1. Conceptual Design

2. Goal of Conceptual Design
Arrive at an agreed-upon design that is ready for detailed design and implementation or fabrication.
Design approach agreed upon by the sponsors and the team
Presented at the Conceptual Design Review (aka Preliminary Design Review)
Reduces risk of investment of time and effort into the wrong approach
In industry, often triggers authorization for next round of funding.

3. Dangers
Premature fixation - focus on a solution without considering alternatives
Bounded ideation - limitations that the design environment can place on generating ideas
Circumscribed thinking - influence that the outside sources can have on design decision making
Paralysis by analysis - inability to move forward with concept

5. Suggested Process Decomposition of system Morphological chart
Decision matrix
Prototyping

6. Decomposition of System
Divide big problem into smaller problems
Known systems have known decompositions
New products need new decomposition

8. Morphological Chart a.k.a. table of options
an organization of concepts by function
provide a structured approach to concept generation
good for individual and group visualization
complete concepts are created by choosing a solution for each function

9. Pictures or references to pictures are better!!!!

10. How to Fill the Table? Brainstorming Sketching
Build on the ideas of others
Analogizing

11. Decision Matrix Combine and improve concepts
Is a good concept degraded by one feature?
Can a minor change improve one concept while preserving uniqueness of the concept?
Are there 2 concepts that can be combined to preserve good qualities and eliminate the bad?
Select one or more concepts
Reflect on process
What are action items going forward?

13. Prototyping
Representation of the solution for analysis of the known and unknown
Prototypes are created to help you
Learn about the user needs and potential solutions
Communicate with managers, customers, team, investors,...
Integrate components and systems
Milestones in product development

14. Physical vs Analytical
Tangible product
Often best for communication
If material/process/behavior is built differently may exhibit different results
Represent things that are hard to quantify
Mathematical representation of the system
Often easiest to build and change
If material/process/behavior is modeled differently may exhibit different results

15. Focused vs Comprehensive
A specific piece of the whole product
Often require multiple for complete prototyping
Useful for specific questions
The whole product
Best for milestones
Can be fully tested by users (and team)

16. Cost of comprehensive prototype
Commercial
airliner
High
Software
Risk
Low
Book
House
Low
High
Cost of comprehensive prototype

17. Notes on Prototyping Analytical prototypes are more flexible
Physical prototypes help detect unexpected phenomenon
Physical prototypes can reduce risk of iteration
Most risk when there is high cost of failure, new technology, new application

18. Notes on Prototypes Use prototypes to reduce uncertainty
Have a GOAL for each prototype!!!
Avoid guess and check - the hardware swamp