Concept Selection

Concept selection is seen as filtering projects in a rational way based on the Project Design Specifications.

Initially we screened all the concepts developed to eliminate those that were not feasible or did not meet the all of the brief criteria and got 6 main concepts out of 21 ideas:

• Barnyard Bounce
• Balance It
• Hooping Around
• Pin the Pixels
• Asobu Box
• Grid it

In order to make concept selections, we will need a weighted method of analysis. This involves selecting criteria. It is essential that the criteria chosen are unambiguous, understood and accepted by all participants in the evaluation. Once the decision criteria are selected, several approaches can be used to evaluate concepts. We will be using a Decision Matrix. 

Decision Matrix (Weighted Pugh Method) 

- Qualitative & Quantitative

While the Pugh Method was originally purely qualitative, people have since added weighting to include a quantitative element. This method is simple and easy to use and understand and in terms of design, gives us a more visual approach to concept comparison when including product sketches.

The Pugh Matrix is also useful for the design process, as it can aid in improving a concept and refining designs. This is also considered in the method outlined below.

Method:

One concept is chosen as a “datum” (reference). An existing product is usually chosen as a first datum, but if all none exists or all concepts were developed internally, the first datum is usually the concept that the team is drawn to and intuitively chose as the ‘best’. 

Different alternative solutions are compared to the datum and then rated better (+) 

worse (-), or the same (S or 0) on each chosen criteria.

Converge Consulting Group (2011)

Dr Matthew Turner (2010) states that after the comparison, the following should be done:

1) Assess the individual concept scores. Certain concepts will exhibit exceptional strengths, while others will show weakness.

2) Look at the negatives of the strong concepts – 

What do you need to do to the design to improve it and reverse the negative?
Is it possible at all?
If so, in achieving the improvement and reversal, do you in fact reverse one or more of the existing positives?

If it is possible to introduce a modified concept into the matrix do so, do NOT just modify the one you have got and leave it there, as you may wish to go back to it later. This expands the matrix. 

3) Look at the weak concepts and attack their negatives to see whether they can be improved upon (relative to the datum concept – not to some elusive absolute). If they can be improved and other positives are not reversed in so doing, then introduce the revised concepts into the matrix. Eliminate the weak concepts.

4) Repeat the process until you have made a decision or changed a concept that meets the brief and criteria best.

References:

Turner, M 2010. Decision Tools (Lecture Notes). University of Alabama in Huntsville, [available online], accessed 08/04/2014 url:

http://matthewwturner.com/uah/IPT2010_spring/lectures_videos/06_Decision_Analysis.pdf 

Converge Consulting Group, 2011.Evaluative Decision Tools, [online], accessed 08/04/2014.  http://advmgmt.net/2011/06/09/evaluative-tools-techniques/