True.. I think what I'm struggling with is the balance between time/cost and obligations. I just want to know what I need to know and no more to complete the electronics and not get overly involved in the customers app.
D from BC
IME it seems quite common to put in a very cheap quote and hope to make money by charging very high rates to make any changes, although this isnt the same as knowingly producing a product that will be a dissapointment to the customer without pointing this out.
A good engineer wich can extract the right requirments out of the customer is worth a lot, someone who has done one just like that is obviously in the best position.
Colin =^.^=
How can you simultaneously want to do a good job, and want to learn as little as possible about your customer's application?
I find most of my customer's applications interesting enough that I'd research them just for fun. And when I get to see stadium-sized lasers or jet engines or pollen on a bee's leg, that's a bonus.
If you're going to spend a week or a month designing a product for a customer, surely it's worth some hours to really understand the process. You can bill him for that time, too. And sometimes a "systems thinker" from outside can make a seriously useful observation, something that they'd missed for years.
I guess you can define your mission either as "design exactly what they say to" or "solve the problem that they have."
John
The problem with society today is that its too materialistic. Too much short term money grabbing without considering the long term cost of our actions. The rapidly deteriorating environment is a prime example. The hidden costs we don't immediately notice that follows our actions.
In your case you've got customers walking away unhappy, who will probably never come back. A good design firm can tell if the client is suggesting the wrong path, or asking for silly specs, and will usually advise the client accordingly. Every client is a different situation. Some are a pain, but may have an interesting product with manufacturing potential. I often throw in free hardware and software design if the potential for a product is there. Occassional I reject projects because they're not interesting enough. Lifes too short people and we need to start looking at the big picture for a change.
Regards Robert (
It's good to be selective to raise that quality of life.. The way I reject boring projects is by bidding very high.
Customer: What!! $1000.00 for beeper circuit!!! Designer: Yeah...It's boring.. It only gets exciting if I get ooodles of cash... :) D from BC
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