INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING

ENGG401 | 1st SEMESTER FINALS | A.Y. 2024-2025

● Good engineers have people skills that allow them to interact and
ENGINEERING CAREERS AND PROFESSIONS communicate effectively with various people in their organization.
● Well-trained engineers regardless of their area of specialization,
have a core knowledge that can be applied in other related fields.
THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION

- Engineering is considered to be one of the most challenging and AREAS OF ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATION
exciting careers. It is the application of the principles of science and 1. CIVIL ENGINEERING - one of the oldest of the engineering fields.
mathematics to develop economical solutions to technical problems. It emphasizes mathematical knowledge in geometry, calculus and
- It is the task of an engineer to link the scientific discoveries and the physical sciences. Civil engineers oversee the construction of
commercial applications that meet societal and consumer needs. transportation systems, roads, architecture, construction sites.
- There are a lot of definitions that you can find about what 2. CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - the field of applied science that
engineering is all about but a good starting point for answering this employs physical, chemical, and biochemical rate processes for the
question is the theme of National Engineers Week, held each betterment of humanity. Chemical engineers apply their skills to
February in honor of George Washington, considered to be the first fundamental problems in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and
engineer in the United States . That theme depicts engineering drug-delivery system, semiconductor manufacturing, and more.
according to its function: “Engineers turn dreams into reality.” 3. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING - involves the conception, design,
- Over the years, many variations of this theme have been put forth, development, and production of the electrical or electronic products
from that of the famous scientist Count Rumford over 200 years and systems. It involves the application of electricity, needed by our
ago: “Engineering is the application of science to the common technological society. Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and
purpose of life” supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment such as electric
- to the current standard definition of engineering provided by the motors, radar, and navigation systems.
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET): 4. ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING - integrates available and emerging
“Engineering is the application of science to the common technologies with knowledge of mathematics, natural, social and
purpose of life. Engineering is the profession in which a applied sciences to conceptualize, design, and implement new,
knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by improved, or innovative electronic, computer and communication
study, experience, and practice, is applied with judgment to systems, devices, goods, services and processes.
develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces 5. MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Mechanical engineers research,
of nature for the benefit of [hu]mankind”. develop, design, manufacture and test tools, engines, machines, and
- Engineering is often associated with science and understandably other mechanical devices. They work on power-producing machines
so. Both make extensive use of mathematics, and engineering such as electricity-producing generators, internal combustion
requires a solid scientific basis. Yet as any scientist or engineer will engines, steam and gas turbines, and jet and rocket engines.
tell you, they are quite different. Science is a quest for “truth for its 6. INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Industrial engineering focuses on
own sake,” for an ever more exact understanding of the natural the entrepreneurial and business aspect of engineering projects.
world. It explains the change in the viscosity of a liquid as its Whether it is research and development or group projects, industrial
temperature is varied, the release of heat when water vapor engineers desire to create the most efficient plans for employees
condenses, and the reproductive process of plants. It determines ,scheduling, factory schedules, and a multitude of other factors.
the speed of light. Engineering turns those explanations and 7. COMPUTER ENGINEERING - This discipline is referred to in a
understandings into new or improved machines, technologies, and multitude of terms including computer hardware engineering,
processes – to bring reality to ideas and to provide solutions to computer software engineering, and computer science., This field
societal need. encompasses the development of the programming and the
physical components of a computer system. Computer engineers
QUALITIES OF ENGINEERS work on computer hardware chips, circuit boards and keyboards.
1. CURIOSITY - Engineers are curious because they want to know 8. SANITARY ENGINEERING - Sanitary engineering, also known as
how and why things work as they do. public health engineering or wastewater engineering, is the
2. CRITICAL THINKING - Engineers need to analyze, evaluate, and application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human
synthesize information to make objective judgments and communities, primarily by providing the removal and disposal of
recommendations. human waste, and in addition to the supply of safe potable water.
3. CREATIVITY - At first glance, it would seem that in a field 9. PETROLEUM ENGINEERING - Petroleum Engineering is a field of
structured by math and science there would be little to no room for engineering concerned with the activities related to the production
a creative spirit but when one looks more deeply, the creative of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas.
engineer is changing the way we live and work as creativity often Exploration and production are deemed to fall within the upstream
spurs innovation! sector of the oil and gas industry. Petroleum engineers specialize in
4. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION - Effective engineers understand the discovery and production of oil and natural gas.
that clear, concise, written and verbal communication is the key to 10. MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING - Mechatronics engineering is a
giving their ideas life and their team a competitive edge. multidisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the
5. A COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT - Engineers are tasked with engineering of both electrical and mechanical systems, and also
contributing to collaborative and cross-functional teams to ensure includes a combination of robotics, electronics, computer,
integrated development. The more easily an engineer can telecommunications, systems, control, and product engineering.
collaborate with a team, the more likely the project or product will 11. INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL ENGINEERING -
be successful. Instrumentation and control engineering (ICE) is a branch of
- Aside from the above-mentioned qualities of engineers, the ff. are some engineering that studies the measurement and control of process
additional personality traits and work habits that typify most of today’s variables, and the design and implementation of systems that
successful engineers: incorporate them. IC engineers focus on the implementation of
● Engineers are adept at using computers in many different ways to control systems, mainly derived from mathematical modeling.
model and analyze various practical problems. 12. FOOD ENGINEERING - Food engineering is a multidisciplinary field
● Good engineers have time management skills that enable them to which combines microbiology, applied physical sciences, chemistry
work productively and efficiently. and engineering for food and related industries. Food engineers
● Good engineers have a desire to be lifelong learners. They have to provide the technological knowledge transfer essential to the
take continuing education classes, seminars and workshops to stay cost-effective production and commercialization of food products
abreast of innovation and new technologies . This is particularly and services.
important in today’s world because of the rapid change in 13. AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING - Deals with flight and the
technology. movement of fluids in the earth's atmosphere; Specializing in work
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areas centered on: – aerodynamics – propulsion – controls – ROLES OF ENGINEERS IN DAILY LIVES, COMMUNITY AND NATION
structure. BUILDING
14. AEROSPACE AND ASTRONAUTICAL ENGINEERING - Deals with - To see how engineers contribute to the comfort and betterment of
environments not found on earth; Specialization in work areas our everyday lives, just look around more carefully. During the night,
centered on: – propulsion cryogenics – materials navigation – your bedroom was kept at the right temperature- thanks to the
thermodynamics cosmic radiation. mechanical engineers who designed the heating, air-conditioning
15. AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING - Blends engineering knowledge and ventilating systems in your home.
with soil systems, land management, and environmental control; has - When you get up in the morning, and turn on the lights, thousands
five specialty fields: of electrical engineers and technicians in the power plants and
1. Soil & Water Engineering power stations around the country are making sure that the flow of
2. Food Engineering electricity remains uninterrupted. The TV you are using to watch
3. Power Machinery Engineering your TV and morning news are designed by electrical and
4. Structures Engineering electronics engineers.
5. Electric Power Generation Engineering - Manufacturing and industrial engineers are involved in creating
16. ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING - Works with architects focusing final products
on structural integrity and safety of design; Structural engineering - The water could be heated by natural gas that is brought to your
and this field are very similar, the main difference is the concern of home was made possible through the effort of chemical, mechanical
aesthetics. civil and petroleum engineers
17. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING - Bridges engineering, physical, and - The cotton towel that we use daily was made with the help of
life sciences in identifying and solving medical and health-related agricultural, industrial manufacturing , chemical, petroleum, civil
problems; three general divisions: and mechanical engineers
1. Bioengineering - The foods that we eat daily were made through the collaborative
2. Medical Engineering effort of various engineering disciplines-from agricultural to
3. Clinical Engineering mechanical, to food engineers.
18. MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING - Design of a manufacturing - The transport vehicles that we use are made with the effort of
facility for a product or products; deals with: automotive, mechanical, electrical, electronics, industrial,
– physical plant layout electronics, chemical and petroleum engineers.
– use of existing machines or new
– buy or rent facilities HOW EXACTLY DOES ENGINEERING IMPACT SOCIETY?
– purchase of non producing facilities and equipment - HEALTH - The health industry has hugely benefited from
– packaging of product engineering. Advances in medical technology is solely down to
– shipping to market engineers, and without it, doctors would not be able to treat
patients the way they do today; with fantastic success rates.
Other Engineering Disciplines: Engineering has essentially allowed us to understand the medical
- Aerospace engineering issues in today’s society.
- Automotive engineering - TECHNOLOGY - Engineers are the reason for the phenomenal
- Ceramics engineering growth in technology of every generation. Just think about what the
- Environmental engineering technological advances that are in our everyday lives; not only can
- Materials engineering we access the world with our fingertips, engineers have also allowed
- Manufacturing engineering us to build satellites and machines that help us to understand the
- Mining engineering world we live in and shape our lives on a daily basis
- Nuclear engineering - COMMUNICATION - Whilst on the subject of technology, the way
- Transportation engineering we communicate has also vastly improved due to engineering. We
- and many others can now get in touch with people at any time of the day in any part
of the world. This has greatly improved the way we do business and
ENGINEERING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES how we talk to our friends, family and strangers on a daily basis.
- Engineering graduates have a broad range of career options, - DEVELOPMENT - Steam engines, jet engines and aeroplanes are all
including different kinds of engineering roles, jobs in related areas down to hard work from engineers, and it has allowed businesses to
such as supply chain and jobs in other industries such as finance work smarter and faster than ever before. Improvements to travel
and IT. The focus of your engineering degree will affect the types of have changed the way humans connect with one another, opening
engineering jobs you are suited to. You can work as engineers in trades for business and allowing us to literally travel to the other
your specific field. Other job roles and career areas you could work side of the planet in a mere 24 hours.
in follows: - SPACE - Visiting Space may have been a mere dream in the past,
● Engineering consultancy but not anymore. The International Space Station is the largest and
● Process engineering most complex science undertaking ever. It allows scientists, analysts
● Technical sales engineering and engineers from all over the planet to come together and
● Construction, civil engineering and surveying conduct research that cannot be done elsewhere, finding answers to
● Engineering, design and manufacture queries that have been unquestioned for years.
● Logistics, transport and supply chain
● Scientific research and development
WHAT DO ENGINEERS DO?
● Design and installation
● Engineering and building professionals
● Information technology professionals WHAT IS STEM?
● Academicians - SCIENTISTS - Investigate our natural world
● Engineering Supervisors/Managers - TECHNOLOGISTS - Apply science and math to designs
● Health and Safety Engineers - ENGINEERS - Create our designed world
● Pollution Control officers - MATHEMATICIANS - Use numbers and symbols to solve problems
● Surveying and Mapping Technicians - STEM -Working together to solve problems based on societal needs
● Cadet engineers and wants
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HOW ARE THEY ALL NEEDED TO CREATE A PRODUCT?

ENGINEERING DEFINITIONS

WHAT IS ENGINEERING?
- Engineering is the application of mathematics and scientific
principles to better or improve life.

WHAT IS AN ENGINEER?
- An engineer is a person who is trained in and uses technological
and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

WHAT DO ENGINEERS DO?

ENGINEERING 1. RESEARCH - Employ basic scientific principles in the discovery and
- Engineering uses scientific, technological, and mathematical application of new knowledge that will have commercial or
knowledge to solve practical problems. economic value; Develop existing or invent new products; “Discover
truths” about a subject.
ENGINEERS CAN DO ANYTHING 2. DEVELOPMENT - the actual construction, fabrication, assembly,
- Invent – Develop a new product, system,or process that has never layout,and testing of scale models,pilot models, and experimental
existed before. models for pilot processes or procedures that will work; Does not
- Innovate – Improve an existing technological product, system, or deal exclusively with new discoveries but involves using well-known
method. principles employing existing processes or machines to perform a
new or unusual function.
ENGINEERS WORK TO SOLVE MANY KINDS OF PROBLEMS 3. DESIGN - Anticipate all manner of problems that the user may
- An electrical engineer may design a GPS for your vehicle. create in the application of a machine, or use of a structure; Prevent
- A pharmaceutical/chemical engineer may find a cure for disease. user errors, accidents, and dissatisfaction; Requires a mastery of
- A computer engineer may build a computer the size of your watch. basic engineering principles and mathematics, and an
- A mechanical engineer may create a robot to discover water on a understanding of the capabilities of machines.
planet. 4. SUPERVISE - Must take the design engineer's drawings supervise
- An agricultural engineer may evaluate the effects of global warming the assembly of the object as it is conceived; Works closely with the
on food production technicians, mechanics,and laborer; Associated with the process of
estimating and bidding for competitive jobs; Employ knowledge of
ENGINEERS ARE INVENTORS: structural materials,fabrication processes and general physical
- Engineers use science and math to solve real world problems! principles to estimate both time and cost to accomplish a task.

REAL LIFE ENGINEERS: WHAT OTHER FUNCTIONS DO ENGINEERS PERFORM?

SEPARATING OIL FROM WATER A. PRODUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION
- Di Gao, a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, - “Project Engineer” controls other engineers on job
invented a plastic-coated cotton material that could clean up the - Preparation of schedules for production or construction
Gulf. - Must have knowledge of engineering principles and
visualization skills
DESIGNING BETTER CARS
- Marcus Ashford, a mechanical engineer at the University of B. OPERATIONS OR PLANT
Alabama, has invented a car engine with 80% less exhaust - Responsible for the maintenance of the building,
emissions. equipment,grounds, and utilities
- Varies from routine tasks to setting up and regulating
CLEANING UP THE OCEAN most complex automated machinery
- Alexandria Boehm is an environmental engineer who works on - Wide knowledge of several branches of engineering
ways to clean up oceans near where people live. - Compare costs of operating under various conditions set
schedules for machines so that the best use will be made
DESIGNING SPACE COLONIES of them
- Kimberly Jones is a civil engineer working on purifying water so - Evaluate new equipment and retire old equipment
that we can one day go to Mars. - Must be able to work with people and machines and
know what results to expect from them.
CONTROLLING COMPUTERS WITH THOUGHTS
- Daniel Moran, a biomedical engineer at Washington University, has C. SALES
invented a way to play video games using only the human mind! - Presenting the use of new products to prospective
customers
LISTENING FOR CANCER - Intimate knowledge of the principles involved, to
- John Viator, a biological engineer,has invented a way to hear educate possible users so that a demand can be created
cancer cells. - Ability to “talk their language” and answer technical
questions
THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS LOOP: - Must be familiar with the operations of a customer's
plant
- Be able to show how their product will fit into the plant
- Ability to show the economics involved to convince the
customer to buy
- Ability to show the economics involved to convince the
customer to buy

D. MANAGEMENT
- Recent surveys show that the trend today for corporate
leaders in the United States to have a background in
engineering and science
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- Using the capabilities of the company to best advantage and synthesize them in order to define the core problems that you
to produce a desirable product in competitive economy and your team have identified up to this point. You should seek to
- Make decisions involving: equipment in the plant; the define the problem as a problem statement in a human-centered
labor force; financial assets manner.
3. IDEATE - During the third stage of the Design Thinking process,
E. MANAGEMENT designers are ready to start generating ideas. You’ve grown to
- Business side of the operation that the engineer usually understand your users and their needs in the Empathize stage, and
must work harder to develop. you’ve analyzed and synthesized your observations in the Define
- Concerned with long-range effects of policy decisions stage, and ended up with a human-centered problem statement.
mainly financial, legal, and labor aspects With this solid background, you and your team members can start
to "think outside the box" to identify new solutions to the problem
statement you’ve created, and you can start to look for alternative
DESIGN THINKING
ways of viewing the problem.
4. PROTOTYPE - The design team will now produce a number of
WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING, AND WHY IS IT SO POPULAR? inexpensive, scaled down versions of the product or specific
- Design thinking is not an exclusive property of designers—all great features found within the product, so they can investigate the
innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and problem solutions generated in the previous stage. Prototypes may
business have practiced it. be shared and tested within the team itself, in other departments, or
- Design Thinking is a design methodology and iterative process that on a small group of people outside the design team. This is an
provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. experimental phase, and the aim is to identify the best possible
- It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are solution for each of the problems identified during the first three
ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, stages.
by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many 5. TEST - Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product
ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on using the best solutions identified during the prototyping phase.
approach in prototyping and testing. This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an iterative
process, the results generated during the testing phase are often
DESIGN THINKING: VARIED DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS used to redefine one or more problems and inform the
There are various ways of teaching and practicing Design Thinking, and understanding of the users, the conditions of use, how people think,
definitions and descriptions vary accordingly. behave, and feel, and to empathize.

1. A DESIGN METHODOLOGY - It differs from traditional design THE NON-LINEAR NATURE OF DESIGN THINKING
approaches in specific ways. For example, some authors
characterize Design Thinking as more creative and user-centered
than traditional design approaches.
2. A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH OR PROCESS - Design Thinking
can be regarded as a problem solving method or, by some
definitions, a process for the resolution of problems. As a
solution-based approach to solving problems, Design Thinking is
particularly useful for addressing so-called “wicked” problems.
Wicked means that they are ill-defined or tricky. For ill-defined
problems, both the problem and the solution are unknown at the
outset of the problem-solving process (as opposed to “tame” or
“well-defined” problems, where the problem is evident and the
solution is possible with some technical knowledge.)
3. A CREATIVITY APPROACH - Unlike analytical thinking, which is
associated with the “breaking down” of ideas, Design Thinking is a
creative process based on the “building up” of ideas. Analytical ATTRIBUTES OF DESIGN THINKING
approaches focus on narrowing the design choices, while Design
Thinking focuses on going broad, at least during the early stages of
ATTRIBUTE DESCRIPTION COMMENT
the process.
4. A USER-CENTERED APPROACH THAT BRINGS DESIGN INTO THE
Ambiguity Being comfortable Design Thinking
BUSINESS WORLD - Design Thinking is a more creative and
when things are addresses wicked ,
user-centered approach to problem solving than traditional design unclear or when you ill-defined and tricky
methods. They point out that “Design Thinking defies the obvious don’t know the answer problems.
and instead embraces a more experimental approach.” The heart of
the method is in understanding the customer: All ideas and Collaborative Working together People design in
subsequent work stem from knowing the customer. across disciplines interdisciplinary teams.

PHASES/STAGES OF DESIGN THINKING Constructive Creating new ideas Design Thinking is a

- We will focus on the five-stage Design Thinking model proposed by the based on old ideas, solution-based
Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school). d.school is the leading which can also be the approach that looks
university when it comes to teaching Design Thinking. most successful ideas for an improved future
result.
1. EMPATHISE - The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to
gain an empathic understanding of the problem you are trying to Curiosity Being interested in Considerable time and
things you don’t effort is spent on
solve. This involves consulting experts to find out more about the
understand or clarifying the
area of concern through observing, engaging and empathizing with perceiving things with requirements. A large
people to understand their experiences and motivations, as well as fresh eyes part of the problem
immersing yourself in the physical environment so you can gain a solving activity, then,
deeper personal understanding of the issues involved. consists of problem
2. DEFINE THE PROBLEM - During the Define stage, you put together definition and problem
the information you have created and gathered during the shaping.
Empathise stage. This is where you will analyze your observations
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tools) and constraints (consider environmental, cultural,

Empathy Seeing and The focus is on user
time, and financial issues), compare and weigh. After
understanding things needs (problem
careful analysis on which qualifies most of the
from your customers’ context).
point of view requirements, select one solution and make a plan to
move forward with it starting with assigning team tasks.
Holistic Looking at the bigger Design Thinking 5. Create: Build a Prototype. This concept is similar to that
context for the attempts to meet user of the prototyping stage in the design thinking process.
customer needs and also drive At the end of each conceptualization is the goal to
business success. materialize the idea from sketch, to an operating version
of the solution.
Iterative A cyclical process The Design Thinking 6. Test and Evaluate Prototype. Test the prototype and
where improvements process is typically evaluate if it works according to the need. Communicate
are made to a solution non-sequential and the results and get feedback. Look for what needs
or idea regardless of may include feedback
revision and improvement.
the phase loops and cycles (see
7. Improve: Redesign as Needed. Share results and
below).
continue to seek how your team could make the solution
better. Iterate your design to make the product the best
Non Judgemental Creating ideas with no Particularly in the
judgment toward the brainstorming phase, it can be.
idea creator or the there are no early - Iterate - to repeat an already completed
idea judgments. task to incorporate new information.

Open Mindset Embracing design The method

thinking as an encourages “outside PROTOTYPING, RAPID PROTOTYPING, PRETOTYPING, LOFI HIFI
approach for any the box thinking”
problem regardless of (“wild ideas”); it defies
PROTOTYPING: VARIED DEFINITIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS
industry or scope. the obvious and
embraces a more 1. A primitive representation or version of a product. Smith (2019)
experimental defines prototyping as building a primitive representation or version
approach. of a product that a design team or front-end-development team
typically creates during the design process. The goal of prototyping
includes testing the flow of a design solution and gathering
CHARACTERISTICS OF DESIGN THINKERS
feedback as basis for iteration before constructing the final product.
- Focus on human values and needs. Have empathy for the people,
2. An Experimental Process. Prototyping is defined by Interaction
solicit user feedback, and use it in their designs
Design Foundation as an experimental process where design teams
- Make experimentation an integral part of the design process, are
implement ideas into tangible forms from paper to digital.
active “doers”, communicate through meaningful artifacts
3. Building a model of a system. University of Missouri-St. Louis
- Collaborate with people from various backgrounds and respects
defines prototyping as the process of building a model of a system.
their viewpoints; enable “breakthrough insights and solutions to
Prototyping as an iterative process is a part of the analysis phase of
emerge from the diversity”.
the systems development life cycle as it converts specifications into
- Can deal with wicked problems, are curious and optimistic, are
a tangible but limited working model.
integrative (holistic) thinkers who look at the bigger context for the
4. Initial stage of a software release. Techopedia defines prototyping
customer.
as “an initial stage of a software release in which developmental
- Are mindful of the overall Design Thinking process with respect to
evolution and product fixes may occur before a bigger release is
goals and method
initiated.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS ADVANTAGES OF PROTOTYPING

1. It involves the user. Prototyping allows the inputs from the users
through the testing stage, as they try the sample version or model,
THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS and provide feedback.
- The engineering design process is a series of steps that guides 2. It saves money. Since prototyping is considered an experimental
engineering teams as we solve problems. The design process is process, you start with a draft version to show the intention behind
iterative, meaning that we repeat the steps as many times as a concept to users before investing time and money into
needed, making improvements along the way as we learn from development.
failure and uncover new design possibilities to arrive at great 3. Results in higher user satisfaction. Prototypes increase the quality
solutions. and amount of communication between the developer and the end
- EDP include the following steps: user.
1. Ask: Identify the Need & Constraints. Others call this 4. Exposes developers to potential future system enhancement.
as “define”, or to describe what is the problem, identify Exposing the prototype to users and being open to receiving
who has the problem or need and specify the potential criticism and suggestions helps you pinpoint which
objective or as to why it is important to solve. elements/variants work best and which do not or those that need
2. Research the Problem. The next step is to find out the make-over.
details about the problem and to do research. This
includes collecting information through interviews or TYPES OF PROTOTYPES
random talking to people directly or indirectly related to 1. According to Fidelity
the problem, up to getting to know and investigating - Fidelity relates to the intricacy of the details
existing technologies, solutions or products adaptable to incorporated on the prototype and its level of
the needs. functionality. The level of fidelity you choose should be
3. Imagine: Develop Possible Solutions. Brainstorm ideas. appropriate for presenting to users in user testing so
Be creative and build upon the ideas of others. This way they can give focused feedback.
you could generate as many solutions as ● Low-Fidelity Prototypes
possible.Encourage wild ideas and defer judgment. - are usually paper-based ranging from sketches,
4. Plan: Select a Promising Solution. After brainstorming hand-drawn concepts to print outs.
ideas and exploring the possibilities, choose a solution.
But before deciding, revisit the needs(materials and
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- These are helpful to visualize a range of possible THE NATURE OF IDEAS

alternative design solutions, promoting brainstorming - Step 0: Create and refine the idea - Good ideas include some
among the members of the design team, and the users. thinking about execution and delivery. Most of the time it’s not
- Samples: worth pitching an idea until you’re able to answer some of the basic
- Paper prototypes - Sketches pragmatic questions about it, such as: What problem does this
- Journey Maps - Behavior Maps solve? What evidence is there that the problem is real, and
- System flow diagrams - Storyboards important enough to solve?
- Step 1: What is the scope of the idea - The bigger the idea, the
● High-Fidelity Prototypes more involved the pitch. When you’ve identified the scope of your
- These are computer-based and/or digital making use of idea, do some research on how others pitching ideas of similar
softwares. Lectures on available tools you may use will scope went about it.
further be discussed on Module six. While your previous - Step 2: Who has the power to green light the idea - Make a list of
experiential learning activities on design thinking the people that are potential recipients of your pitch. Base this list
provided opportunities to learn some of the available on two criteria: who has the power needed to implement the idea,
softwares such as Tinkercad, Sketch or Adobe XD. and who you might have access to. If you have no idea who to pitch
- Samples: your idea to, ask around. There’s no sense developing your pitch if
- Interactive prototypes there’s no one to catch.
- Digital prototypes - Step 3: Start with their perspective - Consider how the person
- Coded prototypes you’re trying to pitch views the world, and keep it in mind while
developing your pitch. The better your pitch fits into their needs,
2. According to Form perspectives, and desires, the greater your odds of being successful
● Role-Playing (or even being listened to).
- Role-playing, or experiential prototyping, is a method - Step 4: The structure of the pitch - Always formulate 3 levels of
that allows your design team to explore scenarios within depth to pitching your idea: 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 5 minutes. The 5
the system you are targeting physically. Role-playing is second version, also known as the elevator pitch, is the most concise
usually used for capturing and expressing the users’ single sentence formulation of whatever your idea is. Refine, refine,
emotional experience of using a product or service and refine your thinking until you can say something intelligent and
to gain an empathic understanding of your users. interesting in a short sentence. The 30 second and 5 minute versions
should grow naturally out of the 5 second version. In 30 seconds,
● Physical Models there’s enough time to talk about how you’ll achieve what you
- The purpose of a physical model is to bring an intangible described in 5 seconds, or provide specifics of the 2 or 3 most
idea, or two-dimensional sketch, into a physical, significant things about how the effect described in the 5 second
three-dimensional plane. This allows for much better pitch will be achieved.
testing with users, and it can spark discussions about the - Step 5: Test the pitch - The longer you spend with an idea, the more
form factor of the solution. Materials that can be used vulnerable you are to your own ego. Get out of your office / cubicle
here may range from papers, cardboards, clay, foam, or / apartment, and go find smart people you know to give you
anything that can build physical models. feedback.
- Step 6: Deliver - Make sure you spend some time preparing for a
RAPID PROTOTYPING positive response.
- aims to develop learning experiences in a continual
design-evaluation cycle throughout the life of the project. WHEN DO WE MAKE PITCHES?
- This cycle, known as the spiral cycle or layered approach, is - Colleagues - to argue for a technical direction
considered to be iterative, meaning that products are continually - Management - to convince that your idea/project/approach is of
improved as the cycle continues. value
- Customers - to purchase your product, to fund your project, to
change their requirements
- ALL THE TIME!

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL PITCH?

- Know your objective - Provide a focused, succinct, statement of the
value Differentiate yourself from others who offer the same (or
similar) value Include how, specifically, you can provide it Justify
the ability (and cost) of your team to do the work Make it look good
- Present at a level appropriate for your audience - Know whom
you're pitching to and tailor your pitch accordingly. Even though
- Rapid prototyping allows the designer to start with a low fidelity you're pitching the same service or product every time, you can't
medium (such as paper and pen) and move to increasingly higher just memorize a few lines and go from there. Each opportunity is
fidelity prototypes as time goes on. different--you'll need to tailor how you pitch to the person you're
- There are two types of prototypes that can be developed: pitching to, the social situation, and his or her level of understanding
● Vertical Prototypes – in-depth functionality for a few or sample and interest.
features - Predict and answer the audience’s (unspoken) questions -
● Horizontal Prototypes – entire screen or the whole prototype with Understand the person's needs and motivations. To hit the emotional
no underlying functionality level that will really make your pitch fly, you need to understand just
what motivates the person you're pitching to and what his or her
needs are.
IDEA PITCHING BASED ON AGREED-UPON THEMES OR PROBLEMS
- Leave your audience with something positive they can
- The task of bringing an idea to someone with the power to do remember
something with it is called a pitch: software ideas, implementation
strategies, movie screenplays, organizational changes, and business
plans, are all pitched from one person to another. It is a
presentation of a business idea to potential investors. Businesses
pitch to potential customers to sell their product.
INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING
ENGG401 | 1st SEMESTER FINALS | A.Y. 2024-2025

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE EXAMPLE:

- W What do you want them to learn For users of the “pine” email client software on Unix who need to easily find
- I What is their Interest in what you have to say content in their past email correspondence the “pine+” product is an email
- S How Sophisticated are they client software that is backwards compatible with “pine” and also free. Unlike
- D How much Detail do they want “pine” or other similar Unix-based email clients, our product provides an
- O Whom do you want to Own the information intuitive way to annotate email messages with keywords of the user’s choice in
- M How can you Motivate them to listen to you order to facilitate subsequent searching by using one or more keywords in
addition to the search functionality that “pine” offers.
THE ELEVATOR PITCH
- The idea of an elevator pitch is that it's short, just like an elevator
ride. If executed well, this short pitch will spark the curiosity of the
client and encourage them to ask more questions. Because of its
brevity, an elevator pitch works great when seeking investors.
- A short, simple description of your business idea that anyone could
understand by the time you ride up three floors in a typical elevator.
- Purposeful verbal message as fast as a ride in an elevator (30 -120
seconds) in understandable language – also for technology areas
- A concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced “answer” about
yourself, your business, your firm, your project etc.

COMMON MISTAKES WHEN MAKING PITCHES

- Misjudging your audience (their interests, background,
requirements, etc.)
- Not adequately motivating your idea Not helping the audience
understand the “big picture” of the area in which your product fits
- Not covering existing alternatives and what specific novelty you are
offering
- Not presenting a realistic picture of how the cost of the project
justifies its value

MUST HAVES
1. HOOK - statement or question that immediately piques the interest
of the recipient. Give people a “hook” by talking about something
that really interests them. The hook should grab the attention of the
listener and set the stage for the concept. Many ways to do this
including identifying the problem/need you address.
■ The hook should simply identify the pain you solve.
■ Tag lines can be used as a form of a hook
■ It must be succinct, to the point
■ Focus on one simple message

2. KISS - Kill the geek speak, Limit technical terms/details. Focus on

customer benefits, not technical benefits. Tell a story that paints a
personal picture for your audience. (gusto ko neto xD)
■ Keep
■ It
■ Simple
■ Stupid
- Example:
- INEFFECTIVE: Our medical technology is the first
automatic anesthetic gas scavenging system that will
scan patient’s using an anesthetic vaporizer thus
providing analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic
techniques similar to those used by National
Laboratories in 2007, but that were updated in 2011 to
include the new immunology reports
- EFFECTIVE: We provide the most accurate medical
diagnostic equipment available on the market.
3. PASSION - if you are not excited about your business, no one else
will be either.
4. REQUEST - Ask the recipient for permission to call, a referral to
others, or feedback.
5. SHORT – assume you have less than a minute, and sometimes only
time for a few sentences.

ELEVATOR PITCH TEMPLATE

For (target customer) who (statement of need or opportunity) the (product or
company name) is a (product or company category) that (statement of key
benefit / compelling reason to buy).
Unlike (primary “competitive” alternative), our product (statement of primary
differentiation).