104 Food product development Product idea Product idea product specification product concept Prototype product specification product specification product concept Fig 3.4 Product concepts and product specifications in the product development project the consumer's description of the product and includes the product character istics, benefits and position in the market as identified by the consumer. The design product specification is developed from the product concept with reference to the technical aspects of the product, processing and distribution. It is the precise definition of what the product has to do, it is metric and has a value (Ulrich and Eppinger, 1995) a product has several layers and these are being built up gradually during the product development. There is the companys basic functional product, the total company product(with packaging, aesthetics, brand, price and advertising) and the consumer's product( which relates it to the competitors, the environment, the media, the society, as well as its communication and use)as shown in Fig. 3.5 There is a continuing interaction between these three layers of the food product, and therefore between the four groups of people - consumers, product designer, technical and marketing- during the development of the product concept and the product design specifications To research the products, there is a need to identify the following: Product morphology, the breakdown of a product into the specific characteristics (or attributes) that identify it to consumers or/and business customers. Determined by analysis of the product family and the individual roduct( Schaffner et al, 1998) Product characteristics(or attributes), the features identifying the product to the company, the market and the consumer. Identified by consumers and designers in the creation of the product concept. Product benefits, the product characteristics important to the consumer dentified in the consumer/product designer discussion groups. The product benefits are in four main areas-basic product benefits, package benefits, usethe consumer’s description of the product and includes the product character￾istics, benefits and position in the market as identified by the consumer. The design product specification is developed from the product concept with reference to the technical aspects of the product, processing and distribution. It is the precise definition of what the product has to do, it is metric and has a value (Ulrich and Eppinger, 1995). A product has several layers and these are being built up gradually during the product development. There is the company’s basic functional product, the total company product (with packaging, aesthetics, brand, price and advertising) and the consumer’s product (which relates it to the competitors, the environment, the media, the society, as well as its communication and use) as shown in Fig. 3.5. There is a continuing interaction between these three layers of the food product, and therefore between the four groups of people – consumers, product designer, technical and marketing – during the development of the product concept and the product design specifications. To research the products, there is a need to identify the following: • Product morphology, the breakdown of a product into the specific characteristics (or attributes) that identify it to consumers or/and business customers. Determined by analysis of the product family and the individual product (Schaffner et al, 1998). • Product characteristics (or attributes), the features identifying the product to the company, the market and the consumer. Identified by consumers and designers in the creation of the product concept. • Product benefits, the product characteristics important to the consumer. Identified in the consumer/product designer discussion groups. The product benefits are in four main areas – basic product benefits, package benefits, use Fig. 3.4 Product concepts and product specifications in the product development project. 104 Food product development