Multi-Board Concept - A Scenario Based Approach for Supporting Product Quality and Life Cycle Oriented Design

This paper will describe the multi-board concept, which is a working approach for supporting life cycle oriented design and product quality. Aspects of this concept include construction of a common working environment where multiple display boards depict scenarios of the product life cycle, creating a shared quality mindset amongst designers, and developing creativity and synthesis in product design. The appropriateness of scenarios for supporting life cycle oriented design will be ar-gued and preliminary results from early experimentation will be presented. Initial results lead us to believe that the multi-board concept promises to be a useful means of communication amongst the design team. We believe that it fosters a thorough understanding of life cycle events, which, in turn, inspires the design of innovative products of the highest quality.