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This paper aims to propose the application of quality engineering in the early phase of environmentally conscious design (Ecodesign).

Utilizing the Kano model and willingness to pay, the paper presents a framework for classification of environmental characteristics of products/services (i.e. offers) in two dimensions. The framework is connected to design management, i.e. design itself and external communication, where strategies for companies are given. The integration of the classification and the strategies is applied to three environmental characteristics against Japanese markets.

The classification framework was proved to be effective as it generates much richer implication than other existing methods. In addition, it works well especially for environmental characteristics. Generation of strategies was also found to work effectively. They suggested some potential of using quality‐engineering oriented methods/tools to deal with customer perception in the early phase of Ecodesign.

The results imply the needs for research on further utilizing quality‐engineering approach and methods in the early stage of Ecodesign. This would be effective as how customers perceive offers has been neglected in the research and practice of Ecodesign and the focus of Ecodesign has been rather in its technical aspects. This research, in a broader sense, exists in integration of marketing and design disciplines.

This paper has brought light into the arena where customer aspects in Ecodesign are addressed and has some potential for quality‐engineering approach and method to tackle the aspects.

In order to respond to the industrial trend towards service design and delivery, research must address a vast area partially related to value creation, marketing and network theories. However, compared to the space to be explored, there is little insight available. Thus, the purpose of this paper, as a first step, is to propose a way to frame such research.

An extensive literature review is performed of over 100 articles on product/service system (PSS) in general, service design, innovation, and business models in a broad view. Then, the analysis from the authors' viewpoint is carried out to give a frame.

The paper presents three crucial dimensions for service‐orientation research, i.e. an offer dimension representing products and services, a provider dimension, and a customer/user dimension. In addition, three research targets are proposed: PSS‐offer modelling, PSS development and PSS potential. Furthermore, several promising future research directions are identified. These include evaluating economic consequences or environmental benefits, establishing terminology, organizational issues, and developing methods and tools to support designers.

The paper presents a way of viewing research for service orientation, which contributes especially to further research in this area.

Presents a methodology for applying Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for environmentally conscious design in the early stage of product development. This methodology has been developed by incorporating environmental aspects into QFD to handle the environmental and traditional product quality requirements simultaneously. The “QFD for environment (QFDE)” proposed consists of four phases. Designers can find out which parts are the most important in enhancing environmental consciousness of their products by executing QFDE phase I and phase II. Further, a methodology is developed to evaluate the effects of design improvement on environmental quality requirements as phases III and IV. The results obtained from the case study of IC package show that QFDE could be applicable in the early stage of assembled product design, because the most important component from the viewpoint of the environment is clearly identified and multiple options for design improvement are effectively evaluated.