ECOR 1010

Lecture 8
Introduction to Design

“Scientists investigate that which already is;

engineers create that which has never been”
Albert Einstein
 What is Design?
• Design is a creative process
• Incorporates all areas of an engineering
education
• Design is basically what engineers do
• Almost always involves a team effort
• An iterative process
• Open-ended problems, often with many possible
solutions
• Usually only a handful of good solutions

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 Engineering Design
• Engineering design
– Identifying problems, solving them, and implementing the solutions
• The textbook gives the following definition of design:
– “Process of developing workable plans for the construction or
manufacture of devices, equipment, machinery or structure, to satisfy
some observed need”
• Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) definition:
– “Engineering design integrates mathematics, basic sciences,
engineering sciences and complementary studies in developing
elements, systems and processes to meet specific needs. It is a
creative, iterative, and often open-ended process subject to
constraints which may be governed by standards or legislation to
varying degrees depending upon the discipline. These constraints may
relate to economic, health, safety, environmental, social, or other
pertinent factors.”

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 Design Ingredients
• Good design requires
– Organization
– Teamwork
– Communication
• In addition, creativity
and criticism are
essential
• The key is knowing
when to be creative
and when to criticize 8
 Engineering Design
• Before a problem can be
solved, it must first be
identified!
• Evaluate the present state and
determining how it differs
from the goal state.

• Needs should be categorized and defined in a

Statement of Requirements (SoR)
• Most design problems can be categorized as:
– Systems design
– Product design 9
 Systems Design
Systems design deals with the arrangement of available
products into a unique combination that yields the
desired result
• A residential building is a complex system
consisting of many components and
products
– Heating-ventilation and/or air conditioning
systems (HVAC)
– Plumbing systems (water and/or natural
gas)
– Electrical systems
– Window, door, floor systems, etc.
• A commercial tool shed is not a complex
system, but it still has to be designed; it is a 11
product
 Systems Design
• Systems design requires additional professionals
• Consider designing a highway
– Lawyers: traffic laws; zoning ordinances; right-of-way; liability, …
– Historians: past trends and historical data must be reviewed, …
– Social Scientists: highways bring commercial development,
shopping centres, gas stations, …
– Psychologists: driver characteristics and tendencies, other
human factors affecting safety and function, …
– Scientific principles developed through research can be applied
to building more durable driving surfaces, bridges, underpasses
and overpasses, improving the system in general
Systems Design Example #1:

CU Simulator Project (CUSP)

• Multi-year project (4th-year)
• The intention is to design and
build a full-scale reconfigurable
simulator facility
• The full-scale simulator is
scheduled to be completed at the
end of the fifth year
• By nature the project is
multidisciplinary
– Mechanical, Aerospace and
Computer Systems Engineering
– Department of Psychology

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Systems Design Example #1 (con’t):

ATLAS Platform
• The 6 DOF platform is novel architecture
• 3 AC synchronous motors; 3 dual-action electromagnetic rams
• Projection, control, and simulation systems are interoperable RTI’s (Run-
Time Infrastructure) that are IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) HLA (High-Level Architecture) compliant

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Systems Design Example #2:

Formula FSAE
• Open Wheel Race Car
– Dynamics
– Structure
– Propulsion
– Electrical
– Brakes
– Safety
Systems Design Example #3:

UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

• Designed for Geophysical Survey
– Structures
– Aerodynamics
– Control
– Payload
– Safety & Airworthiness
 Product Design
• Product design deals with design, testing, manufacture
and sale of (generally) mass-produced goods
– Appliances, tools, televisions, toys, cars …
• Product designers must deal with
– Current market needs, production costs, function, sales,
distribution, profit expectations …
• Some products are complex systems
– High-rise office building, container ship, car, space shuttle,
robotic devices …
• Others are not
– can opener, nail clipper…

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 The Design Process
• Design involves as much art
as science
• The process from idea to
finished product involves a
series of sequential steps …

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Method Of Design
Seven steps:
1. Recognition of need
2. Definition of the design
problem
3. Definition of the design
criteria
4. The design loop
5. Optimization
6. Evaluation
7. Communication

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 How the How the project How the How the How sales &
customer manager engineer programmer marketing
explained it understood it designed it wrote it sold it

How the project What How the What the

How it was
was operations customer was customer really
supported
documented installed billed wanted
 Method Of Design

• Recognition of need
– A need can be either very obvious
or hidden
– Usually very vague
– The vagueness of the need can
cause the design process to
become open-ended
– Often the need is written in a
Statement of Requirements (SoR)

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 Method Of Design

• Definition of the design problem

– Critical for a good design
– May require the gathering of
information on the topic (i.e.,
Research)
– Must define the problem correctly
in order to provide a solution

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 Method Of Design

• Definition of the design criteria

– Design criteria are performance
standards to be met by the design
– Design constraints are limitations
placed on the designer
– The design criteria and constraints
must be quantitative values,
otherwise it may be impossible to
agree on whether the final design is
acceptable
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 Method Of Design

• The design loop

– Synthesis
• Suggesting ideas or methods to solve
the problem
– Analysis
• Calculating the expected result of each
idea or method
– Decision-making
• Deciding which alternative is best

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 Method Of Design

• Optimization
– Optimum implies a compromise
between costs and benefits – the
best design at a reasonable cost
– In order to judge whether the design
is optimum, the design criteria in
step 3 are used
– If the design is not optimum, the
design loop may need to be
reiterated
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 Method Of Design

• Evaluation
– Once the design is completed, it is
reviewed
– The senior engineer, and ‘others’,
must approve the design before it is
finalized
– If flaws are detected, the design must
be iterated, beginning at step 2 if
necessary

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 Method Of Design

• Communication
– Once the design is approved, it can
be built or manufactured
– The final design must be
communicated effectively
• Reports
• Technical drawings

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 Codes and Standards
• Code
– A code is a set of specifications for the analysis,
design, manufacture, and construction of things
– The purpose is to achieve a specified degree of safety,
efficiency, performance, or quality
• Standard
– A standard is a set of specifications for parts,
materials, or processes intended to achieve uniformity
– Places limits so as to provide reasonable inventory of
tooling, sizes, shapes, varieties, etc.

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 Codes and Standards
• Standards Organizations
– International Standards Organization (ISO)
– American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
– Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
– Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME)
– American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
– Institution of Mechanical Engineers (I. Mech. E.)
– Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
– Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
– Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)

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 Creativity and Innovation
• Creativity and innovation are very important
in the design process as a whole
• They are especially important during the
design loop stage of synthesis
• Is it something that can be taught?
– There are ways to stimulate creativity and
innovation …

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 Stimulating Creativity and Innovation
• Brainstorming
– A group of people generate a number of solutions
to a problem
– Judgment of ideas is prohibited at this point

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 Stimulating Creativity and Innovation
• Brainstorming
– A group of people generate a number of solutions
to a problem
– Judgment of ideas is prohibited at this point
– All ideas are considered equal until evaluation
– After a set period of time, all ideas are discussed,
evaluated, and perhaps ranked
– The best ideas are examined further

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Sticky-note Brainstorming
• Come up with at least one
idea for a project to design a
more energy-efficient house
• Describe it generally in one or
two words: door, window,
roof, etc.
• Describe what we might do:
design and build a green roof
with a high thermal
resistance.
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 Sticky-note Brainstorming

Wall:
Soundproof
Design &
Build
Wall:
Spud
High R
Design &
Build
Lofty

Roof:
High R
Roof:
Design &
Open-
Build
concept
Bob Builder
trusses
Design &
Build
Wendy

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Sticky-note Brainstorming

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Team Ontario 2013

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Team Ontario 2013

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- international competition held
every two years
- 20 university teams design, build
and operate solar-powered
houses that are cost-effective,
and energy-efficient
- winning team of the competition
is the team that best blends
affordability, consumer appeal,
and design excellence with
optimal energy production and
maximum efficiency

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 Stimulating Creativity and Innovation
• Brainwriting
– Similar to brainstorming – instead of sticky notes,
ideas are written out in more detail
– After some time, the sheets with the written ideas
are swapped
– You then try to expand on the ideas listed on the
new sheet of paper
– Forces constructive ideas without negative
feedback
– Evaluation of the ideas takes place later

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 Stimulating Creativity and Innovation
• Tips for overcoming creative blocks
– Don’t assume there is only one answer
– Don’t avoid new ideas for fear of making mistakes
– New ideas don’t have to be hard work – simplicity
is a good thing
– Don’t worry about unworkable ideas – having no
ideas is much worse
– Say or write anything because your ideas may
stimulate other people

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 Design Reports
• There are three primary means of communication
– written
– oral
– graphical
• To be successful as an engineer you must be not only
technically competent, but versatile with all three
forms of communication!
• All three forms of communication are of critical
importance in each design step
• The design process is documented in the design report

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 Written Reports
• The keys to writing great reports:
– Organize logically
– Pay attention to detail
• Never any spelling errors
• Never any grammatical errors
Read,Proof
– Proof Read, Proof Red, ProofRead
Read
– If you don’t know how to write well, get help!
– Have someone review your report before you
submit it!
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 Written Reports
• There are generally three types of written
report:
– Proposal
– Progress Report
– Final Report

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 Proposals
• Proposals are written to convince people with
money that they should pay for the project
• Proposals should reflect the interests and
language of the reader (i.e., know your
audience)
– Investors are interested in profits and returns
– Managers are interested in benefits and costs to the
company
– Engineers are more concerned with function and feasibility

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 Proposals
• A typical proposal may contain the following
fundamental elements
– Problem statement; benefits of the work
– Proposed work plan; how are you going to do it
– Personnel and facilities needed
– Schedules for milestones and deliverables
– Budget
– Summary

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 Progress Reports
• Periodic reports (i.e., quarterly reports) on the status
of the project
• Usually brief letters or memos
• Tells your customer how things are going:
– Have you discovered something?
– What problems are you having?
– Are you on time?
– Are you on budget?
– What are you doing to correct any problems?

Progress reports are usually easier to write if you have

done some work! Even if you made no progress. 66
 Final Report
• The final report is the final step in the project
• It generally contains:
– Abstract (Executive Summary, Implications, etc.)
– Introduction (Problem Statement)
– Methods Used
– Body (Results, Findings)
– Discussion
– Conclusions

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 Final Report Format
• A final report typically contains the following
elements, or variations on them, depending on
the nature of the particular project and on the
requirements of the customer
1. Cover
• The report should be bound with the title, authors and their
affiliations on the cover
2. Letter of Transmittal (optional)
• Letters of transmittal are simply cover letters sent with
documents to intended readers summarizing the contents

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 Final Report Format
3. Title Page
– Contains the title of the report, the authors names and
affiliations, and the date (usually the same as the cover)
4. Abstract and/or the Executive Summary
– The ‘take-home’ message, and the value and implications of the
work  what you want the big boss to know
5. Table of Contents
– The major sections, sub-sections, and their page numbers are
listed
6. List of Figures, List of Tables (optional)
– Usually required for long formal reports
7. Acknowledgements
– Here any help, financial or technical, in completing the project is
recognized

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 Final Report Format
7. Introduction
– The problem statement is discussed
– Explains importance of and need for a solution
– Background information is outlined
8. Method (actual section title may vary)
– Covers the general methods and approach used to solve
the problem
– Experimental methods and apparatus are described
9. Body (actual section title may vary)
– This is the main section
– It describes collected data, analysis, and steps taken to
solve the problem
– This section usually contains sub-sections that describe
distinct components of the solution

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 Final Report Format
10. Discussion (may be included in the Body)
– Project findings should relate clearly to the data and
analysis presented in the Body
11. Conclusions
– The findings are summarised and major results listed
12. Recommendations (Suggestions for Further Work)
– These may also be presented in a sub-section of the
Conclusions
13. Appendix
– Drawings, sketches, raw data, letters, and any
supplemental, but extraneous, information related to the
project but does not need to be in the main body

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 Final Report Format
14. References (Bibliography)
– All reference material not developed by the authors
must be listed according to an accepted bibliography
style (examples of which you can find in the Library)
• Reference books
• Scientific Journal Articles
• Codes and Standards
• Magazine Articles
• Private Communications
• Theses
– Always cite your sources, no matter how trivial

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