The translation process begins by gathering detail on the functions that the product needs to perform, as a way of clarifying the interaction between the user and product. It is useful to summarise each function with a verb and noun pair.

Functional analysis comprises

• The definition of a high-level description of the overall function of the product, e.g. “make a hot drink”
• The decomposition of this high level task into a series of sub-functions, e.g. “fill heating device”, “heat water”, and “pour water”
• Further expansion of the sub-function descriptions to answer the question “how?”
• Termination of the process before the descriptions prescribe a specific solution

The functional description can then be expanded to consider the total lifecycle of the product, which may include purchase, installation, use, maintenance, storage, and disposal.

The Task analysis section within Knowledge & tools provides further information on this technique.