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Anticipating
Potential Misuse
By David Clark, New Business Development
Manager, the Malco Design & Deliver Group
A safe product
is a good product. Designers and manufacturers have a responsibility
to anticipate the misuse of their products, ensuring the chance
of failure and/or injury is minimized. Indeed, a creative and thorough
process to anticipate misuse is an important part of any new product
development. The Malco Design and Deliver Group focuses on three
primary things:
1. Get in
the mind of the user. Potential misuse of a product can vary
due to intended use, its place of use, and even its price. Conducting
customer surveys, brainstorming, and prototype testing helps us
get in the mind of future users. Anticipating the conditions under
which they'd misuse our products, and for what reason, allows us
to anticipate potential failure points and consequences.
2. Use all
our resources. While some misuse testing requires hands-on use
of a prototype, some can also be done using Computer-Aided Design
(CAD). A process called Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models the
possible conditions the product will endure, and can highlight potential
failures. Information can also be plugged into a Failure Mode and
Effects Analysis (FMEA), giving us a quantitative report and classification
of potential risks.
3. Fix any
problem areas. In ideal cases, we can design out deficiencies
or problems we've discovered, essentially eliminating opportunities
for misuse-related injuries. When that's impossible, or cost prohibitive
to do, and the risk of failure is relatively minor, our goal is
to adjust the design to minimize the potential consequences. We
also attach warnings to the products, or include warnings in product
manuals, that alert the user to the risks of misuse.
In summary,
anticipating possible misuse of new products is a unique blend of
technology and creativity. It's something we take seriously -- as
the consequences of an oversight are serious -- and something we
regard as an integral part of successful and profitable new product
development.
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