Week 2 Class A: Introduction to the

Engineering Design Process

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Learning Goals
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• Describe the design process
• Recognize that there are many different design
process models
• Describe key considerations in the study and
clarify problem stage
• Identify key stakeholders in a project

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An Abstract Representation of Design

Damien Newman, Revision Lab

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Activity: Compare/contrast these
two other design process models
to the APSC 100/101 model.
Similarities:

Differences:

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Studying and Clarifying the Problem

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Studying and Clarifying the Problem: Stakeholders

Engage key More

Determine
Identify key stakeholders coming
potential
stakeholders and determine later in the
stakeholders
needs course…

Reminder: Who is a stakeholder?

Why do we need to be able to identify who the key
stakeholders in a project are?

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Module 1: Cardboard Chair Project

Jordan Times

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

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Module 1: Stakeholders
Who are potential stakeholders in the cardboard
chair project?
• Discuss in your team and be prepared to share
• Tip: keep this list for your studio

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 Universal Design
Universal Design involves creating solutions that are inclusive of as
many different people as possible. Solutions are easily understood
and used regardless of a person’s age, size, background, abilities,
disabilities, etc. Universal design solutions work for all users without
requiring modifications or special training.
Q. Based on the context you have been given, what are some specific
considerations in your chair if it is to follow universal design principles?

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Reminders: Before your studio
1. Review the cardboard chair design brief (on
Canvas)
2. Identify possible stakeholders for the project
3. Identify possible needs associated with each of
the stakeholders you identify
4. Identify elements of universal design to
include in your chair

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Week 2 Class B: Clarifying the Design
Problem: Needs and Specifications

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Learning Goals
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• Describe what design specifications are,
including requirements and evaluation criteria
• Convert needs into target design specifications
• Define “validation” and “verification,” and
describe how they differ

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 What are needs?

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Activity: Imagine you are going to purchase a new
laptop. What are some of your needs?

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Needs: Benefits and Limitations
Benefits
• Express stakeholder interests and wishes
• Use the “language of the stakeholder”

Limitations

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Target Design Specifications

• Developed from the needs

• A precise description of what the final design
has to be or do
• Quantifiable or testable

“An unambiguous agreement on what the team

will attempt to achieve in order to satisfy the
customer needs.”
- Ulrich, Product Design and Development, McGraw-Hill

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Activity: What might some target design specifications
be for the needs identified in the laptop example.

Is inexpensive

Has lots of storage space

Battery lasts a long time

Works with USB devices

Is durable

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Two Types of Target Design Specifications
• Requirements:

• Evaluation criteria:
◦ Measure stakeholder satisfaction
◦ Also called objectives, performance levels, and
satisfaction levels

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Use of Target Design Specifications

• Requirements:

• Evaluation criteria:

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Cardboard Chair Project
What types of design specifications do we provide
in the Cardboard Chair project?
◦ Design brief: gives background to project and
describes what you are allowed to do (and not
allowed to do) in your design:

◦ Project scoring document (released in Week 3):

describes how your cardboard chair will be scored at
the design showcase at the end:

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Validation and Verification

Two checks we need to consider during the design

process:
• Validation:

• Verification:

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Week 3 Class A: Generating and
Communicating Ideas

BCD
ABC EFA CDE
DEF FAB

FAB DEF
CDE EFA ABC
BCD

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Learning Goals
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• Describe and apply best practices in concept
generation
• Describe and use the C-sketch technique

In addition, we hope you will:

• Begin to feel comfortable about sketching and
communicating ideas graphically (if you don’t
already)

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Where We Are in the Process

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What are the guidelines for generating
solutions (as presented in the screencast)?

Why are the guidelines important?

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C-sketch is one approach. It supports the solution
generation guidelines.

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 Sketching
• Graphical
communication is
an essential skill for
an engineer
• Sketching, seeing,
and thinking are all
related
• You’re not expected
to be an artist!
Robert McKim, Experiences in Visual Thinking

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Sketches do not need to be works of art (or physically
realistic). Simple and clear is usually easiest to
understand.

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 Dr. John Houbolt
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Life, March 14, 1969
C-sketch Practice
• Divide your team into two groups (you’ll have 2 or 3 people
per group)
• Use C-sketch to conceptualize a device to extract juice from
oranges
• We will do three cycles of 3 minutes
• Group of 2: you’ll get your own sketch back on the third cycle,
start a new (different) sketch
• Group of 3: you’ll get your own sketch back after the third cycle

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 Important

You will generate sketches for your

cardboard chair in studio this week…

…bring these with you to Class B

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Week 3 Class B: Narrowing the Pool
of Ideas

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Learning Goals
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• Describe (in general terms) the process of
narrowing down the pool of ideas in Stage 3
• Describe what “screening” is and how it is done
• Apply screening to narrow down the pool of
ideas for your project

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In Stage 3, we need to quickly move from the many
ideas from Stage 2, to the one idea we will develop
in Stage 4.

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 Screening: Eliminate ideas that will never work
Place a  in the appropriate column for each scenario

Advance from Eliminate the

Scenarios
screening idea
An idea fails several requirements
An idea fails one requirement
An idea passes every requirement
An idea just barely passes every requirement
An idea just barely fails several requirements
The idea passes every requirement, but
doesn’t look like it will perform very well
The idea just barely fails one requirement, but
otherwise outperforms every other idea

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Screening: a caveat

Before you eliminate an idea through screening,

try your best to make it work:
◦ modify it to address shortcomings,
◦ combine it with another idea,
◦ look for positive features you can extract,
◦ confirm the requirements are valid…

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 How do the number of potential design solutions change
through the design process (if we explicitly consider
screening, ranking, and scoring).
Number of
Solutions

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Time

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Team and Individual Activity:
• Team Task: within your team, divide up the
sketches from Studio evenly between members.

• Individual homework: due Monday, 8:00am

◦ Task1 – Prepare clean sketches of each chair concept
you were assigned (suitable for final display on your
Poster).
◦ Task 2 - Develop one of your assigned concepts into a
scale model cardstock prototype (use materials you
have on hand, e.g. a cereal box, or thick paper)

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Week 4 Class A: Identifying the
Most Promising Solution

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Learning Goals
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• Classify prototypes in terms of their
implementation and intended function
• Describe the processes of screening, ranking,
and scoring in Stage 3 of the design process
• Make and justify recommendations when
presented with concept selection information

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Prototypes – Quick Recap

What are “prototypes?”

Why are they used?

Where are they used in the design process?

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 Physical

Focused Comprehensive

Virtual

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 Activity: What are some prototypes you have used
on the cardboard chair project?
Physical

Focused Comprehensive

Virtual
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(Simplified) Selection Example
Scenario: design a cardboard bed for
emergency response
A team has identified the following
potential specifications:
• Made only of cardboard
• Uses no more than 3 m2 of
cardboard (less is better)
• Supports a large person at least 15
cm off the ground

Images: Leaf Supply (www.leafsupply.com)

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Task 1: The team has four viable concepts. They have prototyped
extensively with simple models and are convinced a bed cannot use
less cardboard than Concept C (2.0 m2). What do you recommend
they do?
Concept A Concept B Concept C Concept D
Cardboard 2.0 m2 + 30
3.5 m2 3.0 m2 2.3 m2
used cm of tape
Target Design Specifications:
• Made only of cardboard
• Uses no more than 3 m2 of cardboard (less is better)
• Supports a large person at least 15 cm off the ground

Recommendations:

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Task 2: Imagine Concept C has been re-worked (called C+).
What do you recommend now?
Concept B Concept C+ Concept D
Cardboard used 3.0 m2 2.2 m2 2.3 m2
Length x width 2.1 x 0.6 m 2.0 x 0.5 m 1.75 x 0.6 m

Target Design Specifications:

• Made only of cardboard
• Uses no more than 3 m2 of cardboard (less is better)
• Supports a large person at least 15 cm off the ground

Recommendations:

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Task 3: Imagine Concept D has been modified (now D+), and the
specifications clarified. Recommendations?
Concept B Concept C+ Concept D+
Cardboard used 3.0 m2 2.2 m2 2.7 m2
Length x width 2.1 x 0.6 m 2.0 x 0.5 m 2.1 x 0.5 m
Weight capacity 126 kg 124 kg 125 kg
Height off ground 16 cm 15 cm 20 cm
Target Design Specifications:
• Made only of cardboard
• Uses no more than 3 m2 of cardboard (less is better)
• Supports at least 100 kg, 180 cm tall person (larger is better) at least 15 cm
off the ground

Recommendations:

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