1. Introduction to Engineering Design
William Oakes, P.E.

2. Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:
Describe design
List at least three steps in the EPICS design process
Identify resources to help with design
Describe how users are important to the design process

3. Design is… One of the activities of engineering. Design Development
Research
Test
Analysis
Production
Sales
Technical Support
Other
Source: Oakes, Leone, and Gunn (2004). Engineering Your Future. Okemos, MI: Great Lakes Press.

4. Many definitions of design…
Design is art
Design as problem solving
Design activity as applying scientific knowledge
Design is a social process in which individual object worlds interact, and design parameters are negotiated.
Source: Dr. Robin Adams ENE 696G course notes

5. Crismond (2007) draws from many sources in his definition of design as “’goal-directed problem-solving activity’ (Archer, 1965) that initiates change in human-made things (Jones, 1992), and involves optimizing parameters (Matchett, 1968) and the balancing of trade-offs (AAAS, 2001) to meet targeted users needs (Gregory, 1966).”
Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.

6. =====> The Design Process Design is done by many disciplines
Few Specifications
Many Specifications
Design Process
Infinite Variety of Designs
Most -----Least Influential Choices
One Design
=====>
Design is done by many disciplines

7. Many formal models for the design process
ME uses Ullman’s Model for Design
The Mechanical Design Process, McGraw Hill, 1997, 2003
6 steps
Engineering Your Future
10 steps
Different Companies use different models
They use a process
EPICS teaches a model that fits our community-based design

8. Multiple Valid Solutions
Examples:
Cars
Cell phones
Computers

9. Good/Bad Design - Activity
Think of 1 thing you think was well-designed. Think of 1 thing you think was poorly designed.
For each item:
Item
Why you think it was well/poorly designed
What did the designer understand/not understand in the design that made it good/bad.

10. Good/Bad Design Activity, cont
Get in groups of 3 or 4
Talk about your answers
Pick one or two things from the group to present:
Item
Why you think it was well/poorly designed
What did the designer understand/not understand in the design that made it good/bad.

11. EPICS Balance Service Learning
Service-learning is a balance of the learning of design and the service we contribute the communities through completed designs and support
Service
To our partners, meeting needs in the community
Learning
Becoming good designers, professionals & active citizens
Complimentary goals that enhance each other

12. From IDEO HCD Toolkit What do people desire?
What is technically and organizationally feasible?
What can be financially viable?

13. EPICS Design Process Six Phases Problem Identification
Specification Development
Conceptual Design
Detailed Design
Production
Service/Maintenance
Redesign or retirement

14. The EPICS Design Cycle Problem Identification Specification
Development
Detailed Design
Production
Service
Maintenance
Redesign
Retirement
Problem Identification
Conceptual
Design
Disposal

15. Human-centered Design: Basic Principles
Early focus on users
Designing for and with users
Empirical measurement and evaluation
Iteration
See Gould and Lewis 15

16. Human Centered Design Formal/Informal Interviews Persona Scenarios
Focus groups– interviews with multiple people
Persona
Prototypical user, described in detail
Scenarios
“before and after” stories of your persona using your product
Focus on the user’s need and how their life might be improved
Role-playing: put yourself in the user’s shoes, chair, and/or space
Empathic modeling: Simulating the sensory/motor/cognitive constraints

17. Human-Centered Design
Interactions with Stakeholders
Prototypes/communications at all stages

18. EPICS Design Process Six Phases Problem Identification
Specification Development
Conceptual Design
Detailed Design
Production
Service/Maintenance
Redesign or retirement

19. Project Identification Phase: Goal is to identify a specific, compelling need to be addressed
Common tasks
Conduct needs assessment (if need not already defined)
Identify stakeholders (customer, users, person maintaining project, etc.)
Define basic stakeholder requirements (objectives or goals of projects and constraints)
What will be the deliverable?
Determine time constraints of the project
How long will it take?
Gate 1: Continue if have identified appropriate EPICS project that meets a compelling need

20. Example….Project Identification Phase
One of the deliverables is the Project Charter
Description – Describe and summarize what you or your team will be doing.
E.g., What is the problem that you will be solving and for whom?
Objectives- List the project objectives.
E.g., Why are you doing the project (i.e., what is the motivation or desired need for the project?)

21. Project Charter, continued
Outcomes or deliverables
E.g., What are going to be the project results?
Duration
E.g., When will the project be started, and when will it meet the objectives and deliver the outcomes?
Community Partners
E.g., With whom are you serving on this project?
Stakeholders
E.g., Who will be affected by your project other than your customer?

22. Specification Development Phase: Goal is to understand “what” is needed by understanding the context, stakeholders, requirements of the project, and why current solutions don’t meet need, and to develop measurable criteria in which design concepts can be evaluated.
Understand and describe context (current situation and environment)
Create stakeholder profiles
Create mock-ups and simple prototypes: quick, low-cost, multiple cycles incorporating feedback
Develop a task analysis and define how users will interact with project (user scenarios)
Compare to benchmark products (prior art)
Develop customer specifications and evaluation criteria; get project partner approval
Gate 2: Continue if project partner and advisor agree that have identified the “right” need, and if no existing commercial products meet design specifications.

23. Specification Phase Tasks: Basic functional decomposition
User interaction – crude prototypes as communication devices
Benchmark research
Customer specifications development
Develop Design Specifications - MEASURABLE

24. Specification Development
Deliverables-
Project Specification Document
Measureable specifications
Mock-ups or rough prototypes to help narrow the specifications
Interacting with the community partner
User-centered, human-centered

25. How will you know if you achieved it?
Spec or Requirement
Origin
How will you know if you achieved it?
Completed?
1. Sound audible in classroom
Project Partner Requirement
Test in classroom
1.1 Sound range between 15 dB and 85 dB
Project Partner Requirement of audible sound
1.2 Variable output
2. Project should be educational
Pre-, post-test?
Interview students?

26. Conduct Functional Decomposition Brainstorm several possible solutions
Conceptual Design Phase: Goal is to expand the design space to include as many solutions as possible. Evaluate different approaches and selecting “best” one to move forward. Exploring “how”.
Conduct Functional Decomposition
Brainstorm several possible solutions
Create prototypes of multiple concepts, get feedback from users, refine specifications
Evaluate feasibility of potential solutions (proof-of-concept prototypes); select one to move forward
Interaction with users
Gate 3: Continue if project partner and advisor agree that solution space has been appropriately explored and the best solution has been chosen.

27. Take functional decomposition and brainstorm on each of the functions
How can we ______ ?
Capture the best of each idea
Rebuild the system as combinations

28. Conceptual Design Deliverables- Project Conceptual Design Report
Systems level design
Details need to be designed
Sketch/mock-up/prototype demonstrates concept

29. Detailed Design Phase: Goal is to design working prototype which meets functional specifications.
Common tasks
Design/analysis/evaluation of project, sub-modules and/or components (freeze interfaces)
Complete DFMEA analysis of project
Prototyping of project, sub-modules and/or components
Field test prototype/usability testing
Gate 4: Continue if can demonstrate feasibility of solution (is there a working prototype?). Project Partner and advisor approval required.

30. Detailed Design Deliverables Project Detailed Design Report
Full details of all parts
Dimensions, sizes, all details
Documentation of all parts
Full prototype version of project

31. Delivery Phase Tasks: Goal is to refine detailed design so as to produce a product that is ready to be delivered! In addition, the goal is to develop user manuals and training materials.
Common tasks: Complete project
Complete user manuals/training material
Complete usability and reliability testing
Complete delivery review
Gate 5: Continue if Project Partner, Advisor and EPICS Admin agree that project is ready for delivery!

32. Service/Maintenance Phase Tasks
Common tasks:
Evaluate performance of fielded project
Determine what resources are necessary to support and maintain the project
Gate 6: Project Partner and Advisor approve continued fielding of project. If not, retire or redesign.

33. Retirement or Redesign
Fielded projects are evaluated with partners for repair, retirement or redesign

34. The EPICS Design Cycle Problem Identification Specification
Development
Detailed Design
Production
Service
Maintenance
Redesign
Retirement
Problem Identification
Conceptual
Design
Disposal

35. Iterations in the Design Process
Specification
Development
Detailed Design
Production
Service
Maintenance
Redesign
Retirement
Problem Identification
Conceptual
Design
Disposal

36. Iteration and Test Back to previous phase Go to next phase Generate
Ideas
Define Measurable Specifications
Implement
Test
Generate
Ideas
Define Measurable Specifications
Implement
Test (Users)

37. Iteration and testing Document Why advanced Why interated Prob ID
Spec Dev
Con Des
Det Des
Prod
Main and serv.
Document
Why advanced
Why interated

38. Human-Centered Design
Tests are often done with stakeholders during the design process

39. Curriculum Diagram Figure 1 (DRAFT skeleton): EPICS Design Model
Exit 1: Problem Identification Rd.
Exit 2: Specification Development Ave Road
Exit 4: Detailed Design St.
Exit 7: Retirement Rd.

40. Seeking and Selecting Diverge Seek Possibilities Problem
Identification
Converge
Narrow Choices
Diverge
Seek Possibilities
Specification
Development
Converge
Narrow Choices
Diverge
Seek Possibilities
Conceptual Design
Converge
Narrow Choices
Each phase of the design process requires creative solutions and has a divergent component where ideas are sought and a convergent component where options are selected

41. Why is design difficult?
Engages different types of thinking
Requires designers to manage so many ideas and aspects
Addresses different types of problems

42. Good design… Good designs involve diverse perspectives and expertise
IDEO – industry leader in design and innovation
Design thinking is a crucial business asset—one that can, indeed, move a company forward and improve the bottom line. To optimize this impact, (we) advise thoughtfully structuring the innovation process. They stress working on projects that improve people’s lives..
- Ryan Jacoby and Diego Rodriguez, Innovation, Growth, and Getting to Where You Want to Go, Design Management Review Vol. 18 No. 1

43. Human Centered Design Formal/Informal Interviews Persona Scenarios
Focus groups– interviews with multiple people
Persona
Prototypical user, described in detail
Scenarios
“before and after” stories of your persona using your product
Focus on the user’s need and how their life might be improved
Role-playing: put yourself in the user’s shoes, chair, and/or space
Empathic modeling: Simulating the sensory/motor/cognitive constraints

44. Caution!
These tools should not replace getting feedback and information from the users and stakeholders themselves!
Just because you have “pretended” to have a disability or in a certain situation, doesn’t mean you understand what it really like for those users and stakeholders.

45. Prototypes Prototyping….rough, quick, very iterative
IDEO working with Gyrus ACMI to design new apparatus for operating on delicate nasal tissues
Prototype: whiteboard marker, 35 mm film canister and clothespin
Mouse for Apple
Prototype: roller ball from tube of Ban Roll-on deodorant to the base of plastic butter dish

46. Personas Fictional character with all the characteristics of the user
Created after the field research (observations, interviews)
Members of the primary stakeholders (users)
Depicts the "typical" or "average" individual in the primary stakeholder group
Include a name and picture, demographics, roles and responsibilities, goals and tasks, motivations and needs, environment and context, and a quote that can represent the character's personality.

47. Personas
May be several personas for the same group to reflect diversity of that group
Secondary personas, their needs should be met and problems solved if possible.
Create a common shared understanding of the user group
Prioritize the design considerations by providing a context of the user needs
Provide a human face and existence to a diverse user group

48. Your Design Projects Problem Identification Specification Development
Using personas and role playing
Specification Development
List of specifications, early prototypes
Conceptual Design
Early prototype and proof of concept
Detailed Design
Production
Service/Maintenance
Redesign or retirement