scholarly journals A CASE FOR SYSTEMATIC AND METHODICAL DESIGN ENGINEERING

Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Engineering aims to provide technical processes (TP) and technical systems (TS) to solve a specific task. The human aspects of designing to establish these TP and TS include action modes, expertise, and competencies. These lead to a conclusion that systematic and methodical design engineering is essential.

Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Engineering aims to provide technical processes (TP) and technical systems (TS) to solve a specific task. Human aspects of designing to establish these TP and TS include action modes, expertise, competencies and the role of information. Aspects of the design process include a methodology that can be applied, and the contrast of synthesis with analysis.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Engineering has different aims to science. Science collects bodies of knowledge. Engineering provides processes and technical systems for specific tasks. A main region of engineering is designing, with technical, economic, human, sociological and psychological dimensions. The scope of information for design engineering is broad – not just engineering sciences. Types of products are needed to (a) compare design processes, and (b) to guide design education. Three action modes exist: (1) normal operation, (2) risk operation, and (3) safety or rational operation. (2) and (3) need guidelines and experience of systematic and methodical approaches, which must be learned before attempting to use them. A further problem of examinability arises.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

‘Design’ can be a noun, or a verb. Six paths for research into engineering design (as verb) are identified, they must be co-ordinated for internal consistency and plausibility. Design Research tries to clarify design processes and their underlying theories – designing in general, and particular forms, e.g. design engineering. Theories are a basis for deriving theory- based design methods. Design engineering and artistic forms of designing, industrial design, have much in common, but also differences. For an attractive and user-friendly product, its form (observable shape) is important – a task for industrial designers, architects, etc. ‘Conceptualizing’ consists of preliminary sketches, a direct entry to hardware – industrial designers work ‘outside inwards’. For a product that should work and fulfill a purpose, perform a transformation process, its functioning and operation are important – a task for engineering designers. Anticipating and analyzing a capability for operation is a role of the engineering sciences. The outcome of design engineering is a set of manufacturing instructions, and analytical verification of anticipated performance. Design engineering is more constrained than industrial design, but in contrast has available a theory of technical systems and its associated engineering design science, with several abstract models and representations of structures. Engineering designers tend to be primary for technical systems, and their operational and manufacturing processes – they work ‘inside outwards’. Hubka’s theory, and consequently design metho- dology, includes consideration of tasks of a technical system, typical life cycle, duty cycle, classes of properties (and requirements), mode of action, development in time, and other items of interest for engineering design processes. Hubka’s methodology is demonstrated by several case examples.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Based on a model of a transformation system, a complete set of classes of properties for all products is developed. The design specification should give a clear statement of the requirements for the product. Various kinds of product can be recognized. Consequently three typical design processes are: design engineering, industrial design, and integrated product development. For a design process, the proposed set of classes of properties provides a good guideline or heuristic for setting up a design specification. This set of classes of properties supports a directed creativity. It indicates where expertise is needed to obtain an optimal designed product.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Design engineering is different from other more artistic forms of designing because on one hand it is more constrained by the engineering sciences, economics and other factors, but on the other hand it has more possibilities for abstract modeling in the conceptual phases. Creativity is essential, but in many cases not sufficient to explore the many possible candidate solutions. A more systematic and methodical approach can help to overcome many of the problems that arise during conceptualizing in design engineering. Use of appropriate methods to enhance the search for solutions can expand the solution field. A systematic approach based on engineering design science has been shown to enhance understanding, good record-keeping, and traceability for the design process. Several grounded theories are reviewed and brought into mutual context, they refer to memory and thinking operations, expertise, human action modes, and competencies. The discussion reveals a need for specific instructions for a methodical and systematic engineering design procedure, when the design problem is seen as non-routine, and expertise is lacking.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Designing is anticipating and establishing a product to fulfill a need. Design engineering is a function of industry offering technical systems. It involves iterative and recursive processing, a design specification, searching for solutions, evaluating, decision-making, and communicating, supported by obtaining and preparing information, verifying, checking, reflecting, and representing. The steps can be performed intuitively and/or systematically, using various methods, feedback, iteration and recursion. Engineering curricula should expose students to design methodology and theory to develop the ability and skill for designing. This exposure should occur for the whole class, not just by separate attention to individual students.


Author(s):  
Dirk van der Linden

AbstractThis article introduces a new class of socio-technical systems, interspecies information systems (IIS) by describing several examples of these systems emerging through the use of commercially available data-driven animal-centered technology. When animal-centered technology, such as pet wearables, cow health monitoring, or even wildlife drones captures animal data and inform humans of actions to take towards animals, interspecies information systems emerge. I discuss the importance of understanding them as information systems rather than isolated technology or technology-mediated interactions, and propose a conceptual model capturing the key components and information flow of a general interspecies information system. I conclude by proposing multiple practical challenges that are faced in the successful design, engineering and use of any IIS where animal data informs human actions.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

A brief historic view of design engineering shows the roles of problem definition (design specification), conceptualizing, estimations, layouts, detail and assembly drawings, parts lists, etc., to define an engineering product (process or tangible system according to ISO9000:2005) for implementation and/or manufacture and use. A brief assessment of computer-aided design (CAD) over the last 40 years reveals its detrimental effects on design engineering – the previously usual (intuitive) conceptualizing and preparation of layouts has been neglected. Design engineering is compared to the artistic design disciplines, and differences are highlighted. Design engineering must apply the constraints imposed by the engineering sciences, to satisfy customer require-ments, to consider economics, and to conform to laws and regulations. Yet design engineering offers the opportunity to use several more abstract represen-tations of technical processes and technical systems to aid conceptual designing. A role is indicated for design methods and systematic approaches for design engineering, especially for design and redesign for innovations (non-routine tasks), and in engineering education. Parts of the Theory of Technical Systems and Engineering Design Science are outlined, with conesquences for proposal of a theory-based syste-matic design method. Especially, the role of problem solving as a sub-process in designing shows the need for iterative and recursive procedure. Design enginee-ring demands that sufficient time is available for reflective thought, and needs good time management for any task, especially where innovation is expected. Engineering sciences are shown as necessary, but not sufficient. A broader context needs to include instruc-tion in time management, and should be developed during engineering education in all branches.


Author(s):  
W. Ernst Eder

Systematic engineering design can use thetools, models and methods recommend by Hubka to helpdesigners, especially in critical situations. These methodscan be applied for novel designing, or for re-designing.In teaching, observations of students revealed difficultiesin applying and formulating “internal and crossboundaryfunctions” of technical systems (TS), and of“operations” in a transformation process (TrfP).A strategy to overcome these difficulties is to introducesufficient theory, then to provide a re-design problem,using an existing commercial device, (a) as a cut-away toshow the inner workings, and (b) as a complete devicethat can be dis-assembled – accompanied by engineeringdrawings of each part, an assembly drawing and anexploded view. Students (1) studied the hardware anddrawings, (2) identified elemental organs, and usefulorgan groups, and (3) wrote their interpretation of whateach organ group is capable of doing – the TS-internaland/or cross-boundary functions, to be represented in aTS-function structure. An example is offered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie F. Reyna ◽  
David A. Broniatowski

Abstract Gilead et al. offer a thoughtful and much-needed treatment of abstraction. However, it fails to build on an extensive literature on abstraction, representational diversity, neurocognition, and psychopathology that provides important constraints and alternative evidence-based conceptions. We draw on conceptions in software engineering, socio-technical systems engineering, and a neurocognitive theory with abstract representations of gist at its core, fuzzy-trace theory.


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