1. DESIGN
AND
PROBLEM SOLVING

2. …that leads to useful products
DESIGN IS A
CREATIVE PROCESS!
…that leads to useful products

3. An INVENTION which is something
Designs Can Be....
An INVENTION which is something
that is totally NEW!
An INNOVATION which is an
improvement on something
that already exists!

4. It’s great…spacious, reliable and comfortable
The Perfect Design?
It’s great…spacious, reliable and comfortable

5. The Perfect Design? Tradeoffs make the Perfect Design IMPOSSIBLE!
Yuk! Too slow, no style
Tradeoffs make the Perfect Design
IMPOSSIBLE!

6. Engineers solve problems in two different ways
Design
Inventing or Innovating a product to solve a given problem
Troubleshooting
Figuring out what’s broken and fixing it.

7. What problems did these inventions solve?
Engineers DESIGN
solutions to problems
What problems did these inventions solve?

8. D E A L To be most successful in design
and problem solving, use a system
to help organize your approach
to the problem!
The DEAL is a model for both
problem solving and design. D E A L
So remember…
If you have a problem,
Learn to DEAL with it!

9. The first step is to define your problem.
Criteria are the rules you must play by.
-Like when you build a TSA Dragster,
your criteria for a winner is the
fastest car. They focus on desired elements and features.
Constraints are similar and focus on limits and what you can’t do!
-For example, your TSA Dragster
cannot weigh less than a certain
amount.
Together they help you
DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM!

10. Rules for Good Brainstorming
The natural tendency is to jump on the first solution that comes to mind-
BUT the most effective way to come
up with good ideas is to EXPLORE!
BRAINSTORMING- when 2 or more
people get together to think of
Ideas!
Rules for Good Brainstorming
Involve all people, not just the most vocal. Use a set rotation for people.
Don’t be judgmental. Try not to say how great or poor an idea is.
Set it up so people can pass if they don’t have an idea at the time.
Rotate several times, then open the floor.

11. Building a model or a prototype is a
good way to find problems without
taking the time to build a final product.
Testing and Experimenting with the model, such as using a wind tunnel on your dragster, can identify ways to improve your design.
Manufacturing /Constructing your final product should come after you have evaluated your design for potential problems.

12. Even with modeling, testing, and
a good design effort, something
can go wrong. Sometimes, the
problems take time to show up.
Performance monitoring checks
to see that the product is doing what
it’s supposed to over the life of
the product. For example,
millions of devices had to be recalled
due to a flaw in Samsung’s Galaxy Note
phones.

13. This is called an iterative process; which means that it is a cycle.

14. Return to Exploring Technology
The End
Return to Exploring Technology
Systems