
vi. Meaning
vii. Graphics
viii. Form and Function
ix. Interior differences, grain, gloss, tactile, fit and finish and ergonomics
· Fashion Cycles
· The Process
i. Sketches
ii. Clay Modeling
iii. Digital tools
iv. Refinement
v. “Productionizing”
· Future trends, challenges, and opportunities
III. Company Management
· Overview
· Company Size and Age
· Leadership
· Company Culture
· Facilities
· Organization
· Information Systems
IV. Engineering/Product Development
· Overview
· Organizing the Product Development Process
o Functional vs Product Team
o Stakeholders
o Speed
o Size
o Learning
· Managing Product Development
o “Chief Engineer”
o Program Manager
o Meetings
o Culture
o Tools
o BOM
o Cost/ Weight/Investment/Performance/Quality
o Product Lifecycle Management – PLM
· Functional Requirements
· Vehicle Architecture
· System Engineering
· Design
· Simulation and Analysis
· Prototypes, Development and Testing
· Digital tools
· Product Lifecycle Management
· Lean Product Development
V. Manufacturing
· Overview
· Lean Production
· Design for Assembly and Service
· Tooling and Equipment
· Plant and Facilities
· Launch
· Quality
VI. Sourcing/Purchasing
· Overview
· Vertical/Horizontal Sourcing
· Strategy
VII. Marketing and Sales
· Public Relations
· Advertising
· Sales, Distribution and Service
VIII. Quality
IX. Finance
X. Information Technology (IT)
XI. The Future
· Electrification
· Autonomous Vehicles
· Artificial Intelligence
XII. Conclusion and Summary
Leave a Reply