Project Learning

Importance of Project Learning Opportunity to influence design Opportunity to do something innovative Cost of change

End Goal A clear picture of what is considered done and good The knowledge to produce a design that is done and good

Project learning research results Linking Design Process to Customer Satisfaction Through Virtual Design of Experiment (Jain and Sobek) – Problem definition (PD) at the higher abstraction levels appears positively related to client satisfaction – Client satisfaction improves with greater effort in idea generation (IG) at concept level, but not at the system or detail design levels – Greater time spent on design refinement (DR) activities across all design levels is negatively associated with client satisfaction – Greater time spent at the detail (D) design level appears comparatively non-value added to client satisfaction – Time spent on problem definition and engineering analysis activities at the system (S) design level leads to better client satisfaction Engineering Design Processes: A Comparison of Students and Expert Practitioners (Atman) – Experts spent more time overall in design than students and significantly more time on problem scoping activities – Experts also gathered more information that covered more categories – Results support argument that information gathering and problem scoping are design activities are major differences between advanced engineers and students and are important competencies for students to develop

Notes Talk is cheap!!! – Documentation is a must. – data (logbooks, webpage), schedules, decisions – – you don’t know it until you can show your mentor where you documented it. – action items aren’t complete until documented. – be efficient in documentation. Project learning can be simplified by systematically identifying and performing activities that clarify issues surrounding – the people – the products – the technology

Identify stakeholders and experts – Stakeholders are people that have an interest in the creation of a new product – Experts are people that have specific knowledge about related products, processes, and technologies People

Leaning about/from people observation interview experience (empathetic activity) individuals groups People

Interviews Information from stakeholders and experts will net you substantial needs and constraints – Interviews – Focus groups Focus on ‘what’, not ‘how’ – Interviewees focus on solutions and anecdotes, you must extract the needs – Root cause analysis is critical People

Conduct an observation People often do not realize opportunities, realize their problems, and communicate all needs. Apply anthropological techniques to document activity lists, characterize user types, and characterize value to the user. People

Empathetic activities Use the product, perform the process, experience the hardship! First-hand experience is a great way to grow understanding People Group activity – identify stakeholders and experts and how you will interact or understand them

Product dissection Teardown competitive products and products with comparable function that may be helpful for conceptual design Build model of geometry and performance Benchmark performance of competitors Products

Experimentation and modeling Gain clarity in relevant physical phenomenon by creating math models and relating them to experiments Useful to determine what can be validated Products What existing products or product documentation should be reviewed? In what way will you access them and capture the results? What existing products or product documentation should be reviewed? In what way will you access them and capture the results?

Research Identify technologies that are core to the problem or potential directions for the solution Web searches, patent searches, existing documentation Tech- nology What technology do you need to become conversant in? What do deliverables look like? What technology do you need to become conversant in? What do deliverables look like?

Become familiar with relevant code/standards Fully understand the governing standards, set of codes, or rules that your design must adhere to. Consult with experts to get a handle on relevant codes. Summarize relevant material in a manner that is easily digestible by teammates. Tech- nology