An Investigation of the Product Design Process in Informal Microenterprises in Tanzania

The products that surround us (e.g. furniture, bicycles, etc.) are outcomes of design processes. Product design is a fundamental aspect of human intelligence and creativity, attracting not only experts but also workers and self-employed without any formal design training. Although numerous people in developing countries design and manufacture simple products in metalworking informal microenterprises, there is very little systematic knowledge about their design process. This project aims to fill this fundamental gap in design knowledge. The overall goal of the research is to investigate design process in metalworking informal microenterprises in Tanzania, using a scientific method of ‘think-aloud protocol analysis’.

Find Out More

Research Questions and Data Colection

The project addressed the following key questions.

1. How do informal microenterprises identify consumer needs and requirements in marketing, distribution, etc.?

2. How do they generate and evaluate alternative product concepts?

3. How do they define product details such as materials and dimensions?

4. What external media do they use, and how do they use this media?

Participate in the research by filling the online questionnaire available through the following link
Click Here

Publications

1. Opiyo, E., Jagtap, S., Keshwani, S. (2023). Conceptual Design in Informal Metalworking Microenterprises of Tanzania. Sustainability, 15(2), 986. (Impact Factor: 3.9) DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15020986

2. Keshwani, S., Jagtap, S., Opiyo, E. (2023). Studying the Design process in Constrained Environment: An Empirical Approach to Analyzing Informal Metal Working Enterprises in Tanzania. International Conference on Engineering Design, Bordeaux, France. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2023.322

3. Opiyo, E. Jagtap, S., Keshwani, S. (2022). Conceptual Design in Metalworking Microenterprises: An Empirical Study in Tanzania. International Design Conference - Design 2022. Dubrovnik – Croatia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2022.252