Triz Beforehand Cushioning

• System reliability is less than 100% but failure cost is high
• Failures are rare but catastrophic when they occur
• Testing for failure is expensive or destructive
• Response time after failure is critical
• Regulatory compliance requires fail-safe mechanisms
• User safety depends on system integrity
• Recovery from failure is more expensive than prevention

The Process

Step 1: Identify High-Risk Failure Modes

What failures, though unlikely, would have severe consequences?

Example: Home fire is rare but deadly, especially for sleeping occupants.

Step 2: Assess Reliability Limitations

Acknowledge that you cannot eliminate the risk entirely.

Example: Cannot guarantee zero electrical fires from faulty wiring or appliances.

Step 3: Design Beforehand Countermeasures

Create safeguards that are already in place before failure occurs.

Types of Countermeasures:

• Protective Materials: Flame-resistant mattresses, fire-retardant building materials
• Warning Systems: Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms
• Escape Routes: Multiple exits, fire escapes, emergency lighting
• Backup Systems: Redundant power supplies, failover servers
• Insurance Mechanisms: Financial protection against loss

Example: Mandate flame-resistant baby mattresses and furniture.

Step 4: Test Countermeasure Activation

Verify that safeguards activate correctly when needed.

Example: Monthly smoke detector tests, annual fire drill exercises.

Step 5: Communicate the Cushion to Users

Ensure stakeholders understand that protections exist and how to use them.

Example: Exit signs, evacuation maps, safety instruction placards.

Example Application

Situation (Smartphone Durability): Smartphone screens crack when dropped, causing expensive repairs and user frustration.

Application:

1. Failure Mode: Drop from 1-2 meters onto hard surface
2. Reliability Limit: Cannot make glass unbreakable without excessive weight/cost
3. Beforehand Countermeasures:
   • Chemically strengthened Gorilla Glass (material-level cushioning)
   • Raised bezel edge to protect screen surface from direct impact
   • Internal shock-absorbing foam layers
   • Pre-applied screen protectors (user-facing cushioning)
4. Testing: Drop tests from multiple heights and angles
5. Communication: Marketing emphasizes "Corning Gorilla Glass protection"

Outcome: Screen survival rate increased from 60% to 85% in 1-meter drops, reduced warranty claims by 30%.

Anti-Patterns

• Adding cushioning that is more expensive than the failure cost
• Over-engineering protections for low-consequence failures
• Creating safeguards that are difficult to maintain or test
• Cushioning that creates new risks (flame retardants that emit toxic fumes)
• Relying on cushioning instead of improving base reliability
• Assuming cushioning eliminates the need for user training
• Failing to update countermeasures as failure modes evolve

Related

• fmea (identify failure modes to prioritize cushioning efforts)
• fault-tree-analysis (understand failure paths that need cushioning)
• fail-safe-design (design systems that fail into safe states)
• redundancy-principle (duplicate critical components for reliability)
• defense-in-depth (layer multiple safeguards for high-risk systems)