1. Basic Design Documentation
Jeffrey Donnell
MRDC 3104

2. Agenda What reports are for
Format and information in technical reports
Quick tips on presentations
Our expectations for drawings
How to integrate drawings and discussion

3. What you will do in ME 2110 Design and evaluate devices.
Document these designs using drawings.
Drawings should be computer-prepared
All design illustrations should represent your work
Characterize and evaluate the designs in written reports.

4. Reports in ME 2110 During studio sessions: 5-minute oral presentations
(2 informal talks and 4 talks using computer projection)
At the end of each project:
Short written report
Supporting drawings must be included
Homework:
A result is presented with written explanation
(Homework tasks should be treated as short reports)

5. Technical Communication--I
Figures and tables display your designs
Figures and tables display your process
Drawings display designs
Graphs display data
Tables display data
Tables often characterize decision processes
Flowcharts often characterize sequences of events
Specification Sheets list evaluation criteria

6. Technical Communication--II
Reports present and describe figures and tables:
What is shown?
What is important in the drawing or table?
What does it do?
What does it help you to do?

7. Reports present accomplishments--I
A device (shown in a drawing)
A design for a device (shown in a drawing)
A plan for solving a problem
(shown in flowcharts and tables)

8. Accomplishments do not include:
Team meetings
Brainstorming sessions
Concepts that were never drawn

9. Reports require teamwork
Team members must take charge of:
Text
Drawing
Quality
Coordinate figure numbers with citations
Proofread the document
Verify that page design is appropriate
Verify that the document is complete

10. Report Sections Abstract Introduction Design Overview Discussion
Closing matter

11. Abstracts State the objective of the project.
State what result was obtained.
(Use numbers when available)
Indicate what deliverable materials are presented in the report.
Do not use figures in the Abstract

12. Introductions State objective of the project.
Describe the design challenges.
Briefly state what accomplishments are presented in the report.

13. Delivery of Results Display and describe drawings
Display and describe graphs
Display and describe tables

14. Discussion Justification: How was the design selected?
Present and describe alternatives and evaluation.
Present and describe other planning or validation information.
Analysis: Did the design perform as expected?
Evaluate the system’s performance.
What changes would improve performance?

15. Closing Summary Restate the project objective.
Restate the result and evaluation.

16. Page design with Drawings
Make your own drawings
If an illustration is not original, you will be in trouble
Number and attach in order of use
Provide descriptive captions
Label the features or components
Cite and describe figures in the text:
“Figure 3 shows…..”

17. Assembling the report Cover Sheet: Abstract Introduction
Title
Names
Date
No page number
Abstract
No page number
Introduction
Design overview 1
Figure 1: Spaghetti car

18. Presentations in ME 2110 For informal talks One speaker per team
Finish drawing before you start talking
Label all features you will discuss
Stand beside the drawing
Use a pointer to highlight features

19. Presentations in ME 2110 For formal talks using the projector
Load your talk on the system before class starts
Use white or dull pastel background for slides
Use dark lines on light background for drawings
Use fonts between 20 and 40 point
Minimize words on slides

20. Organization for Projection Talks
Cover slide
Project title, Date, Section number, Team number and members’ names
Agenda
Listing topics to be covered and illustrations to be presented
Introduction
Task objective and design challenges
Presentation of deliverables
Drawings, charts, etc.
Closing, with call for questions

21. Presentation Substance
State the project objective and the design challenge
Describe your design (or other accomplishments)
Display design drawings (or other charts)
Describe your Methods / Evaluate your results
Alternatives and evaluation (as appropriate)
Construction and competition results (as appropriate)
Analysis of results and process
Summarize points and ask for questions

22. Communicating with drawings
Use drawings rather than photographs
Drawings should be simple
Drawings should provide labels
Show assembled devices before components

23. Guidelines for simple drawings
1) Keep it simple
Two-dimensional views are often adequate
Color is seldom necessary
Motion should be indicated, using arrows.
2) Use labels rather than legends
Labels should be placed very close to the structures they characterize.
3) Show context information
The drawing’s view (top, side, etc.) should be indicated.
The physical setting of the device (and/or its user) should be represented.

24. How to make and use drawings

25. Overview drawings show complete systems
Overview of Leatherman SuperTool

26. Subsystem drawings show context

27. Detail drawings isolate components

28. Formal Figure Description

29. Figure description checklist
Description (required)
1) Citation
2) Objective
3) Concise description / list of labeled features
4) Description of features and their functions
Evaluation (as needed)
5) Challenges or open questions

30. A fully labeled drawing is shown
U.S. Patent # 2,757,610
Figure 1. A device to link color printing presses to provide four-color, front-back
illustrations in a single operation.

31. How the checklist is used

32. Labels coordinate with text discussion

34. Information Resources--I
Style Guidelines for Design Reports
Sample reports (pages 24 and 34).
Guidelines for displaying drawings, graphs and tables (pages 11, 15, and 19).
Model text descriptions of drawings, tables and graphs (pages 12-1, 16-18, 20-21).
Guidelines and examples of document format and assembly (pages 21-39).

35. Information Resources--II
(A collection of tips for using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint with Excel, AutoCAD, and Matlab)