Prototyping methods and constraints for small-to-medium sized enterprises in East Africa

Q1 Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Development Engineering Pub Date : 2018-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.deveng.2018.05.002

Suzanne Chou, Jesse Austin-Breneman

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Prototyping is integral to the design process for all projects, but particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In resource-constrained contexts, designers must operate under unique constraints and opportunities. This study investigates the methods, constraints, and impacts on design outcomes of prototyping in seven design and manufacturing SMEs in East Africa. Results from a site visit to a Rwandan partner company as well as interviews with the engineering teams of the other organizations are presented. Practitioners reported that the main intent of prototyping in this context is to develop functional prototypes with increasing fidelity through a highly iterative process. This process was limited by constraints to manufacturing inputs, capabilities, and modeling predictions. These constraints contributed to increases in the time and cost for each iteration. Thus, results indicate that there may be a mismatch between the highly iterative method chosen and the constraints of the operating context.

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东非中小型企业的原型方法和约束

原型设计是所有项目设计过程中不可或缺的一部分，特别是对于中小型企业(sme)。在资源受限的环境中，设计师必须在独特的约束和机会下工作。本研究调查了东非七家设计制造中小企业的原型设计方法、约束和对设计结果的影响。本文介绍了对卢旺达一家伙伴公司进行实地考察的结果以及对其他组织的工程团队进行访谈的结果。从业人员报告说，在这种情况下，原型的主要意图是通过高度迭代的过程开发具有增加保真度的功能原型。这个过程受到制造投入、能力和建模预测的限制。这些限制增加了每次迭代的时间和成本。因此，结果表明所选择的高度迭代方法与操作环境的约束之间可能存在不匹配。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Development Engineering Economics, Econometrics and Finance-Economics, Econometrics and Finance (all)

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

31 weeks

期刊介绍： Development Engineering: The Journal of Engineering in Economic Development (Dev Eng) is an open access, interdisciplinary journal applying engineering and economic research to the problems of poverty. Published studies must present novel research motivated by a specific global development problem. The journal serves as a bridge between engineers, economists, and other scientists involved in research on human, social, and economic development. Specific topics include: • Engineering research in response to unique constraints imposed by poverty. • Assessment of pro-poor technology solutions, including field performance, consumer adoption, and end-user impacts. • Novel technologies or tools for measuring behavioral, economic, and social outcomes in low-resource settings. • Hypothesis-generating research that explores technology markets and the role of innovation in economic development. • Lessons from the field, especially null results from field trials and technical failure analyses. • Rigorous analysis of existing development "solutions" through an engineering or economic lens. Although the journal focuses on quantitative, scientific approaches, it is intended to be suitable for a wider audience of development practitioners and policy makers, with evidence that can be used to improve decision-making. It also will be useful for engineering and applied economics faculty who conduct research or teach in "technology for development."