1. The Engineering Design Process
Creative process
Problem solving – the big picture
No single "correct" solution
Technical aspects only small part

2. Elements of Design the Process
Problem Identification
Research Phase
Requirements Specification
Concept Generation
Design Phase
Prototyping Phase
System Integration
Maintenance Phase

3. Cost of Design Changes
Costs increase exponentially as the project lifetime increases

4. Problem Identification and Requirements Specification

5. Needs Identification What is the Problem? Collect information
Interpret information
Organize needs hierarchy
Determine relative importance of needs
Review outcomes and process

6. Example Needs Hierarchy

7. Problem Statement Example 2.1
Need: Drivers have difficulty seeing obstructions in all directions
Objective: design system to avoid accidents

8. Requirements Specification
Identifies requirements design must satisfy for success
Marketing requirements
Customer needs
Engineering requirements
Applies to technical aspects
Performance requirements

9. Properties of Engineering Requirements
Abstract – what, not how
Unambiguous – unique and specific
Unlike marketing requirements
Traceable – satisfy need?
Verifiable – test/measure

10. Example Engineering Requirements
Performance and Functionality
Will identify skin lesions with a 90% accuracy
Should be able to measure within 1mm
Reliability
Operational 99.9% of the time
MTBF of 10 years
Energy
Average power consumption of 2 watts
Peak current draw of 1 amp

11. Constraints Economic Environmental Ethical and Legal Health and Safety
Manufacturability
Political and Social – FDA, language?
Sustainability

12. Standards Examples – RS-232, TCP/IP, USB Types Safety Testing
Reliability
Communications
Documentation
Programming Languages

13. Concept Generation and Evaluation
Explore many solutions
Brainstorm
Select the best solution
Based on needs and constraints
Creativity
Development of new ideas
Innovation
Bringing creative ideas to reality

14. Barriers to Creativity
Perceptual blocks
Limiting problem space
Emotional blocks
Fear of failure – “fail early and often”
Environmental blocks
Engineering cultural bias
Intellectual and expressive blocks
Understand tools

15. Strategies to Enhance Creativity
Lateral thinking
Question
Practice
Suspend judgment
Allow time
Think like a beginner

16. Concept Generation Substitute – new elements
Combine – existing elements
Adapt – different operation
Modify – size, shape, function
Put to other use – other app domains
Eliminate – parts or whole
Rearrange or reverse – work better

17. Design Considerations
WORST CASE DESIGN
Component variation
Environmental conditions
Use computer simulations

18. Design Considerations
2) RELIABILITY
measured by MTBF, failure rate = 1/MTBF
mechanical parts fail first
design redundancy into system
simple system/fewer parts = more reliable
ECE 404 Scott Umbaugh, Textbook: Design for ECE Engineers, Ford & Coulston

19. Design Considerations
3) SAFETY
identify failure modes
provide protection
4) TEST
design for ease of test
5) PRODUCTION/MANUFACTURING
consider ease of assembly
ECE 404 Scott Umbaugh, Textbook: Design for ECE Engineers, Ford & Coulston

20. Design Methodologies CASE‑BASED: INCREMENTAL REDESIGN:
Research a specific, similar design case study
Model your process on that
INCREMENTAL REDESIGN:
Find an existing design and "unravel" the design from the bottom up
Modify as required
Detailed and least global aspects of the design are explored and redesigned, if necessary, first

21. Design Methodologies ITERATIVE REFINEMENT:
An iterative top‑down approach
First a rough, approximate and general design is completed
Then we do it finer, more exact and more specific
This process continues iteratively until the complete detail design in done

22. Design Methodologies BOTTOM‑UP DESIGN: Opposite of top‑down
Start at the bottom with detail design
To do this, you must have some idea of where you are going. So, often this becomes...
HYBRID DESIGN:
Combines aspects of both top‑down and bottom‑up
More practical design approach then pure top‑down
Start with a top‑down approach, but have feedback from the bottom

23. Design Methodologies "EXPLORER" METHOD:
Typically used for new design ideas or research. It is useful in initial design and specification stages, and is often used when in "unfamiliar territory":
Move in some direction; e.g. toward the library, telephone, domain expert's office, etc.
Look at what you find there.
Record what you find in your notebook.
Analyze findings in terms of where you want to be.
Use results of analysis to choose next direction.
Back to 1) and continue exploring

24. Design Group (Team) Engineering projects require diverse skills
This creates a need for group (team) work
Select members based on skills
Technical
Problem-solving
Interpersonal

25. Design Group (Team) Develop decision making guidelines
Decision by authority (leader)
Expert Member
Average member opinion
Majority
Consensus

26. Design Group (Team)
Teams that spend time together tend to be successful teams
Respect each other
Listen actively
Consider your response to others
Constructively criticize ideas, not people
Respect those not present
Communicate your ideas effectively
Manage conflict constructively

27. Design Group (Team) Hold effective meetings
Have an agenda
Show up prepared
Pay attention
Schedule time and place of next meeting
Summarize
Assign tasks and responsibilities

28. Project Management Work breakdown structure Activity
Hierarchical breakdown of tasks and deliverables need to complete project
Activity
Task – action to accomplish job
Deliverable – e.g. circuit or report

29. Project Management Define for each activity Work to be done Timeframe
Resources needed
Responsible person(s)
Previous dependent activities
Checkpoints/deliverables for monitoring progress

30. Project Management Guidelines Project plan after design plan complete
Double time estimates and add 10%
Assign a lot of integration and test time
Remember lead times for parts ordering
Assign tasks based on skills and interests
Track progress versus plan
Plans change

31. Project Communication
Focus on needs of specific audience
 Who?
 level of knowledge
their motivation – needs
 Why?
 to persuade
 to inform

32. Project Proposal One goal is to sell idea, be persuasive
In industry the proposal will show:
Product is useful for someone for something
The design will work, it will solve the problem
Will meet the specified constraints
Additionally, in Senior Design, the proposal should show:
You are learning something new
Sufficiently complex
Apply previously learned ECE knowledge