COURSE SYLLABUS

NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

MECH 3610 PRODUCT DESIGN I

Instructor: Angran Xiao

Office: V534
Telephone: ext. 5239, Email: axiao@citytech.cuny.edu
Office Hours: As published on blackboard

1. Catalog Description and Credit Hours of Course:

Basic theory and key factors related to successful product design and development. Topics include basic
product development processes, product opportunities identification, style and technology integration,
value opportunities, brand strategy and product strategy, and integrated approach to product design. Case
study method is used to demonstrate design process.
3 course credits, 2.0-classroom hours, and 2.0 Lab hours

2. Prerequisites:
MECH 1233, MECH 3510

3. Textbook
Karl Ulrich, Steven Eppinger, Product Design and Development, 6th Edition, McGraw Hill, ISBN-13
9780078029066
References:
Kevin Otto, Kristin Wood, Product Design, Prentice Hall, ISBN-13: 9780130212719
Jonathan Cagan, Craig M. Vogel, Creating Breakthrough Products: Innovation from Product
Planning to Program Approval, FT Press, ISBN-13: 9780139696947

4. Instructional Objectives and Assessment

In this class, students are expected to:
a. Understand the basic product design and development process tools. Organize product design teams
and generate product development plans.
Evaluation:
Students will demonstrate comprehension in using various product development tools, organizing
design teams and creating product development plans.
b. Utilize the techniques for identifying breakthrough opportunities. Understand the effects of social,
economic, and technological forces on the creation of new products.
Evaluation:
Students will demonstrate comprehension of the new design philosophy and techniques used to identify
opportunities for developing new products.
c. Identify key elements or opportunities that add values to a product.
Evaluation:
Students will display competency in utilizing seven key elements to enhance a product: emotion,
aesthetics, identity, ergonomics, impact, technology, and quality.
d. Understand the product design and development processes and organization.
Evaluation:
Students will demonstrate skills in organizing information and in developing plans and processes
related to new product design.
e. Identify customer needs and produce product specifications.
Evaluation:

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 Students will demonstrate skills in converting customer input into design specifications.
f. Generate design concepts and test design concepts.
Evaluation:
Students will illustrate skills in generating design concepts, screening various options and performing
tests to verify design concepts.
g. Create product architecture and portfolio architectures.
Evaluation:
Student will develop skills in generating product and portfolio architectures.

5. General Course Outline (tentative):

Week Lectures and Labs

1 Overview of Product Design
2 Scoping Product Developments: Technical and Business Concerns
3 Development Processes and Organization
4 Understanding and Identifying Customer Needs
5 Establishing Product Function
6 Product Teardown and Experimentation
7 Benchmarking and Establishing Engineering Specifications
8 Midterm
9 Product Architecture
10 Generating Concepts
11 Concept Selection
12, 13, 14 Final Project
15 Final Exam/Presentation

6. Student Evaluation
Class and group participation starts day one and continues throughout the semester. This course is more
meaningful if you ASK QUESTIONS. Grading will consist of the following criteria.

Class Participation 10%

Quizzes 10%
Assignments 20%
Project 20%
Midterm 20%
Final 20%

7. Student behavior/Classroom decorum

You must access the class webpage on blackboard for new materials every day during the semester.

Class participation (10% of final overall grade) is evaluated based on attendance. A student will lose
1% for one late and 2% for one absence.

Coming in 5 minutes or later after the beginning of the class is counted as late.

No late assignment will be accepted and no makeup quiz/test will be offered without a justified and
documented excuse (such as doctors note).

Free discussion, inquiry, and expression are encouraged in this class. Classroom behavior that
interferes with either (a) the instructor's ability to conduct the class or (b) the ability of students to
benefit from the instruction is not acceptable. Examples may include
o routinely entering class late or departing early;
o use of cell phone or other electronic devices except otherwise approved by the instructor;
o repeatedly talking in class without being recognized;
o talking while others are speaking;
o arguing in a way that is crossing the civility line;

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 o surfing websites that are irrelevant to this class, these include instant message, online chart
room, facebook, youtube, etc.

8. Disabilities Statement
If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and need course
materials in an alternative format, please notify me immediately. Reasonable efforts will be made to
accommodate your special needs.

9. Academic Dishonesty
Students are expected to do their own work on all graded course assignments including quizzes, tests, etc.,
except when otherwise assigned by the instructor. Cheaters will fail this class.