Product Design and Development

First published in 1995, Product Design and Development was developed by Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger to address a perceived gap in engineering and business education. The authors sought to integrate the disparate fields of marketing, design, and manufacturing into a unified, cross-functional framework. By synthesizing their experience at MIT and the Wharton School, they created a structured approach to product development that moved beyond theoretical engineering, focusing instead on the practical realities of bringing new goods to market.

The text is characterized by its modular, chapter-based methodology, which guides readers through the entire product lifecycle—from identifying customer needs and concept generation to prototyping and robust design. Designed for use in both academic settings and professional training programs, the book was received as a standard reference for design practitioners and management students alike. Its clear, process-oriented design helped it become one of the most widely adopted textbooks in the field, influential for its emphasis on team-based collaboration.