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Morphological matrix

A morphological matrix lists the sub-functions a product must solve, and possible solutions for each. Concepts are generated systematically by combining one solution from each row. The theoretical number of possible concepts is the product of the number of alternatives for each sub-function.

N_{\text{concepts}} = \prod_i k_i

total number of combinations

Symbols

k_i

number of solution alternatives for sub-function

i

Example

5 sub-functions with 4, 5, 3, 3 and 5 alternatives:

$4\cdot 5\cdot 3\cdot 3\cdot 5 = 900$ possible concepts.

Most combinations from a morphological matrix are unrealistic — it is used to explore breadth, not to build all 900.

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Part of Product Development: Concept development and selection.