Evaluating success

The success of a mass-produced product is evaluated in relation to the criteria established in the design brief. The quantity of sales is significant for a mass-produced item, it affects not only the success of the product but will impact on production costs. Short term and long term consequences of the design need to be considered.

For Angelo, the secret to a successful design is simple:

What makes for a good design is basically meeting the brief and also providing an effective and efficient product for the user and benefiting the user. If you meet all that then you have got a good design.

The design team ensured that the torch met the client?s criteria. The torch uses the existing types of batteries, uses a particular type of lamp and includes a stand. See the design process.

The Dolphin torch was released onto the market in 2003. All early signs indicate that the new design is selling well. Angelo was happy with the design but thinks the success of the torch is due to it being a long established product that has been tested and proven. All he really had to do was improve it and enhance it.

Apart from the positive sales data there is personal satisfaction for the designers. For Angelo, it is getting personal feedback from people who use the torch.

"We had a work experience guy who is working with us now, his father bought one and he is very happy with the product. Just getting all that feedback, like tradesman coming in here and commenting - "oh yeah I love it!" - all that feedback has been quite positive so far."

Angelo says that considering environmental issues and sustainability are very important for a successful product.

"With every design project the sustainability is a very important part - always minimising materials, sizes wherever we can, use of non-recyclable plastics and so forth. With the Dolphin design we use as little material as we can and use recyclable material. There's also the shelf life and the product life of the flashlight. It's a long lasting flashlight so in that way it's sustainable in itself because you don't have to keep buying the product.