Assess Primitive Problem

As examples, consider the following three potential opportunities and the kinds of primitive design problems generated, with all three considered in more depth later in Chapters 3 and 19  

Consider the possibility of designing an inexpensive (say, less than 10) throw-away product for patients with temporary or permanent kidney failure a device that provides the only treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), whose kidneys are no longer capable of their function. This treatment, which is required three times per week, for an average of 3-4 hours per dialysis, was performed on more than 200,000 patients in the United States in 1996.  

To satisfy the need for a dialysis product, preliminary designs for the following two alternatives might be generated 

Alternative 2. Design a peritoneal dialysis device (which uses the serous membrane that lines the cavity of the abdomen of a mammal) having similar attributes as the hemodialysis device.  

In assessing the primitive problem to produce plasminogen activators, two promising alternatives might be generated by a design team  

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