Engineering Design Cycle

Sea Perch Institute: Mini Lecture #2

Engineering Design Cycle

MIT Sea Grant – Sea Perch Institute Mini Lecture Kathryn Shroyer

What is Design?


Design: the process of formalizing an idea into tangible information, usually in the context of solving open ended challenges for specific situations and/or needs

Engineering Design: application of scientific concepts, mathematics, and creativity to envision a structure, a machine, system, or artifact that performs a pre-specified function

Design Process / Design Cycle


What is the Design Process?: an algorithm or series of steps that lead to the development of a new product or system

Who uses it: typically engineers and industrial designers – but great for anyone trying to create something / solve an open ended problem

What is the purpose: formula for thinking creatively about a problem and producing a successful result.

Design Process: Steps


1) Identify Challenge: define problem or challenge

2) Gather information: research topic and gather insight

3) Ideate: generate and refine ideas 4) Experiment: prototype and test

ideas 5) Evolution: evaluate and redesign

Design Process


Design Process: Example


A ship has sunk in Boston Harbor, it may have been carrying dangerous cargo. Your team has been asked to mitigate this disaster.

1) Identify Challenge: define problem or challenge

2) Gather information: research topic and gather insight

3) Ideate: generate and refine ideas 4) Experiment: prototype and test ideas 5) Evolve: evaluate and redesign

IDEATION


Ideation


What is ideation? (idea generation) is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas

Goal of this step: generate ideas refine ideas

Idea Generation: The Process


Materials: pens, markers, paper, whiteboards, objects for inspiration, etc.

Personnel: Moderator: will help present ideas,

enforce rules and keep participants on track

Participants: will generate ideas either individually or as a group

Idea Generation: Background


Brainstorming: coined by Alex Osborn (1939) as method of creative problem solving.

Rules Focus on quantity Withhold criticism Welcome unusual ideas Combine and improve ideas

Ideas per Minute (per Person)


Quantity not quality!!!!!!

Aim for >1.0 ipm (pp)

Idea Sketching


Quick and clear Draw BIG Label Brief Pitch

STEP 1: IDEA GENERATION


Idea Generation


Idea Generation Techniques Brainstorming Brainwriting Mindmaping SCAMPER Reversal

Brainstorming


How it works: enables people to use each other's ideas to trigger their own thinking.

Process: Define Problems: moderator writes problem statement

on board and reads it to the participants Generate Ideas: individuals generate ideas and

announce them out loud as they come (these can be accompanied by pictorial representations)

Share Ideas: moderator writes ideas on the board or posts drawings on the board as they are announced

Repeat: ideas are generated and shared until a specific criteria is reached (time limit, number of ideas, etc.)

Brainstorming: Example


Problem: How to reduce road accidents Jim: Less cars Joan: Less people Jill: Teach people to be careful Jack: Teach drivers to be careful Jim: Make drivers more careful Jill: Put dead people in the road Jennifer: Put policemen at every junction Jack: Put cameras at every junction Joan: Put cameras in every car

Brainstorming: Practice


(verbal) What are the challenges of marine vehicles fabrication and use?

(pictorial) How do I pick up something on the bottom of the ocean?

Brainwriting:


How it works: enables people who are concerned about publicly voicing ideas to do so anonymously. Like brainstorming allows ideas to trigger new ones.

Process: Define individual problems: each participant receives or

writes a problem on a sheet of paper Generate Ideas: Each participant generates ideas and writes

them on that sheet Pass Sheet Along: after a specified time or number of ideas

the paper is passed on to another participant who then reads the problem and ideas and contributes their own

Repeat: repeat until finished (specified time, certain number of ideas, once around the classroom, etc.)

Brainwriting: Practice


Write down a specific challenge or problem you encounter in the classroom (preferably specific to hands on or open ended activities).

Mind Map / Association Map


How it works: organizes ideas into a hierarchy helping show how ideas are connected and allowing the ability to work from a broad prompt to small details.

Process: Main subject: identify the main topic or problem and write it in

the center of the board Primary-branches: Identify words to describe first-level branches

from the main subject. Write these around the main subject and draw lines connecting them to the main subject.

Sub-branches: focus on primary branches and identify words to describe aspects of these branches. Write these around the primary branches and draw lines connecting them to the main subject.

Repeat: continues working to more and more detailed branches until finished (specified time, certain number of ideas, once around the classroom, etc.)

Mind Map: Example


subject: underwater vehicle

Underwater Vehicle

thrustbuoyancy

electricity

control

frame

sensors

battery

waterproof

Onboard vs.

tethered

human autonomo

us

flotation

ballast

propeller

motor

pitch

material

rpm

diameter

Mind Map: Practice


Subject: mitigation of an underwater oil spill

SCAMPER


How it works: list of words that help you think differently about the problem. Useful when you seem to have run out of ideas with other techniques.

Process: Substitute: What can you substitute? Instead of ___ I can__ Combine: What can you bring together? Combine purposes, combine

materials, combine ideas…. Adapt: What can you adapt to use for a solution? What could I copy, who

could I emulate? Modify/Magnify/Minimize: Can you change the item in some way?

Change meaning, color, motion, sound, smell, form, shape, magnify, minimize?

Put to other uses: How can you put the thing to different or other uses? I can re-use ... in this way ... by …

Eliminate: What can you eliminate? Eliminate waste? Reduce time? Reduce effort? Cut costs?

Reverse/Rearrange: What can be rearranged in some way? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Change schedule?

SCAMPER: Example


Substitute – vegetarian hotdogs Combine – musical greeting cards Adapt – snow tires Modify – scented crayons Magnify- super sized french fries Minimize – bite sized candy Put to other uses – coffee can as pencil holder Eliminate – wireless mouse Reverse – reversible clothing Rearrange – vertical stapler

SCAMPER - Substitute


Underwater Vehicle

thrustbuoyancy

Electricity

control

frame

sensors

battery

solar

wind

waterproof

Onboard vs.

tethered

human autonomo

us

flotation

ballast

propeller

motor

pitch

material

rpm

diameter

Ocean waves

Power

movement

gravity

tow current

sail

SCAMPER - Combine


Underwater Vehicle

thrustbuoyancy

Power

control

frame

sensors

battery

waterproof

Onboard vs.

tethered

human autonomo

us

flotation

ballast

propeller

motor

pitch

material

rpm

diameter

battery

solar

wind

Ocean waves

Solar or wind charged battery

Semi autonomous

SCAMPER: Practice


Idea: Sea Perch ROV Substitute Combine Adapt Modify Magnify Minimize Put to other uses Eliminate Reverse Rearrange

Reversal


How it works: allow you to identify new ideas by changing your view of the problem or challenge.

Process: Identify Challenge: identify the challenge or a

specific element you wish to focus on. Reversal: Reverse the challenge or element by

thinking of how to solve the opposite problem. Generate Ideas: use brainstorming or other

ideation techniques to generate ideas for this new situation

Reversal: Example


Problem: Mitigate an underwater oil spill

Reversal: cause an underwater oil spill

STEP 2: REFINING IDEAS


Refining Ideas


Idea Refining Techniques Sticky note method Pugh chart

Sticky Note Selection


How it works: allows you to move from having many ideas to a few you can evaluate

Process Each group member gets

3 sticky notes Without discussion each

member places their sticky notes on the three ideas they like best / think will be most successful

Pugh Chart


How it works: allows you to identify and asses ideas based on measurable criteria.

Process: Chose Criteria: criteria are chosen that are determined

as important in developing the solution (time, cost, complexity, tools needed, materials, aesthetics, etc.)

Draw Grid: columns are made for each idea, rows are made for each criteria.

Bench Mark: Pick one idea as bench mark and mark S in that column.

Compare: compare each idea to one the chosen benchmark and determine if it is less than (-) or greater than (+) the benchmark in each criteria.

Baseline

Pugh Cart: Example


Documents

Engineering Design Cycle