Bachelor Assignment

Patrick Zegwaard, Industrial Design Engineering, University of Twente, the Netherlands

Design aid – Material selection tool for SIL Products

For the selection of materials for a product, a designer selects a material based on the relevant material characteristics and must consider if they meet the requirements.

SIL Products desires an improved material selection process, tailored for their line of products and usable for new and experienced designers. SIL Products currently missed the possibility to compare materials by appearance related characteristics in a distinct manner. As a solution a material selection tool is designed. With the use of filters, the user can select materials based on different material characteristics including material characteristics relevant to appearance. The selection tool limits the cognitive strain on the user due to streamlined user interface and provides information for different experience level designers.