What is overengineering in product design?

The overengineering in product design is the phenomenon that describes the excess in innovation, research, and development processes for new product solutions. Overengineering in product design refers to technical work that is clearly disconnected from the core value of a product.

Many inventors, R&D departments, and small startups often believe that increasing a product's features adds competitive advantages. Nothing could be further from the truth. Overengineering in design is a common phenomenon, justifying incalculable technical expenses and clearly demonstrating a lack of market understanding.

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How to detect overengineering in product development.

The main tool for detecting overengineering is the list of functional requirements that addresses the real needs of customers. This list is created during the validation process of initiatives, which naturally precedes the development of a product.

For example, before designing a machine to squeeze oranges with a self-cleaning feature, it is crucial to validate that this function is truly desired by potential customers.

During the product development process, it is common for inventors and designers to expand the list of features, believing that each one will be key to competing in the market. This type of thinking drives the phenomenon of overengineering in prototyping.

Before adding any additional feature to a prototype, we must ask ourselves and demonstrate: 

  1. Customers positively value the essential function of the product. 
  2. What are the commercial arguments that will truly differentiate us in the market? 
  3. How much does the feature cost us, and how much more will the customer pay for it? 
  4. If we remove the feature, will the product still make sense in the market?   

If you answer honestly together with your team, you are probably in a position to significantly “simplify” your prototype. This simplification process is key, bringing you closer to the market and avoiding unnecessary expenses from overengineering in product design.

Main causes of overengineering

Below, we share some common causes of the overengineering phenomenon. Based on our professional experience, we have identified it in different scenarios, and we hope this list of tips will help you spot it in time:

Excess perfectionism: The direction of the product development cycle must be balanced between technical and business priorities. A lack of balance in the vision and project management can lead the technical team toward the phenomenon of overengineering. In this sense, the need for perfection in tasks becomes endless, and the goal shifts from achieving functionality to feeding the ego by solving increasingly complex technical challenges.

Poor market vision: Losing focus on goals aligned with the interests of potential customers is another of the most favorable scenarios for overengineering.

Bureaucracy associated with innovation: Innovation processes can be conditioned by bureaucratic procedures that are not well-suited to finding the best technical solutions. For example, starting an innovation cycle constrained by the need to comply with a patent drafted before going through the laboratory is one of the most favorable scenarios for the waste of resources due to overengineering.

Product feature creep: Feature creep is the phenomenon of generating unlimited features without customer perspective. It involves adding functions without clear justification, preventing a stable product version from being ready for market release.

Harms of overengineering in innovation processes.

Costs of overengineering

The costs of overengineering in innovation processes can be very high and may jeopardize the future of a product. The costs of overengineering should not only be calculated based on wasted technical salaries but should also include the delays associated with overengineering.

Risks of product overdesign

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The overdesign is a phenomenon derived from overengineering. It involves endless design processes where the aesthetic or functional lines of a product are altered without addressing clear goals that the customer can perceive.

Overdesigning a product affects its aesthetic line and includes unnecessary parts that can negatively impact the future manufacturing costs of the product.

Economic losses due to overengineering

Both overengineering and overdesign affect the time-to-market of any product. Therefore, overengineering in any of its forms causes direct economic damage, both due to waste and to losses associated with product launch delays.

How to avoid overengineering in creative processes.

The best way to avoid the phenomenon of overengineering is by improving project management quality and training product managers in methods that balance delivery times and costs with measurable results.

Another common technique to avoid overengineering is the systematic analysis of technical processes. Every engineering action, technical research, or assembly must respond to clearly defined objectives. If no connection can be found between these predefined objectives and the processes consuming the technical team's time and energy, we are likely experiencing the economic impact of overengineering.

At Let´s Prototype we have developed procedures that prevent these phenomena. In addition, we can help you define objectives for product development prior to prototype creation. If you need assistance in developing these objectives, we will be happy to help you.

Do you want to turn your idea into a product?

The time to bring your ideas to life is now. We accompany you throughout the entire process: from idea to product.

 

 

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