Introduction to Engineering-Centered Design

1. Introduction to Engineering-Centered Design William Oakes, P.E.

2. Learning Objectives • At the end of this session, you will be able to: • Describe design • List at least three steps in the EPICS design process • Identify resources to help with design • Describe how users are important to the design process

3. Design is… One of the activities of engineering. • Design • Development • Research • Test • Analysis • Production • Sales • Technical Support • Other Source: Oakes, Leone, and Gunn (2004). Engineering Your Future. Okemos, MI: Great Lakes Press.

4. Many definitions of design… • Design is art • Design as problem solving • Design activity as applying scientific knowledge • Design is a social process in which individual object worlds interact, and design parameters are negotiated. Source: Dr. Robin Adams ENE 696G course notes

5. Crismond (2007) draws from many sources in his definition of design as “’goal-directedproblem-solving activity’ (Archer, 1965) that initiates change in human-made things(Jones, 1992), and involves optimizing parameters(Matchett, 1968) and the balancing of trade-offs(AAAS, 2001)to meet targeted users needs(Gregory, 1966).” Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.

6. Few Specifications Many Specifications Design Process Infinite Variety of Designs Most -----Least InfluentialChoices One Design The Design Process =====> Design is done by many disciplines

7. The Design Process • Many formal models for the design process • ME uses Ullman’s Model for Design • The Mechanical Design Process, McGraw Hill, 1997, 2003 • 6 steps • Engineering Your Future • 10 steps • Different Companies use different models • They use a process • EPICS teaches a model that fits our community-based design

8. Multiple Valid Solutions • Examples: • Cars • Cell phones • Computers

9. Good/Bad Design - Activity • Think of 1 thing you think was well-designed. Think of 1 thing you think was poorly designed. • For each item: • Item • Why you think it was well/poorly designed • What did the designer understand/not understand in the design that made it good/bad.

10. Good/Bad Design Activity, cont • Get in groups of 3 or 4 • Talk about your answers • Pick one or two things from the group to present: • Item • Why you think it was well/poorly designed • What did the designer understand/not understand in the design that made it good/bad.

11. EPICS Balance • Service-learning is a balance of the learning of design and the service we contribute the communities through completed designs and support • Service • To our partners, meeting needs in the community • Learning • Becoming good designers, professionals & active citizens Complimentary goals that enhance each other

12. From IDEO HCD Toolkit What do people desire? What is technically and organizationally feasible? What can be financially viable?

13. EPICS Design Process Six Phases • Problem Identification • Specification Development • Conceptual Design • Detailed Design • Production • Service/Maintenance • Redesign or retirement

14. Problem Identification Specification Development Redesign Retirement Conceptual Design Detailed Design Service Maintenance Production The EPICS Design Cycle Disposal

15. Human-centered Design: Basic Principles Early focus on users Designing for and with users Empirical measurement and evaluation Iteration

16. Human Centered Design • Formal/Informal Interviews • Focus groups– interviews with multiple people • Persona • Prototypical user, described in detail • Scenarios • “before and after” stories of your persona using your product • Focus on the user’s need and how their life might be improved • Role-playing: put yourself in the user’s shoes, chair, and/or space • Empathic modeling: Simulating the sensory/motor/cognitive constraints

17. Human-Centered Design • Interactions with Stakeholders • Prototypes/communications at all stages

18. EPICS Design Process Six Phases • Problem Identification • Specification Development • Conceptual Design • Detailed Design • Production • Service/Maintenance • Redesign or retirement

20. Example….Project Identification Phase • One of the deliverables is the Project Charter • Description – Describe and summarize what you or your team will be doing. • E.g., What is the problem that you will be solving and for whom? • Objectives- List the project objectives. • E.g., Why are you doing the project (i.e., what is the motivation or desired need for the project?)

21. Project Charter, continued • Outcomes or deliverables • E.g., What are going to be the project results? • Duration • E.g., When will the project be started, and when will it meet the objectives and deliver the outcomes? • Community Partners • E.g., With whom are you serving on this project? • Stakeholders • E.g., Who will be affected by your project other than your customer?

23. Specification Phase • Tasks: • Basic functional decomposition • User interaction – crude prototypes as communication devices • Benchmark research • Customer specifications development • Develop Design Specifications - MEASURABLE

24. Specification Development • Deliverables- • Project Specification Document • Measureable specifications • Mock-ups or rough prototypes to help narrow the specifications • Interacting with the community partner • User-centered, human-centered

27. Take functional decomposition and brainstorm on each of the functions • How can we ______ ? • Capture the best of each idea • Rebuild the system as combinations

28. Conceptual Design • Deliverables- • Project Conceptual Design Report • Systems level design • Details need to be designed • Sketch/mock-up/prototype demonstrates concept

30. Detailed Design • Deliverables • Project Detailed Design Report • Full details of all parts • Dimensions, sizes, all details • Documentation of all parts • Full prototype version of project

33. Fielded projects are evaluated with partners for repair, retirement or redesign

34. Problem Identification Specification Development Redesign Retirement Conceptual Design Detailed Design Service Maintenance Production The EPICS Design Cycle Disposal

35. Problem Identification Specification Development Redesign Retirement Conceptual Design Detailed Design Service Maintenance Production Iterations in the Design Process Disposal

36. Test Test (Users) Generate Ideas Generate Ideas Implement Implement Define Measurable Specifications Define Measurable Specifications Iteration and Test Back to previous phase Go to next phase

37. Iteration and testing Prob ID Spec Dev Con Des Det Des Prod Main and serv. • Document • Why advanced • Why interated

38. Human-Centered Design • Tests are often done with stakeholders during the design process

39. Curriculum Diagram Exit 2: Specification Development Ave Road Exit 4: Detailed Design St. Exit 1: Problem Identification Rd. Exit 7: Retirement Rd. Figure 1 (DRAFT skeleton): EPICS Design Model

40. Seeking and Selecting Diverge Seek Possibilities Problem Identification Converge Narrow Choices Diverge Seek Possibilities Specification Development Converge Narrow Choices Diverge Seek Possibilities Conceptual Design Converge Narrow Choices Each phase of the design process requires creative solutions and has a divergent component where ideas are sought and a convergent component where options are selected

41. Why is design difficult? • Engages different types of thinking • Requires designers to manage so many ideas and aspects • Addresses different types of problems

42. Good design… • Good designs involve diverse perspectives and expertise • IDEO – industry leader in design and innovation • Design thinking is a crucial business asset—one that can, indeed, move a company forward and improve the bottom line. To optimize this impact, (we) advise thoughtfully structuring the innovation process. They stress working on projects that improve people’s lives.. - Ryan Jacoby and Diego Rodriguez, Innovation, Growth, and Getting to Where You Want to Go, Design Management Review Vol. 18 No. 1

43. Human Centered Design • Formal/Informal Interviews • Focus groups– interviews with multiple people • Persona • Prototypical user, described in detail • Scenarios • “before and after” stories of your persona using your product • Focus on the user’s need and how their life might be improved • Role-playing: put yourself in the user’s shoes, chair, and/or space • Empathic modeling: Simulating the sensory/motor/cognitive constraints

44. Caution! • These tools should not replace getting feedback and information from the users and stakeholders themselves! • Just because you have “pretended” to have a disability or in a certain situation, doesn’t mean you understand what it really like for those users and stakeholders.

45. Prototypes • Prototyping….rough, quick, very iterative • IDEO working with Gyrus ACMI to design new apparatus for operating on delicate nasal tissues • Prototype: whiteboard marker, 35 mm film canister and clothespin

46. Prototypes • Prototyping….rough, quick, very iterative • Mouse for Apple • Prototype: roller ball from tube of Ban Roll-on deodorant and the base of plastic butter dish

47. Personas • Fictional character with all the characteristics of the user • Created after the field research (observations, interviews) • Members of the primary stakeholders (users) • Depicts the "typical" or "average" individual in the primary stakeholder group • Include a name and picture, demographics, roles and responsibilities, goals and tasks, motivations and needs, environment and context, and a quote that can represent the character's personality.

48. Personas • May be several personas for the same group to reflect diversity of that group • Secondary personas, their needs should be met and problems solved if possible. • Create a common shared understanding of the user group • Prioritize the design considerations by providing a context of the user needs • Provide a human face and existence to a diverse user group

49. Your Design Projects • Problem Identification • Using personas and role playing • Specification Development • List of specifications, early prototypes • Conceptual Design • Early prototype and proof of concept • Detailed Design • Production • Service/Maintenance • Redesign or retirement