Conceptual Design in Informal Metalworking Microenterprises of Tanzania

Abstract

Product design is a key aspect of human intelligence and creativity, attracting not only experts but also people without any formal design training. Although numerous people in developing countries design and manufacture products in metalworking microenterprises in the informal sector, there is still little knowledge about their design process. This paper aims to fill this gap in design knowledge. We aim to investigate the design processes in metalworking microenterprises in the informal sector of Tanzania. In particular, we aim to explore how these microenterprises identify consumer needs and requirements, how they determine the specifications for the product, how they generate and evaluate alternative product concepts, and how they define product details. To address these aims, semistructured interviews were carried out in metalworking microenterprises operating in the informal sector of Tanzania. The findings reveal many facets of their design processes, providing a sound basis upon which design methods and tools can be developed to support their design activities.

Studying the Design Process in Constrained Environment: An Empirical Approach to Analyzing Informal Metal Working Enterprises in Tanzania

“…The knowledge of how informal metalworking microenterprises in developing countries develop products is very scarce (Opiyo et al, 2022(Opiyo et al, , 2023. This work contributes to the efforts aimed at filling this gap in this knowledge.…”

“…24 firms were interviewed, in real settings, using a structured questionnaire. The following are the main conclusions drawn towards the design process of these firms: a) complete or partial unawareness of established design processes, method standards and tools; b) no access to standard training procedures or software support; c)consideration towards innovativeness, functionality, aesthetics and manufacturing cost as the most important attributes; d) active involvement of customers in the design and development process -termed as tacit co-design by Opiyo et al (2023).The last conclusion (d) was unexpected as co-design -a recent approach, was found to be followed intuitively with no prior introduction or training. These contributions can have several implications such as: a) the observations from this work can be used for developing improvement measures such as bespoke design methods, tools and training modules for resource constrained environments; and b) the finding that design process is context sensitive should be considered in design decisions.…”