State How Engineering Design Is Different From Other Kinds of Design

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State how engineering design is different from other kinds of design

While scientists study how nature works, engineers create new things, such as products,
websites, environments, and experiences. Scientists perform experiments using the scientific
method; whereas, engineers follow the creativity-based engineering design process. The kinds of
design involve:

Engineering Design – Design that applies to engineered structures, infrastructure, technology and
machines in creating functional products and processes. Engineering design is the creative
process of identifying needs and then devising a solution to fill those needs. This solution may be
a product, a technique, a structure, a project, a method, or many other things depending on the
problem. It is a decision – making process in which the basic sciences, mathematics and
engineering sciences are applied to optimally convert resources to meet a stated objective.

Interior Design – Designing interior and exterior environments used by people

Landscape Design – Integration of nature and architecture to create parks and gardens

Industrial Design – Designs products for mass production

Fashion Design – Designing clothes and accessories

Software Design – Outlines the structures, components and methods that solve a problem with
software

User Interface Design – Design the interfaces that people use to control and interact with
technology

Graphic Design – Visual Designs such as layout of a Magazine

Both processes can be broken down into a series of steps, as seen in the diagram and table.

The Engineering
The Scientific Method
Design Process

State your question Define the problem

Do background research Do background research

Formulate your hypothesis, identify variables.


Hypothesis is a proposed explanation made on the basis of Specify requirements
limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


The Engineering
The Scientific Method
Design Process

Create alternative solutions, choose the best one


Design experiment, establish procedure
and develop it

Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment Build a prototype

Analyze your results and draw conclusions Test and redesign as necessary

Communicate results Communicate results

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


Steps of the Engineering Design Process

The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineers follow to come up with a
solution to a problem.
1. Define the Problem

The engineering design process starts with the following questions about problems:

 What is the problem or need?


 Who has the problem or need?
 Why is it important to solve?

2. Do Background Research

Learn from the experiences of others —to avoid mistakes that were made in the past. So, for an
engineering design project, do background research in two major areas:

 Users or customers
 Existing solutions

3. Specify Requirements

Design requirements state the important characteristics that your solution must meet to succeed.

4. Brainstorm Multiple Solutions

Good designers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can for solving design
problems.

5. Choose the Best Solution

Look at whether each possible solution meets your design requirements. Reject solutions that do
not meet the requirements.

6. Develop the Solution

Development of a solution has to be continued throughout the design process. E.g. Drawings and
plan.

7. Build a Prototype

A prototype is an operating version of a solution which is the key step in the development of a
final solution and is used to test how the solution will work.

8. Test and Redesign

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


The design process involves multiple iterations and redesigns of your final solution.

9. Communicate Results

To complete your project, communicate your results to others in a final report.

2. List the different stages in a design process

Stages in the Design Process -

Analyze the situation

Analyze the problem you are trying to address.

Write a brief problem statement

Write a short statement giving the general outline of the problem to be solved.

Research the problem through brain storming

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


A problem can be solved by thinking outside the box to gain some new information and
knowledge.

Write a specification – Problem Description

This detailed description of the problem spells out what the design must achieve.

Work out possible solutions

Combine your ideas with information obtained from your research to suggest several possible
design solutions. Sketch several possibilities on paper.

Select a preferred solution

Decide which solution to develop considering constraints like time, cost, or skills.

Prepare working drawings and plan ahead

Draw the chosen design.

Construct a prototype

Make the model of the product and the final product is developed from it.

Test and evaluate the design

Testing is ongoing as the construction progresses. Evaluate the following: How well does the
design function? Does the design look good? How could I have improved on my design?

Write a report

The report provides evidence of your work in analysis, planning, designing, carrying out
practical work, evaluating, and communicating.

Adapted from Garrett, J. (1991). Design and Technology. Reprinted with permission of
Cambridge University Press.

The simplest descriptive model of the design process defines three phases:
1. Generation: the designer generates or creates various design concepts.
2. Evaluation: the designer tests the chosen design against metrics that reflect the client‘s
objectives and against specifications that stipulate how the design must function.
3. Communication: the designer communicates the final design to the client and to manufacturers
or fabricators.

Problem definition: We frame the problem by delineating the customer requirements, which
means clarifying the client‘s objectives, identifying constraints, and establishing functions before
we begin conceptual design.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal
Conceptual design: We generate different concepts or schemes to achieve client‘s objectives,
satisfy constraints, and perform functions.

Preliminary design or embodiment of schemes: Here we flesh out our proposed concepts, that
is, we embody or endow design schemes with preliminary versions of their most important
attributes. We select and size the major subsystems, based on lower-level concerns that take into
account the performance and operating requirements.

Detailed design: We now articulate our final design in much greater detail, refining the choices
we made in preliminary design down to specific part types and dimensions.

Design communication: We now spell out and present our design process, the resulting final
design, and its fabrication specifications.

How to finalize design objectives?

Design Objectives are finalized through pair wise comparison chart. The pairwise comparison
chart (PCC) is a tool for ordering the relative importance of objectives. It is based on the
assumption that we can order any two objectives taken as a pair. For example, we prefer cost to
durability, portability to cost, portability to convenience, and so on. The PCC is a simple matrix
that allows us to (1) compare every objective with each remaining objective individually, and (2)
add total scores for each objective.

Table below shows a PCC for our four-objective ladder design. The entries in each box of the
chart are determined as binary choices: Every entry is either a 1 or a 0, where 1 indicates that the
row objective is preferred over the column objective. We enter nothing in the diagonal boxes
corresponding to weighting any objective against itself. Here the four objectives are ranked (with
their scores) in order of decreasing value or importance: portability (3), convenience (2), cost (1),
and durability (0).

3. Describe design thinking.

The five stages of Design Thinking, according to d.school, are as follows: Empathise, Define
(the problem), Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

The first stage of the Design Thinking process Empathise is to gain an empathic understanding
of the problem you are trying to solve. This involves consulting with experts to find more about

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


the area of concern through observing, engaging and empathizing with people to understand their
experiences and motivations.

During the Define stage, you put together the information you have created and gathered during
the Empathise stage. Here, we analyse our observations and synthesise them in order to define
the problem statement.

During the third stage of the Design Thinking process Ideate, designers are ready to start
generating ideas by thinking outside the box to identify new solutions to the problem statement.
Brainstorm and come up with as many creative solutions as possible.

During the fourth stage of the Design Thinking process Prototytpe, design team will produce
scaled down versions of the product, so they can investigate the problem solutions generated in
the previous stage. Prototypes may be tested within the team itself.

During the fifth stage of the Design Thinking process Test, Designers rigorously test the
complete product using the best solutions identified during the prototyping phase.

Empathise – with your users

Define – your users‘ needs, their problem, and your insights

Ideate – creating ideas for innovative solutions

Prototype – to start creating solutions

Test – solutions

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


4. Show with an example how divergent-convergent thinking helps in generating
alternative designs and then how to narrow down to the best design.

Divergent thinking is a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many
possible solutions. It typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, "non-linear" manner, such
that many ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Divergent thinking uses the
imagination to open the mind to new possibilities and solutions, and ultimately become more
innovative.

Convergent thinking is the opposite of divergent thinking. It generally means the ability to give
the "correct" answer to standard questions that do not require significant creativity, for instance
in most tasks in school and on standardized multiple-choice tests for intelligence. Convergent
thinking moves from broad thoughts to concrete understanding, where the thoughts from
divergent thinking can be narrowed down to the most promising ideas and solutions.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


‗Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning
that is not immediately perceived and involves ideas that may not be obtained by using
traditional step-by-step logic.

Bingo Selection

Best practice: The Bingo Selection method inspires participants to divide ideas. However, in this
method, the facilitator should encourage the participants to split ideas according to a variety of
form factors, such as their potential applications in a physical prototype, a digital prototype, and
an experience prototype.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


With a series of ideas (3rd stage in the Design Thinking process) ready to
be prototyped (4th stage in the Design Thinking process) for further testing (5th stage in the
Design Thinking process) and validation, you're ready to move on these next stages of the
Design Thinking journey. Ideas that are very similar can be batch prototyped, with some
variation in prototype iterations.

The five stages of Design Thinking are not sequential steps, but different ―modes‖ you can put
yourself in, to iterate on your problem definition, ideas, or prototype during the project
implementation.

Design Thinking in a Team Environment

Members of a Design Thinking team need to be open minded, curious, collaborative and allow
their assumptions to be challenged, ready for change, and be adaptable. Cross-disciplinary teams
will provide you with the best results. Teams may consist of people unfamiliar with each other,
with external members either as specialists or facilitators depending on the availability of skills.
To make a Design Thinking project successful, we need T-shaped people. T-shaped people have
a depth of knowledge and experience in their own fields but they can also reach out and connect
with others horizontally and create meaningful collaborations. All team members should be
encouraged to respect each other's inputs, in order to discover deeper and to build upon each
other's findings.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


ATTRIBUTES OF DESIGN THINKING

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal
The above attributes or characteristics of Design Thinking will help you choose and select team
members for a given Design Thinking work project. This will help to develop a great working
culture. The more senior team players‘ exist in the team, their knowledge and experience will
definitely be important and will be necessary in order to steer the ship in the right direction so the
team avoids becoming completely lost. However, this should not prevent less experienced
individuals from sharing their ideas, putting forward alternative ways of seeing things. No one
within the team should purposely be allowed to narrow things to suit his or her specific view
alone. Having a leader to spearhead the mission is important, as there is always a tendency for
team members to resort to familiar patterns, which may not suit the needs of Design Thinking.
An ideal leader is someone who can maintain high levels of energy and enthusiasm, someone
who can steer the group around obstacles.

Some of the aims of Design Thinking's approach are to create:

-greater inclusiveness (quality of covering or dealing with a range of subjects/areas)

-better team cohesion (fact of forming a united whole)

-higher levels of collaboration and interaction

-increased creative confidence

Everyone thinks, feels, and experiences things differently. Differences are what we need.

Some of the obstacles the process aims to overcome:

-Fear of failure

-Intimidation (the state of being intimidated)

-Low self esteem

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


SELECT THE RIGHT TEAM MEMBERS AND START FACILITATING

Facilitation Step 1: Tell your Team Members about the Overall Process of Design Thinking

Explain the five stages in the Design Thinking Process- Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and
Test.

Explain that the five stages of Design Thinking are not sequential steps, but different modes you
can put yourself in, to iterate on your problem definition, ideas, or prototype, or to learn more
about your users at any point in the project.

Explain how Design Thinking builds a third way – combining the analytical and information-
driven approach of science with the holistic, empathic and creative ways of thinking in design.

Explain that there are lots of proven methods that you‘ll apply along the way, like user
interviews, brainstorm sessions, sketching, user testing, etc.

Knowing the background and underlying structure will help your team members to feel safer as
they know that there‘s a solid background. You could remind your team members that
innovation demands courage and an open mind while progressing towards the goal.

Facilitation Step 2: Break the Ice

Icebreakers are important for breaking through barriers when teams need to start working on
something new, or when people don't know or trust each other well enough. It may be as simple
as introducing people properly, or explaining the process they are about to engage in.

A few icebreaker tips

Consider barriers that may exist in the team and design your icebreakers based on these.

Ensure that the icebreakers are not to embarrass but to build confidence and make people
comfortable going forward.

Icebreakers are not meant to produce winners and losers but are meant to level the playing field.

Choose activities which suit the people and setting.

Facilitation Step 3: Get People into the Creative Mood

Co-create a story

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal


A great way to get your Design Team members to relax and enjoy co-creation is the act of group
story telling. You may begin with a completely unrelated story, maybe even something familiar
to the team. Start the story off with a brief intro and move it around the team in a circle, with
team members adding on their sentences as it passes on.

A set of story aids like Rory's Story Cubes may help even further, especially with those who may
be too shy to suggest something different. The story cubes come with a range of objects, actions,
and themes that can be mixed and matched to create or encourage randomised story telling. It's
also an excellent tool for getting people in the mood for brainstorming.

Visual telephone - Another similar activity which encourages visualisation rather than spoken
stories is the visual telephone. The team starts off with the first player drawing a simple picture
in secret, and then passing it on to the person beside her/him, who will then look at the image
without showing the others, and will write down her/his interpretation of what the image relates
to. The next person will then take that explanation and draw an image to show it, and so on, until
the telephone has moved through the entire team. The entire team will then review the end
results to find out how each person interpreted the message they received.

Mindtools provides a good icebreaker outline with some examples for icebreakers in different
settings.

Compiled by Ms. Divya Christopher, Asst. Prof in CSE, LMCST, Kuttichal

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