Shaping the Conscious Behaviors of Product Designers in the Early Stages of Projects: Promoting Correct Material Selection and Green Self-Identity through a New Conceptual Model

Abstract

Material selection for product design is a complex task. Thus, one of the objectives of this work is to analyze and understand and to promote the importance of material selection to conceive quality products with the help of designers that promote green self-identity in the early stage of new product conception. A questionnaire was sent to professional designers and engineers. Thirty-eight responses were validated, which represented the sample for this study. The aspects that influence the complex material selection process and the final quality of the products through the design and production process are presented. Taking into consideration the responses from product designers who work in the market, as well as some engineers and students who are graduating in product design, a new approach for material selection was developed. Based on a collection of main ideas from the traditional and non-traditional material selection methods, seeking to group the maximum requirements of both methods, and inspired by the “canvas” model on the basic modular methodology, a new model for new product projects is presented. Our study focuses on material selection, since this aspect is one of the most relevant steps in the early stage of the prototyping phase of new products, with a view to reducing CO2 from the air in the atmosphere that we all breathe. The classification of materials is complex due to the diversity of available options. The novelty of this model is that all the properties of a newly designed product, such as technical, aesthetic, productive, and environmental properties, are grouped in the model, which serves as an innovative support. Thus, designers have a tool at their disposal that can help them to select the best materials for the products they design. The results of this study contribute to the field of material selection, to the quality and design of new products, and to promoting green self-identity of designers in the initial phase of product design. Consequently, all consumers in search of a sustainable planet will profit from this study.