Product design requirements — Is it acceptable for a designer to proceed without knowing the expected functions and performance specifications of the product being designed?

Introduction / Context:
Clear requirements are the foundation of any successful product. The designer translates stakeholder needs into measurable functions, performance targets, and constraints that guide concept generation, trade-offs, and validation testing.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Claim: the designer need not know product functions/performance.
• We assume a typical engineering design process with gates (requirements, concept, detail, verification).
• Design decisions must satisfy safety, quality, cost, and regulatory constraints.

Concept / Approach:
Without defined functions (what the product must do) and performance (how well, under what conditions), designs risk missing targets, over-engineering, or failing compliance. Requirements drive specification sheets, test plans, tolerance analysis, and risk management (e.g., FMEA). Therefore, proceeding in ignorance of functions/performance is unacceptable.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Elicit and document user/stakeholder needs as functions and performance metrics.2) Convert needs into measurable requirements (e.g., load capacity, accuracy, duty cycle).3) Use these to evaluate concepts and finalize detailed design.4) Validate via tests tied to the requirements.

Verification / Alternative check:
Projects with weak requirement definition show higher change rates, cost overruns, and failures at verification; requirement-driven projects exhibit fewer late design changes and clearer acceptance criteria.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Correct: Violates basic systems engineering practice.
• Outsourcing/rapid prototyping/templates: None replace the need for explicit functional/performance specs.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing “benchmarking competitors” with actual requirement capture; omitting environmental and lifecycle conditions; failing to define acceptance tests up front.

Final Answer:
Incorrect