Design Methodology Overview

by Max Yi Ren

Activity 1: Introduce the problems your want to address

As we have started thinking about real-world problems that could be addressed in this project, it is a good time to share our ideas and collect feedback from others.

For the team who presents the problem and potential solutions, please provide the following information

• What is the problem?
• How is it done today?
• What’s new in your solution?
• Who cares?
• What are the risks of your solution?

Also see The Heilmeier Catechism.

For other teams, please criticize from the following perspectives:

• Did the proposer miss existing solutions?
• Do people really care about this problem?
• Who will pay for the solution?
• What are the risks of this solution?

Also watch Tony Fadell’s TED talk: The first secret of great design

Activity 2: Create a persona

A Persona is a description of a character that the product will be designed for. A Persona represents:

• Personal Profile, e.g., age, gender, education, habits, social status, marital status, occupation, hobbies, et.
• Role, e.g., position at work, role at work, etc.
• Context, e.g., social and cultural background, peers, family status

What is the persona of your users?

Activity 3: Think out of the box

1. Double check your assumptions: You have nine dots. Draw four continuous straight lines passing through each of the nine dots, but DO NOT pass a dot twice, retrace a line, or lift your pen.

2. Let’s try another problem: You are one of five people in a locked room with a concrete floor. There is a steel tube embedded in the floor. A ping-pong ball is inside the tube. Get the ball out of the tube in the most efficient manner. You have:
   • a chisel
   • a box of cornflakes
   • a hammer
   • a file
   • a wire coat hanger
   • a light bulb
   • 100ft of clothesline
3. Team brainstorming:

• List potential solutions to your problems
• Discuss what assumptions you imposed on the solutions
• Discuss if these assumptions can be removed

Activity 4: Morphological analysis

Now let’s think about how your solution can be realized through a product. Practice the following using your problems

1. Identify all functions of your solution
2. Make each function a row in a matrix
3. Identify all possible means to realize each function, and list in columns
4. Create solutions by combining different means and drawing the concept

Activity 5: Optimal design and optimal control

• Learn the concept of objective, attribute, variable, constraint in a static setting
• Learn the concept of state, action, reward, controller in a dynamic setting
• Is finding solutions to a static design problem a dynamic process?
• Team discussion: What are your design objectives, variables, attributes, constraints, and assumptions?

Activity 6: Critical thinking

1. Design a cola can
2. Find the curve of fastest descent (see Brachistochrone curve and its derivation)
3. Design a bridge (see TopOpt)
4. Four-bar linkage design (see MotionGen)
5. Optimal design + control (see ecoRacer game)