EMPATHIZE / DISCOVERY:

I have a challenge, How Do I approach it?

Ronald B. Bucinell, Ph.D., P.E.,

Union College, Mechanical Engineering

• Forming Teams

• Choosing a Project

• Preparing for a Site Visit

• Learning to Observe: Thoughtless Acts

CREATIVITY

1. Getting the RIGHT ANSWER

• Our education system has taught us to look for the

one right answero The most innovative is most likely the 2nd, 3rd, or 10th

• Many ways to get to the SECOND Right Answero Solicit plural answers

o Ask “What if…”

o Playing the fool.

o Reversing the problem.

o Breaking the rules.

o Etc.

2Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Effective Ideation Requires that

Guidelines are Establish

3

In the Initial Ideation Phase

1. No Evaluation or Logic

2. Relax

3. Quantity (do not worry about quality)

4. Stream of Ideas

5. Think in Pictures

6. Build onto Idea Fragments

To Encourage Listening and Premature Judgment

1. Start all sentences with a positive statement about the previous

speakers statement.

2. Do not allow anyone to use the word “but” in their sentence.

MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)Union College, Mechanical Engineering

“Killer Phrases” That CAN NOT Be

Used In Class Today

4

1. A good idea, but …

2. Against company policy

3. All rig theory.

4. Be practical.

5. Costs too much.

6. Don’t start anything yet.

7. It needs more study.

8. It’s not budgeted.

9. It’s not good enough.

10. It’s not part of your job.

11. Let’s make a survey first.

12. Let’s sit on it for a while.

13. That’s not our problem.

14. The boss won’t go for it.

15. The old timers won’t use it.

16. Too hard to administer.

17. We have been doing it this way for a long

time it works.

18. Why hasn’t someone suggested it before

if it’s such a good idea?

19. Ahead of the times.

20. Let’s discuss it.

21. Let’s form a committee.

22. We’ve never done it that way before.

23. Who else has tried it.

MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)Union College, Mechanical Engineering

Two References are Particularly Good

at Developing a Culture of Creativity

http://creativethinking.net/#sthash.p34QIhZn.dpbshttp://www.creativethink.com/

MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)Union College, Mechanical Engineering 5

Quadrant 1

GENERATING

Quadrant 3

OPTIMIZING

Quadrant 2

CONCEPTUALIZING

Problem

Finding

Fact

Finding

Problem

Definition

Idea

Finding

Evaluate

& Select

Plan

Acceptance

“sell” idea

Action

The Innovation Process as a Cycle

Quadrant 4

IMPLEMENTING

Evaluation Ideation

Thinking

Experiencing

Orientation Toward

Using Knowledge

Orientation Toward

Acquiring Knowledge

6Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

7Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Competition Rules

1. Teams of 2 students

2. No electronics

3. A simple mechanism must be designed to solve a problem that someone is having. The

problem and the customer must be described.

4. Once the problem is identified, specifications must be developed that describe the

functions needed to solve the problem. The description must include the characteristics

for an isomer in each phase of the resulting mechanism function.

5. At least four isomers must be considered that have the appropriate characteristics for a

mechanism that will solve the problem.

6. Each of the four isomers must be synthesized into a minimum of two unique

mechanisms.

7. At least two types of Mechanisms (linkages, cams, gears, belts/pulleys, springs, etc)

must be integrated into the final solution

8. Detailed synthesis on one or more of the six isomers must be conducted.

9. The synthesized design that best meets the design specifications must be constructed.

8Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Competition Grading Rubric

A Range:

• Impeccable workmanship, Craftsman like. Joints are designed and fasteners are used.

• Exceeds functionality specified in design specifications

• At least two types of mechanisms – linkages, cams, gears, belts/pulleys, springs- are designed and

incorporated into the mechanism

• Simulation of final design

• The presentation is professionally prepared and presented

B Range:

• High Quality Workmanship

• Functions as designated in specifications

• At least two types of mechanisms – linkages, cams, gears, belts/pulleys- are designed and incorporated

into the mechanism

• The presentation is professionally prepared and presented

C Range:

• Fair workmanship

• Functions as designated in specifications

• At least one types of mechanisms – linkages, cams, gears, belts/pulleys- is designed and incorporated

into the mechanism

• The presentation prepared and presented was of acceptable quality

9Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Competition Grading Rubric

D Range:

• Fair to spotty workmanship

• Completes some of the desired functions

• Most constraints are satisfied by the mechanism

• At least one types of mechanisms – linkages, cams, gears, belts/pulleys- is designed and incorporated

into the mechanism

• The presentation prepared and presented was of poor quality

Factors influencing:

• Number and sophistication of mechanism elements used

• Functionality of the prototype

• Quality of workmanship

• Quality of the design calculation write-up

• Use of HOT-GLUE will result in a maximum grade of C

10Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Prompter Questions: Sensing the Present

1. What major gripes and difficulties are people around you talking about?

2. What opportunities are people around you missing?

3. How could you help the people around you if you only knew them better?

4. What small problems for your social group, department, college, or other organization could grow into big ones?

5. What barriers impede communications within your social group, department, college, or other organization?

6. How could you improve quality?

1. of the experience within your social group, department, college, or other organization,

2. of the interaction within or between social groups, departments, colleges, or other organizations,

3. of services provided by you or to you.

7. What are your most difficult people problems?

8. What goals do you fail to attain year after year?

9. What is likely to cause your next crisis?

10.What issues do you think people are afraid to bring up?

11.What makes it hard to plan?

12.What problems experienced by other social group, departments, colleges, or other organization do you want to avoid?

13.What outside ideas could your social group, department, college, or other organization adapt?

11Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Prompter Questions: Anticipating the Future

1. What changes, issues, problems and opportunities do you visualize three years down the road?

2. As your social group, department, college, or other organization’s information needs increase, what new problems and

issues will arise?

3. Who might feel threatened by the idea of sharing information within your social group, department, college, or other

organization?

4. What training do people need to meet challenges two years from now?

5. What information would simplify your efforts/life?

6. What demands on you will increase in the next: Three years? Five Years? Ten Years?

7. What will the biggest challenges for you over the next: Three years? Five Years? Ten Years?

8. What would you most like to see happen in the next three years?

9. What new pressures might you encounter from your:

1. friends?

2. parents?

3. other students?

4. community?

5. Politicians?

6. The media?

10.What might cause other people not to support your efforts?

12Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Prompter Questions:

Personal Problem Finding

1. What existing risk and uncertainties do you face?

2. What risk and uncertainties might you face in the future?

3. What changes do you feel you need to make?

4. With whom do you want to get along better?

5. What would make you happy or proud?

6. What makes you worry?

7. What takes too much time?

8. What has bothered you recently?

9. What would you like to know more about?

10. What goals have been lying fallow?

http://www.basadur.com/

13Union College, Mechanical Engineering MER312: Mechanism Design (RBB)

Draw the Problem

1. What problem are you trying to solve?

2. Write a list of items helping to explain the

problem.

3. Draw a picture of the problem so that a peer

could understand it.i. Simple drawings or more metaphorical

4. Drawing should assist in explaining the

problem

Identify who to talk to.

o 1/3 “ideal constituents:” those who will directly benefit

from the innovation.

o 1/3 “opposite extreme:” those who will know of the

innovation, will never use it, but may have some

interest in seeing it implemented.

o 1/3 “average:” those who the researchers believe

represent more in between.

15

What does the Customer

THINK and FEEL?

What really counts, major preoccupations, worries & aspirations

What Does the Customer

HEAR?

What friends say,

What boss says,

What influencers say

What Does the Customer

SEE?

Environment,

Friends,

What the Market Offers

What does the Customer

SAY and Do?

Attitude in public, appearance, behavior toward others

PAIN

Fears

Frustrations

Obstacles

GAIN

Wants/needs

Measures of success

obstacles

The Empathy Map

THINK and FEEL?

HEAR? SEE?

SAY and Do?

PAIN GAIN

On The White Board

The Empathy Map

What Does the Customer

SEE?

Environment,

Friends,

What the Market Offers

The Empathy Map:

SEE

Describe what the customer

sees in their environment

• What does it look like?

• Who surrounds them?

• Who are their friends?

• What types of offers are

they exposed to daily (as

apposed to all market

offers)

• What problems do they

encounter.

The Empathy Map:

HEAR

Describe how the environment

influences the customer

• What do their friends say?

What do their spouse or

partner say?

• Who really influences them,

and how?

• Which media channels are

influential to them?

What Does the Customer

HEAR?

What friends say,

What boss says,

What influencers say

The Empathy Map:

FEEL

Try to sketch out what goes on

in your customer’s mind

• What is really important to

them (which they might not

say publicly)?

• What might keep them up at

night?

• Try describing their dreams

and aspirations.

What does the Customer

THINK and FEEL?

What really counts, major preoccupations, worries & aspirations

The Empathy Map:

SAY and DO

Imagine what the customer

might say, or how they might

behave in public

• What is his/her attitude?

• What could he/she be telling

others?

• Pay particular attention to

potential conflicts between

what a customer might say

and what the customer truly

think and feel.

What does the Customer

SAY and Do?

Attitude in public, appearance, behavior toward others

The Empathy Map:

CUSTOMER’S PAIN

• What are the customer’s

biggest frustrations?

• What obstacles stand

between the customer and

what they want or need to

achieve?

• Which risk might he/she fear

taking?

PAIN

Fears

Frustrations

Obstacles

The Empathy Map:

CUSTOMER’S GAIN

• What does the customer

truly want or need to

achieve?

• How does the customer

measure success?

• Think of some strategies the

customer might use to

achieve their goals.

GAIN

Wants/needs

Measures of success

obstacles