Improving conceptual design quality by use of QFD & DFMA processes

This paper will consider how Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) processes can be used to improve the design quality of products at the concept stage. We appreciate that both QFD and DFMA are techniques that have been used for some time by mature product developers, and the successes achieved using each have been widely reported. Here, though, we will share our experiences of using these tools with novice designers, i.e. student engineers