Product design and engineering are two distinct fields of study. While both involve the design and development of products, they have different focuses and approaches.
Product design focuses on the aesthetics, ergonomics, usability, and marketability of a product. Engineering focuses on the technical aspects, such as materials selection, structural design, manufacturing processes, and cost analysis.
Product design involves understanding the needs and desires of consumers in order to create products that are attractive to them. It is an iterative process that involves researching customer needs and preferences, brainstorming ideas for new products or features, creating prototypes and testing them with users to determine their desirability.
In addition to aesthetics, product designers need to consider usability factors such as ease-of-use and user interface design. They also need to consider marketability factors such as pricing strategy, distribution channels, packaging design, branding strategies and promotional campaigns.
Engineering takes a more technical approach to product development. Engineers need to consider the overall structure of a product including materials selection, structural integrity requirements (e.g., for strength or environmental resistance), manufacturing processes (e., injection molding or CNC machining), cost analysis (e., material costs or labor costs) and safety requirements (e., for electrical components). Engineers also need to consider regulatory requirements for certain products (e., medical devices or consumer electronics), which may require additional testing or documentation before a product can be released into the marketplace.
Both product design and engineering are essential elements in developing successful products that meet customer needs while being profitable for businesses. Product designers must ensure that a product looks aesthetically pleasing and is easy to use while engineers must ensure that it is structurally sound and can be manufactured efficiently at a reasonable cost. This often requires collaboration between designers and engineers throughout the development process in order to ensure that all aspects are taken into account when creating a successful product.
In conclusion, Product Design is focused on understanding customer needs in order create aesthetically pleasing products that are easy-to-use while Engineering focuses on technical aspects such as materials selection, structural integrity requirements, manufacturing processes & cost analysis.