Product Design and Development [Hardcover]

Karl Ulrich (Author), Steven Eppinger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007229647X | ISBN-13: 978-0072296471 | Publication Date: October 6, 1999 | Edition: 2

This book presents a set of product development techniques aimed at bringing together the marketing, design, and manufacturing functions of the enterprise. It treats issues such as identifying customer needs, design for manufacturing, prototyping, and industrial design.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Karl Ulrich (Philadelphia, PA) is a faculty member at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. Steven Eppinger (Cambridge, MA) teaches at the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 2 edition (October 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007229647X
• ISBN-13: 978-0072296471
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Textbook for Product Design!, March 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Product Design and Development (Hardcover)

This book demystifies design and the product development with practical examples of how others have been successful in every phase and activity of the process. Clear, easy to read, well illustrated. Strongest on the engineering and manufacturing perspective, but Ulrich is also sensitive to aesthetics, marketing and consumer experience issues (a rare find!).

After 20 years consulting in the field, I still found lots to learn here. I'd call it a major contribution to the field.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great product development handbook!, January 3, 2004

By 

Jorge (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Product Design and Development (Hardcover)

This book provides a great hands-on approach to product development. Unlike other product development books that dwell too much on the philosophical aspects of product development, this book gives you practical advice on how to define meaningful product specifications to meet your customer needs and develop successful products. The book provides a very nice concept development process that I've found very useful.

This book is mainly focused on product development processes and does not provide much information on technology development. In addition, the book lacks depth in the strategic aspects of product development(such as market segmentation, strategic management of technology).

If you are looking for a very useful and powerful handbook for product development, this is the book you are looking for. However, if you are interested in the strategic aspects of product development, you may need other references.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, no-nonsense guide to really doing it., February 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Product Design and Development (Hardcover)

Product Design and Development is a very practical, tools-based book. It is written in a way that each chapter can be used on its own (e.g., identifying customer needs, generating product concepts). We require all of our new engineers and designers to read the book and ask them to adhere to the methods associated with several of our "stage/gate processes." This is not a high-level strategy book; it tells you how to do product design and development in the trenches. Excellent book and worth every penny.