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Textiles Product Analysis


Learning objectives


Lear

ning

obj

ectiv

es To conduct a product analysis of an existing product, evaluating the product’s:

functionhealth and safety and hygiene implicationsenvironmental impactpracticalitycost and availability.

To disassemble a product.To note positive and negative features of a product.To analyse the materials a product is made of, and how it has been manufactured.To analyse how a product has been marketed.


Product analysis is one of the first stages of the design process. It is always helpful to look at similar products to your proposed design. Researching, analysing and evaluating existing products will help you develop your design ideas and product specification.

Look at existing products in detail:

What are the key features, positive and negative?

Disassemble (take apart) an existing product.

Identify the manufacturing processes.

Where do I start?


First stage – identifying key features


Existing products


There are two ways to visually describe an existing product. If possible, photograph the product. Ensure that you include a number of different angles. Pay particular attention to any details that you may want to talk about. If it is difficult to include photographs, it is sufficient to sketch a product. As with photographs, include alternative angles and detailed drawings.

Existing products – name and image

What details would you pick out to describe this product?

It is important to include the name of the product you are analysing. The name may give an indication of what the item does. You may also want to name your finished product.


The item you analyse may have a number of functions.

Existing products – function

A garment may be a fashion item but its function is to cover particular parts of your body or to enhance particular physical features.

An apron is designed to protect your clothes. It may also have a pocket to carry small items.

This rag doll is also a pyjama case!


Existing products – function


Health and safety plays a very important part in our society. Consideration must be made when choosing fabrics, dyes, stuffing, and components. Many of these may contain harmful substances or cause allergic reactions.

Existing products – health and safety

Products manufactured in the UK are granted a BSi Kitemark licence if they meet certain criteria. To gain this licence a product must go through a number of rigorous safety checks.The European Safety Mark shows that the product complies with EU safety requirements.

When products are advertised, their safety features are often mentioned as a selling point.


Hygiene links in with health – a product must be easy to clean.

Consideration should be taken when the item is designed. The choice of fabric should run hand in hand with the washing method, for example a children’s toy that may require frequent washing should not be made out of a dry-clean only fabric.

Existing products – hygiene

This mat is made out of a plastic-coated fabric, so can be quickly wiped clean.


Care symbols


You need to consider how the product affects the environment.

Existing products – environment

Is the item bio-degradable or recyclable? Have dyes or bleach been used to achieve a particular colour? These may be released into the atmosphere or into rivers. How is the product washed? If it requires a high temperature this will use more energy whereas dry clean only products use a lot of chemicals. How will you get to the dry cleaners? If you drive you will be polluting the environment.

These are all considerations for designers at the initial stages. Can you think of any other ways a product

may impact upon the environment?


How practical is the existing product?

Existing products – practicality

There are many ways of assessing practicality. How a product is washed is just one aspect.

Can your product be folded away?

Does it dry easily?

Is it comfortable?

Does it fasten easily?


The cost of an item is extremely important. You must consider the end user and make allowances in your designs. Think about fabrics, time, manufacturing processes and how much profit you wish to make.

Existing products – cost and availability

Cheaper goods may not be as well-made as more expensive alternatives. They may have been manufactured from cheaper

materials, or have a less complex design.


Disassemble an existing product. This will enable you to find out a number of things: which fabrics have been used, the notions that have been included and how the item has been assembled.

Disassembly


Take a look at the fabric. What is the fibre type and fibre content? Why have they been used? How has the fabric been constructed? Is it knitted, woven or non-woven (bonded)?Which notions have been used? Why have they been used? How has the product been assembled? This can show you the order of construction and can also help you determine how the product has been manufactured.

Disassembly


Positive & negative points


Group Task

You are designing your own playmat for babies.

Work in groups of five – one member of the group should make notes. Take a few minutes to look at an existing play mat. Then one at a time ask a question – another member of the group should respond with an answer. This task will take about 20 minutes. At the end, you will have compiled a concise list of questions and answers.

Questions

At this stage of your project you should ask as many questions as possible.


How has the product been manufactured?

Which skills/techniques have been used?

Which seams have been used?

Is there any evidence that CAD/CAM has been used? (If the item is mass produced it is likely that CAD/CAM has been used.)

How has the pattern been laid out?

Have any finishing techniques been applied?

Has the item got a label?

Production analysis


How is the product marketed?

The manufacturer may have a product launch where retailers attend and purchase the new item. Samples are sent out to wholesalers and retailers and supporting literature is produced. Many companies market and sell their products over the Internet (e-retailing).

Retailers advertise in places which their target market will see, for example, TV, radio, newspapers, websites and magazines. The extent to which a product is marketed, and the way in which it is marketed, will depend on the marketing budget and the end user the advertiser intends to reach.

How would you market this playmat?


Key points


Key

poi

nts

Before designing a product it is useful to analyse and evaluate similar existing products.Key features such as appearance and function can be identified from looking at the product.Disassembling a product allows you to find out how a product has been made, what fabric and notions have been used and what finishing techniques have been applied.A label can tell you how the product should be washed. This may also tell you what environmental impact the product will have.The cost of a product will depend on what materials have been used, what manufacturing process was used and how the product is marketed.

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