Classification of Iteration in Engineering Design Processes

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Safoutin ◽  
Robert P. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Automation ◽  
Automated Design ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Standard Definition ◽  
Design Iteration ◽  
Formal Study ◽  
Poor Understanding

Abstract As engineering design is subjected to increasingly formal study, an informal attitude continues to surround the topic of iteration. Today there is no standard definition or typology of iteration, no grounding theory, few metrics, and a poor understanding of its role in the design process. Existing literature provides little guidance in investigating issues of design that might be best approached in terms of iteration. We review contributions of existing literature toward the understanding of iteration in design, develop a classification of design iteration, compare iterative aspects of human and automated design, and draw some conclusions concerning management of iteration and approaches to design automation.

How the Design of a 3D Printer Bridged Engineering Design Processes and the Agile Software Manifesto

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Lindberg ◽  
Matthew I. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Agile Software ◽  
Scale Design

Abstract Individual engineering design projects face different challenges depending on their scale. Instead of dealing with problems of complex multidisciplinary systems, small scale design must overcome issues of limited resources. The philosophy of agile software development has been highly successful in addressing similar issues in the software engineering realm over the past two decades. Through the design and prototyping of a low-budget desktop stereolithography printer, the application of agile principles to engineering design process is explored. The printer’s design is discussed in detail to provide examples of successes and failures when these agile principles are put into practice. The paper concludes with a discussion of how agile principles could be leveraged in engineering design. The approach taken in this paper is more of a longitudinal study of a single design process over a twelve-month period as opposed to rigorous experiments that engage multiple users in short design scenarios. Nonetheless, this case study demonstrates how the application of agile principles can inform, improve, and complement traditional engineering design processes.

scholarly journals Adapting Engineering Design Tools to Include Human Factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Lynn Village ◽  
Michael Greig ◽  
Saeed Zolfaghari ◽  
Filippo A. Salustri ◽  
W. P. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Participatory Development ◽  
Design Tools ◽  
Design Environment ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Assembly Design ◽  
Business Goals

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS In a longitudinal collaboration with engineers and human factors specialists at an electronics manufacturer, five engineering design tools were adapted to include human factors. The tools, many with required human factors targets, were integrated at each stage of assembly design to increase the proactive application of human factors. This article describes the process of adapting the five tools within the collaborating organization. Findings suggest 12 key features of human factors tools, most importantly that they “fit” with engineering processes, language, and tools; directly address business goals and influence key metrics; and are quantifiable and can demonstrate change. To be effective in an engineering design environment, it is suggested that human factors specialists increase their understanding of their organization’s design process, learn which tools are commonly used in engineering, focus on important metrics for the business goals, and incorporate human factors into engineering-based tools and worksystem design practices in their organizations. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Rationale: Design engineers use diverse tools in design, but few incorporate human factors, even though optimizing human performance can further improve operational performance. There is a need for practical tools to help engineers integrate human factors into production design processes. Purpose: This article demonstrates how five engineering design tools were adapted to include human factors and were integrated into design processes within the case study organization. It also provides features of an effective human factors tool and recommendations for practitioners. Method: A longitudinal collaboration with engineers and human factors specialists in a large electronics manufacturing organization allowed in vivo adaptation and testing of various tools in an action research methodology. Qualitative data were recorded from multiple sources, then transcribed and analyzed over a 3-year period. Results: The adapted tools integrated into each stage of the design process included the human factors process failure mode effects analysis, human factors design for assembly, human factors design for fixtures, workstation efficiency evaluator, and human factors kaizens. Each tool had a unique participatory development process; 12 features are recommended for effective human factors tools based on the findings herein. Most importantly, tools should “fit” with existing engineering processes, language, and tools; directly address business goals and influence key metrics; and be quantifiable and demonstrate change. Conclusions: Engineers and management responded positively to the five tools adapted for human factors because they were designed to help improve assembly design and achieve their business goals. Several of the human factors tools became required targets within the design process, ensuring that human factors considerations are built into all future design processes. Adapting engineering tools, rather than using human factors tools, required a shift for human factors specialists, who needed to expand their knowledge of engineering processes, tools, techniques, language, metrics, and goals.

VR Based Integration of Technical and Shape Design Processes in Product Development

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Brandt ◽  
Jörg Lemke
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Product Structure ◽  
Shape Design ◽  
Functional Design ◽  
Technical Design ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Industrial Designers

Abstract The use of proven modules in engineering design is a common approach that can be understood as one of the key elements in engineering design helping to speed up product development. Today manufacturers have to be aware of the fact that there are tight links between a products shape, its functional design and the overall product structure. The “form follows function” paradigma is no longer valid for most modern products. It is obvious that there is a strong demand to reduce the expenses in technical design by supporting the communicational needs between the technical and industrial designers during the entire design process with the help of appropriate CAE tools. This paper presents an approach to integrate technical and shape design processes using advanced visualisation tools and VR technology.

scholarly journals Design Margins as a Key to Understanding Design Iteration

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia M. Eckert ◽  
Ola Isaksson ◽  
Chris F. Earl
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Engineering Change ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Design Iteration ◽  
Temperature Ranges ◽  
Parameter Values

Design processes are subject to many uncertainties. Changes resulting from the need to respond to external uncertainties are one of the main drivers of engineering change and therefore for iteration in design processes. Another important cause of iteration in design processes arises from the dependencies in design information which is being generated as part of the design process itself. At the beginning of the design process engineers need to make an informed guess about the values of parameters that they need and can achieve. These values are passed on to others, who base their decisions on them. Design decisions are distributed and iterative among design teams, customers and suppliers. Communicated parameter values are uncertain in two different but related ways. First, there is the confidence, precision and commitment that the designers have in the values they specify. Second there are uncertainties in the values that can be achieved with the technology the new design employs. These issues become particularly challenging when they span design teams, customers and suppliers as they iterate to converge on a mutually effective solution. This paper looks at this type of convergent iteration through an example from the aerospace industry, which illustrates how uncertainty in operating temperature at the beginning of the design process requires a thorough understanding of the temperature ranges that solution alternatives, at different degrees of maturity, can operate under. This paper argues that the key to managing convergent iterations lies in communicating the available ranges of parameter values and in understanding how design margins have arisen in existing technologies. These margins on product parameters provide potential performance which exceeds immediate functional requirements. The paper develops and formalizes the concept of design margins and argues that margins are included into products for a variety of reasons that are not always transparent to different team members. Analysis of margins enables design companies to reason in terms of ranges of values describing the scope for design change in meeting customer and supplier requirements without being forced into unplanned iteration loops.

scholarly journals STUDENTS LEARNING TO LEARN THROUGH DESIGN

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Tallman
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Creative Activity ◽  
Learning To Learn ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Limited Ability ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Capstone Design

Research being conducted in an engineering capstone design course analyzes student creativity and its connection to metacognition. Data collected from questionnaires, video recordings, and interviews willattempt to show that creativity in the design process and metacognitive understanding of creative activity are important factors in successful engineering design.Motivation for this research comes from the observation that undergraduate engineering students, including those in senior years, have difficulty explaining their design processes. They often have limited understanding of their creative accomplishments as well as a limited ability to explain what makes their approach distinctive or effective.Future research will build on the methodology described here, including a more explicit framework for identifying and assessing creativity in engineering design.

scholarly journals An ergonomics action research demonstration: integrating human factors into assembly design processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Lynn Village ◽  
M. Greig ◽  
Filippo A. Salustri ◽  
Saeed Zolfaghari ◽  
W. P. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Electronics Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Assembly Design ◽  
Engineering Design Process

In action research (AR), the researcher participates ‘in’ the actions in an organisation, while simultaneously reflecting ‘on’ the actions to promote learning for both the organisation and the researchers. This paper demonstrates a longitudinal AR collaboration with an electronics manufacturing firm where the goal was to improve the organisation’s ability to integrate human factors (HF) proactively into their design processes. During the three-year collaboration, all meetings, workshops, interviews and reflections were digitally recorded and qualitatively analysed to inform new ‘actions’. By the end of the collaboration, HF tools with targets and sign-off by the HF specialist were integrated into several stages of the design process, and engineers were held accountable for meeting the HF targets. We conclude that the AR approach combined with targeting multiple initiatives at different stages of the design process helped the organisation find ways to integrate HF into their processes in a sustainable way. Practitioner Summary: Researchers acted as a catalyst to help integrate HF into the engineering design process in a sustainable way. This paper demonstrates how an AR approach can help achieve HF integration, the benefits of using a reflective stance and one method for reporting an AR study.

scholarly journals An ergonomics action research demonstration: integrating human factors into assembly design processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Lynn Village ◽  
M. Greig ◽  
Filippo A. Salustri ◽  
Saeed Zolfaghari ◽  
W. P. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Electronics Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Assembly Design ◽  
Engineering Design Process

In action research (AR), the researcher participates ‘in’ the actions in an organisation, while simultaneously reflecting ‘on’ the actions to promote learning for both the organisation and the researchers. This paper demonstrates a longitudinal AR collaboration with an electronics manufacturing firm where the goal was to improve the organisation’s ability to integrate human factors (HF) proactively into their design processes. During the three-year collaboration, all meetings, workshops, interviews and reflections were digitally recorded and qualitatively analysed to inform new ‘actions’. By the end of the collaboration, HF tools with targets and sign-off by the HF specialist were integrated into several stages of the design process, and engineers were held accountable for meeting the HF targets. We conclude that the AR approach combined with targeting multiple initiatives at different stages of the design process helped the organisation find ways to integrate HF into their processes in a sustainable way. Practitioner Summary: Researchers acted as a catalyst to help integrate HF into the engineering design process in a sustainable way. This paper demonstrates how an AR approach can help achieve HF integration, the benefits of using a reflective stance and one method for reporting an AR study.

Adapting Engineering Design Tools to Include Human Factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Lynn Village ◽  
Michael Greig ◽  
Saeed Zolfaghari ◽  
Filippo A. Salustri ◽  
W. P. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Participatory Development ◽  
Design Tools ◽  
Design Environment ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Assembly Design ◽  
Business Goals

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS In a longitudinal collaboration with engineers and human factors specialists at an electronics manufacturer, five engineering design tools were adapted to include human factors. The tools, many with required human factors targets, were integrated at each stage of assembly design to increase the proactive application of human factors. This article describes the process of adapting the five tools within the collaborating organization. Findings suggest 12 key features of human factors tools, most importantly that they “fit” with engineering processes, language, and tools; directly address business goals and influence key metrics; and are quantifiable and can demonstrate change. To be effective in an engineering design environment, it is suggested that human factors specialists increase their understanding of their organization’s design process, learn which tools are commonly used in engineering, focus on important metrics for the business goals, and incorporate human factors into engineering-based tools and worksystem design practices in their organizations. TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Rationale: Design engineers use diverse tools in design, but few incorporate human factors, even though optimizing human performance can further improve operational performance. There is a need for practical tools to help engineers integrate human factors into production design processes. Purpose: This article demonstrates how five engineering design tools were adapted to include human factors and were integrated into design processes within the case study organization. It also provides features of an effective human factors tool and recommendations for practitioners. Method: A longitudinal collaboration with engineers and human factors specialists in a large electronics manufacturing organization allowed in vivo adaptation and testing of various tools in an action research methodology. Qualitative data were recorded from multiple sources, then transcribed and analyzed over a 3-year period. Results: The adapted tools integrated into each stage of the design process included the human factors process failure mode effects analysis, human factors design for assembly, human factors design for fixtures, workstation efficiency evaluator, and human factors kaizens. Each tool had a unique participatory development process; 12 features are recommended for effective human factors tools based on the findings herein. Most importantly, tools should “fit” with existing engineering processes, language, and tools; directly address business goals and influence key metrics; and be quantifiable and demonstrate change. Conclusions: Engineers and management responded positively to the five tools adapted for human factors because they were designed to help improve assembly design and achieve their business goals. Several of the human factors tools became required targets within the design process, ensuring that human factors considerations are built into all future design processes. Adapting engineering tools, rather than using human factors tools, required a shift for human factors specialists, who needed to expand their knowledge of engineering processes, tools, techniques, language, metrics, and goals.

Design Processes of Design Automation Practitioners

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Anderson ◽  
K. Blake Perez ◽  
Zack Xuereb ◽  
Kevin Otto ◽  
Kris Wood
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Design Automation ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Sample Design ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Computer Tools ◽  
Evaluation Phase

The use of computers during the design process continues to grow, calling for a better understanding of how experts make use of computer tools to automate and augment their design efforts. In this study, we examine how architects and engineers consider the use of computers and computation in planning a solution to a sample design problem. We find the design automation design process can be modeled with four phases; discovery, evaluation, extrapolation and interpolation. Unlike many design methods, we find the evaluation phase generally preceded the extrapolation phase. In addition, we identify common computational strategies and challenges faced by practitioners. Understanding this information can help advise and provide directions for designers across levels of expertise, to better integrate computers and computation in existing design work, and to direct further efforts in design automation research.

Causing a Stir

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilo POTOCNJAK-OXMAN
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Early Stages

Stir was a crowd-voted grants platform aimed at supporting creative youth in the early stages of an entrepreneurial journey. Developed through an in-depth, collaborative design process, between 2015 and 2018 it received close to two hundred projects and distributed over fifty grants to emerging creatives and became one of the most impactful programs aimed at increasing entrepreneurial activity in Canberra, Australia. The following case study will provide an overview of the methodology and process used by the design team in conceiving and developing this platform, highlighting how the community’s interests and competencies were embedded in the project itself. The case provides insights for people leading collaborative design processes, with specific emphasis on some of the characteristics on programs targeting creative youth

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