1. Conceptual Design Heidi Ploeg Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

2. 9/30/2016Page 2 Design Process Flowchart 1. Develop problem statement and design specifications 2. Devise potential solutions and select most promising alternatives 3. Develop selected alternatives and evaluate potential 4. Refine and prepare final design 5. Validate final design 6. Communicate design in detail

3. 9/30/2016Page 3 Outline Gathering Information Perceptual Blocks to creative thinking Conceptual Block Busting Methods –Individual Methods http://www.wimp.com/whencollaboration/ –Group Method: Brainstorming

4. Gathering Information Customers: interviews, focus groups, customer complaints, warranty data, surveys Products: benchmarking, dissection, internet, consumer product lit., technical lit., patents, standards, regulations Tools to bring: camera, notebook, pencil, measuring tape, Vernier calipers, … 9/30/2016 Page 4

5. 9/30/2016Page 5 Outline Gathering Information Perceptual Blocks to creative thinking Conceptual Block Busting Methods –Individual Methods http://www.wimp.com/whencollaboration/ –Group Method: Brainstorming

6. 9/30/2016Page 6 Perceptual Blocks 1. Stereotyping, Categorizing, Labeling 2. Isolating the problem 3. Delimiting the problem area too closely 4. Inability to see the problem from various viewpoints 5. Saturation 6. Failure to use all sensory inputs

7. Fun Exercise #1 9/30/2016 Page 7

8. Fun Exercise #2 9/30/2016 Page 8 “Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater had had a wife and couldn’t keep her; he put her in a pumpkin shell and and there he kept her very well.”

9. 9/30/2016Page 9 Perceptual Blocks 1. Stereotyping: Seeing what you except to see E.g. clothing, titles (Prof., Dr., …) Labeling/categorizing helps us to remember things but can hinder creativity creativereview.co.uk

10. 9/30/2016Page 10 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 2. Isolating the problem Inadequate clues or misleading information Proper problem identification is extremely important http://www.vincentchow.net/1241/road-sign-in-china

11. Ford Edsel and “The Homer” 9/30/2016 Page 11

12. 9/30/2016Page 12 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 3. Delimiting the problem area too closely Draw 4 straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper which will cross through all nine dots.

13. 9/30/2016Page 13 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 3. Delimiting the problem area too closely Draw 4 straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper which will cross through all nine dots.

14. 9/30/2016Page 14 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 4. Inability to see the problem from various viewpoints E.g. user, manufacturer, environment, seller, shareholder, … Commuting to work: driving a car, taking a bus, biking, walking, skating, flying … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKC 5UjQXhFEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKC 5UjQXhFE

15. Fun Exercise #3 Which is the right penny? 9/30/2016 Page 15

16. 9/30/2016Page 16 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 5. Saturation We filter information/data E.g. to recall the details of something familiar to you, that you see everyday e.g. the American flag or what about a flag from another country Mexico, Canada, France, Holland, Italy, …

17. 9/30/2016Page 17 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 5. Saturation

18. 9/30/2016Page 18 Perceptual Blocks (cont.) 6. Failure to use all sensory inputs appearance, sound, smell, taste, feel Rachel Ashe http://www.utata.org/spotlights/14662.php

19. 9/30/2016Page 19 Emotional Blocks 1. Fear of failure 2. No appetite for chaos 3. Judging instead of generating ideas 4. Inability to relax, incubate 5. Lack of challenge, interest 6. Excessive zeal 7. Reality and fantasy

20. 9/30/2016Page 20 Cultural Blocks 1. Fantasy is a waste of time 2. Playfulness is for children 3. Problem solving is serious business 4. Reason, logic, numbers, … are good 5. Feeling, intuition, pleasure,… are bad 6. Any problem can be solve with scientific thinking and lots of money 7. Taboos

21. 9/30/2016Page 21 Environmental Blocks Lack of cooperation and trust Autocratic boss Distractions (phone, email, hunger, …) Lack of support to realize ideas

22. 9/30/2016Page 22 Intellectual and Expressive Blocks 1. Incorrect mode of communication (verbal, mathematical, visual, musical, …) 2. Inflexible use of problem solving strategies 3. Lack of, or wrong information 4. Inadequate communication skills

23. 9/30/2016Page 23 Outline Gathering Information Perceptual Blocks to creative thinking Conceptual Block Busting Methods –Individual Methods http://www.wimp.com/whencollaboration/ –Group Method: Brainstorming

24. 9/30/2016Page 24 Group Problem Solving: Brainstorming Rules: 1. Criticism and judgment are not permitted during the brainstorming time. There is no right or wrong answer; there is no good or bad idea. Review of the ideas will come later.

25. 9/30/2016Page 25 Brainstorming Rules (cont.) 2. Wild is permitted. The wilder and stranger the idea, the better. Many times a great idea can come from a wilder one.

26. 9/30/2016Page 26 Brainstorming Rules (cont.) 3. Quantity not quality is the most important thing. The more ideas you can work from the better.

27. 9/30/2016Page 27 Brainstorming Rules (cont.) 4. Building and combining other ideas is a great trick. Utilize ideas already stated and combine them with others to develop an even better idea.

28. 9/30/2016Page 28 Brainstorming Rules (cont.) 5. Write everything down. Don’t just have people call out their ideas. If the ideas are not written down, people will forget what was said. Sometimes looking at an idea can spur more ideas.

29. 9/30/2016Page 29 Conceptual Blockbusting Methods 1. Questioning attitude 2. Unconscious blockbusting Suspending judgment 3. Fluency and flexibility of thinking “Depth and Breadth” Listing 4. Thinking Aids Checklist for new ideas Morphological charts

30. 9/30/2016Page 30 Osborn’s Checklist for new ideas Put to other uses? –New ways to use it? Other uses if modified? Adapt? –What else is like this? What could I copy? Modify? –New twist? Change meaning, color, motion, sound, odor, form, shape, …? Magnify? –What to add? Time, frequency, strength, height, length, thickness, value, duplicate, multiply, exagerate, …? Minify? –What to subtract? Smaller, condensed, miniature, lower, shorter, lighter, omit, streamline, split, understate, …?

31. 9/30/2016Page 31 Osborn’s Checklist for new ideas (cont.) Substitute? –Who/What else instead? Other ingredients, materials, processes, power, place, approach, tone of voice, …? Rearrange? –Interchange components? Other patters, layout, sequence, cause vs effect, pace, schedule, …? Reverse? –Positve vs negative? Opposites, backward, upside down, reverse roles, change shoes, turn tables, …? Combine? –Blend, alloy, assortment, ensemble? Combine units, purposes, appeals, ideas

32. SCAMPER Checklist Substitute Combine Adapt Modify, magnify, minify Put to other uses Eliminate Rearrange, reverse 9/30/2016 Page 32

33. 9/30/2016Page 33 http://www.hceye.org/HCInsight-Janea.htm

34. 9/30/2016Page 34 Morphological Chart Define Functions and Attributes, e.g. beverage container: –Function: “verb” + “object” Contain beverage Provide access to beverage Display product information –Attribute: material

35. 9/30/2016Page 35 Morphological Chart: Beverage Container Function/ Attribute 1234 Contain Beverage CanBottleBagBox Provide Access to Beverage Pull TabStrawScrew CapUnzip MaterialAluminumPlasticGlassCardboard

36. 9/30/2016Page 36 Morphological Chart: Beverage Container Function/ Attribute 1234 Contain Beverage CanBottleBagBox Provide Access to Beverage Pull TabStrawScrew CapUnzip MaterialAluminumPlasticGlassCardboard

37. Power Wheelchair Safety System 9/30/2016 Page 37

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39. House of Quality 9/30/2016 Page 39 “whats” “hows” “whats” x “hows”

40. HoQ: Power Wheelchair 9/30/2016 Page 40 Cust. Needs Design Metrics  Most important target values are recline angle, leg elevation angle, and backrest height  Many metrics strongly related to comfort and adjustability  Many tradeoffs with cost and weight  Improvement needed for safety, temperature control, and standing

41. Conceptual Design: Power Wheelchair Tilt Configuration Recline Configuration Seat Elevation Configuration

42. Conceptual Design: Power Wheelchair Standing Configuration Safety Configuration Temperature Control Configuration

43. 9/30/2016 Page 43