102 Food product development and sensory panel. But today, there may be real benefits in adopting food product design and in associating food product design with other areas of design The product is an amalgam expected by the consumer of the hard values or the basic qualities and the soft values or the differentiating qualities such as aesthetic appearance and environmental friendliness. Product design, creation process, is therefore an amalgamation of the disciplines of consumer and market research, technology and engineering research with design practice as shown in Fig. 3.3. Product design is an essential part of the product creation process in equal cooperation with engineers, marketers and consumer researchers (Blaich and Blaich, 1993). All come together in the technology of the product Consumer researchers build the consumer/product relationship throughout the pd process The market researchers analyse markets and design the marketing and distribution methods in the market strategy The food engineer and technologist research the product and the process together in co-engineering and design the production and physical distribution methods he food product designer researches the social and cultural backgrounds and designs the holistic product It is important that these are all integrated from the beginning of the PD Process As the product concept and the product design specifications are built up, all aspects are brought together; then as the project progresses, the people involved understand what is needed in the design of product, production and marketing to satisfy the consumers needs, wants and behaviour Social and cultural trends Consumer design Technology Product research desig sign Technological trends Common vision Fig. 3.3 Integrating the main disciplines in product creation( Source: After Blaich and Blaich, 1993)and sensory panel. But today, there may be real benefits in adopting food product design and in associating food product design with other areas of design. The product is an amalgam expected by the consumer of the hard values or the basic qualities and the soft values or the differentiating qualities such as aesthetic appearance and environmental friendliness. Product design, or the product creation process, is therefore an amalgamation of the disciplines of consumer and market research, technology and engineering research with design practice as shown in Fig. 3.3. Product design is an essential part of the product creation process in equal cooperation with engineers, marketers and consumer researchers (Blaich and Blaich, 1993). All come together in the technology of the product. • Consumer researchers build the consumer/product relationship throughout the PD Process. • The market researchers analyse markets and design the marketing and distribution methods in the market strategy. • The food engineer and technologist research the product and the process together in co-engineering and design the production and physical distribution methods. • The food product designer researches the social and cultural backgrounds and designs the holistic product. It is important that these are all integrated from the beginning of the PD Process. As the product concept and the product design specifications are built up, all aspects are brought together; then as the project progresses, the people involved understand what is needed in the design of product, production and marketing to satisfy the consumers’ needs, wants and behaviour. Fig. 3.3 Integrating the main disciplines in product creation (Source: After Blaich and Blaich, 1993). 102 Food product development