Quality Function Deployment (OFD) with a Human Touch

In the terminology and conceptual approach to human perception of life, there seems to be a gap between the social sciences and the world of engineering. While environmental psychology refers to human experience or needs, the engineer is speaking about technical requirements in a different language. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can help bridge this gap between customer requirements and technical design alternatives. QFD is a rational tool well suited for the traditional mind-set of engineers, but the structure of the method is also able to contain a holistic approach to human well-being. The hypothesis proposed in this paper is that QFD, as utilized today, fails to adequately consider human well-being. Well-being is used to “measure” life energy; physical, mental, emotional and physical. From literature studied it becomes clear that the failure of QFD in construction is due to a failure to adequately consider human well-being. It is evident that the end user is inadequately defined. Also, QFD applications in construction have an excessive focus on physical/functional solutions pushed by engineers. There is little evidence that the user’s feelings (emotional, mental and spiritual) have any impact on proposed design solutions.