Transparent Data Management Facilitates Innovation in Conceptual Design

Companies rise and fall with their market share, and to increase market share you need high performance, innovative products. So to feed product portfolio, and by extension your business, you need an innovative conceptual design process. Companies need to move from a siloed development paradigm to one where the whole design team can rapidly create, innovate, and collaborate with the goal of coming up with as many product concepts as possible quickly until selecting on the ‘right’ design. While engaged in the concept design phase it is important that designers are free to investigate multiple approaches, evolve innovative ideas, and explore new design solution.

Although not every concept will pan out, designers generally save every design idea for possible continued development. Because you never know which idea that doesn’t work for this design problem will make sense for future uses or adaptations, or have potential in other applications.

So, how are these ideas stored and accessed today? Well if you are anything like the average engineering firm, then there isn’t always a good way to store these concepts. These ideas live in sketch books locked in filing cabinets or as CAD files that are ‘saved somewhere safe’ which ends up being forgotten or accidently overwritten. Even if the concept files are accessible what’s missing are the discussions and design review notes that would help future designers understand how and why the concept didn’t make it.

The problem with traditional data management tools is that they can get in the way of the concept design process, when change is rapid and in many cases dramatic. Trying to remember or anticipate what data needs to be saved and managed can distract designers working on concept development from quickly investigating multiple design solutions. Companies need a process for capturing conceptual design activity – while alleviating the pain of traditional data management – to make the conceptual phase of product development more effective.

SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual has addressed this issue by automatically and transparently capturing, saving, and managing all conceptual design activity—including concept ideas, conversations, and design reviews. Why is “transparent” important? When data management becomes transparent, it functions with as little user interaction with the data management system itself as possible. By freeing conceptual designers from the pain and inconvenience of traditional data management methods, the solution allows manufacturers to realize a development environment that allows conceptual designers to direct their full attention on the development of innovative product ideas and concepts.

Learn more about how SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual liberates designers from traditional data management distractions in the white paper, “Transparent Data Management Facilitates Innovation in Conceptual Design.” (Registration may be required)

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Kristen Wilson

Senior Manager Brand Offer Marketing, SolidWorks at Dassault Systemes

As the Senior Director of Communications, 3DEXPERIENCE Works, Kristen drives marketing strategy and oversees the team responsible for developing and executing multi-touch marketing plans across the Buyer's Journey, including 3DEXPERIENCE World.