Engineering Design Process Quiz

Engineering Design Process

• The engineering design process aims to create satisfactory solutions to needs.
• Needs can be improving existing situations, eliminating problems, or creating new uses for discoveries.
• The process involves multiple steps:

Stage 1: Identifying the Design Problem

• Identify the need or problem.
• This is often determined by customers or end-users of the product.

Stage 2: Generating Concepts and Ideas

• Develop problem-solving concepts and ideas

Stage 3: Finding Compromise Solutions

• Compromising solution(s)

Stage 4: Models and Prototypes

• Create models or prototypes.

Stage 5: Production and Working Drawings

• Create production or working drawings

Additional Steps: Additional stages of the process include

• Manufacture, Assembly, Marketing, Service, and other required steps.

Step 1: Identifying a Need

• Needs (also referred to as "problems" or "engineering goals") are commonly established by the product's users.
• Users could be retail consumers or other product development teams.

Step 2: Establishing Design Criteria and Constraints

• Design criteria are specifications used in making decisions about product build and evaluation.
• Criteria are derived from customers' needs, helping define product physical and functional characteristics.
• Examples of criteria include shape, size, weight, speed, ruggedness, and ease of manufacture.

Step 3: Evaluating Alternative Designs

• Researching solutions to similar needs.
• Evaluating knowledge and scientific limitations on solutions.
• Improving previous solutions and exploring different approaches.
• Considering at least two-to-three alternative designs and using available technology, or modifying/inventing new solutions.

Alternative Design Development Tools

• Creativity, engineering tools, CAD/computer modeling, stress analysis, material science, manufacturing processes.
• Constraints will be identified and implemented
• Availability of parts & materials
• Personnel and facilities must be taken into account.

Step 4: Building a Prototype

• Choosing the design that best meets established criteria and constraints.
• A prototype becomes a full-scale, functional form of a new product or design.
• Budget limitations can restrict a model from being full scale.

Step 5: Testing and Evaluating the Prototype

• Create and implement a testing plan for the prototype.
• Test prototypes in actual or simulated operating conditions.
• Include customer input in the testing process.

Step 6: Analyzing Results and Retesting

• Evaluating test results to uncover design deficiencies.
• Implement corrections and repeat testing, or analyze issues to devise fixes.
• Detail your analyses, and fixes, and tests in a project book.

Design Requirements

• Requirements are system attributes for the project.
• Customer need is the ultimate requirement.

Mandatory Requirements

• Necessary and sufficient conditions for an acceptable minimal system.
• Expressed using keywords like "shall" and "must."
• Cannot use scoring functions; instead, systems pass or fail.
• Not susceptible to trade-offs between requirements.

Preference Requirements

• Conditions that enhance customer satisfaction.
• Often expressed using keywords like "should" or "want."
• Employ scoring functions to create figures of merit.
• Evaluated with multi-criteria decision techniques.

Defining the Customer

• Customer encompasses anyone who can impose requirements on the system.
• Includes end-users, operators, bill-payers, owners, regulatory agencies, etc.
• Systems engineering considers the process customer, in addition to the product customer.

Stating the Problem

• Clearly and unambiguously state design problems.
• Problems should be defined in relation to deficiencies to be resolved.

Sources of Requirements

• Several possible sources include input-output, technology, performance, cost, trade-offs, system test, and other sources.

Additional Requirement Categories

• Company policy.
• Business practices
• Systems or software engineering requirements.
• Project management.
• Marketing needs.
• Manufacturing and production processes.
• Safety.
• Environmental concerns.
• Ethical considerations.
• Intangible factors.
• Common sense.
• Laws and standards.
• The customer
• Legacy Requirements.
• Data Collection Activities.
• Other Sources

Validating a System

• Verification that the constructed system meets all necessary criteria, performs as intended, and satisfies customer needs.
• Ensure the system meets customer needs and is complete.

Validating Requirements

• The set of requirements is internally consistent.
• A real-world solution can be based on the requirements.

Verifying a System

• Ensures a system adheres to its design requirements.
• Guarantees consistent functioning throughout various phases and prototype iterations.

Verifying Requirements

• Iteratively evaluate that requirements are met via examination, analysis, testing or demonstration
• Validate that requirements can be met.
• Verification proves a system meets its requirements.
• Validation confirms that a design meets requirements.

Prototyping

• Prototype creation is valuable only if the design can be executed efficiently.
• Prototyping, following detailed design, produces a working, functional product.
• Modifications and corrections to the detailed design may be necessary if errors/defects are uncovered (during prototyping).

Prototype uses/functions

• Function - operational capability
• "Look-and-Feel" - form and aesthetics
• Role - usability and user interaction