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Design Concept and

Embodiment
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 Introduction to design concepts and embodiments

 Design Concept
1. Over-the-wall designing
2. Specification to concepts
3. Representing Concepts
4. Identifying Concepts
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 Concept Generation
1. Prototyping
2. Brainstorming
3. Brainwriting
4. Morphological Matrix Method
5. Freethinking
6. Deconstruction
7. Triz
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 Concept Selection
1. Decision Matrix
 Embodiment Design
 Intellectual property
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Design Concepts and Embodiments

 The needs and specifications create an expectation for what the design should be. The concepts and
embodiments determine how the design can be done. After the embodiments are set, the detailed design will
determine exactly what the design is. In a strict sense, the specifications are used to generate concepts and the
concepts are then combined into embodiments.
Specifications
 These are lists of specific, non-arbitrary needs for the final acceptance of the project e.g. 10m turn radius
Concepts
 These are ideas to achieve the specifications which includes alternatives and some embodiments and details
e.g. wheels (4 or 3)
Embodiments
 These are complete set of concepts which satisfy the specification and may contain the final details. e.g. 4 @
82 cm dia. tires
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Design Concepts and Embodiments

Concepts
 Sometimes the parts are obvious, other times the choices for the parts are (1) there are known alternatives or (2) there
are no obvious choices. For the parts of the designs that are obvious, the concept generation and selection phases of
the design become unnecessary.
Factors Affecting Concept Development
 1) Assessment 8) Approach
 2) Intuition 9) Theory
 3) Understanding 10) Alternatives
 4) Abstract 11) Creativity
 5) Speculation
 6) Knowledge
 7) Hypothesis
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 Concepts could be:

1. Big-picture ideas or small details
2. Alternative ways to achieve one or more design functions
3. Abstract or theoretical ideas
4. Already widely used and understood
5. Unknown to the designers l New parts or technologies
6. A design already well known and widely used in the company
7. How the system will be used
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 Examples of concepts include:

1. Alternative fuel sources (macro level)
2. Business models (macro level)RF versus IR communication (mid level)
3. Motor and gear selection including gear ratios and couplers (mid level)
4. User interface and graphical user interface (GUI) models (mid level)
5. Physical layout (mid level)
6. Snap fit or threaded fasteners (micro level)
7. Class AB or Class D power amplifier (micro level)
8. Encryption versus obfuscation for security (micro level)
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Over-the-wall Designing

 Over-the-wall designing is the process in which product are designed in a sequential order
in which each team members performs each task and then passes the collateral on to the
next member. The over-the-wall separation of functions allows more focus, and
efficiency, but the approach also makes early decisions more costly to change. An
alternative is to have groups work concurrently on tasks. In the over-the-wall approach
the departments do the functions themselves and then check to see if the results are
acceptable.
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Over-the-wall Designing

 In a concurrent design approach, the process procedures formally involve all of the

stakeholder groups. This approach will result in some waste but will reduce the number of

poor decisions. For example, if somebody from the design department attends a sales

engineering meeting with the customer, they may be able to modify a specification value

so that they can use an off-the-shelf component, instead of doing a custom design.
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Over-the-wall Designing

 This early change could dramatically cut the complexity and cost of a project, but it also

takes them away from the task of designing. Likewise, if a sales engineer sits in on a

design meeting they will see the impact of small details in specifications and will be able

to establish better specifications in the future.

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Specifications to concepts

 Basically, the specifications are reviewed and concepts generated to address all

of the requirements. After a screening process, the best concepts are chosen and

the design moves forward. However, when there are too few alternatives, we try

to create alternatives and backups.

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Specifications to concepts

 The concepts address various specifications. We can use some combination of

these concepts to satisfy the overall specifications. For example, the only

concepts that will work are B and D together. But, if we eliminated spec 3 then

we could use concepts A and D instead.

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Representing concepts

 A design is a collection of concepts. The most common conceptual design approach is to

break a design problem into smaller pieces. The concepts are generated, explored,

selected, and then combined into a final embodiment design. The concept diagram (CD)

can be useful for visually organizing the concepts and alternatives. This can also be done

with a spreadsheet, but will take additional time to review.

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Representing concepts

 Some general concepts to remember: (1) include the obvious concepts, (2) show alternates

and determine where there are gaps, and (3) there should be concepts that address all of

the specifications. It can be effective to put each of the concepts into the following

categories: O—obvious concepts, not other work needed; C—compare the concepts; and

G—generate concepts.
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Representing concepts

 Beyond the CD, other design representations can be used to capture design concepts, as
well as expose unknown parts of the design. Concepts are normally communicated in a
visual or detailed form, to improve the clarity of the overall design. Documentation that
would be expected to explain a concept would include those in the following list, but
each discipline has preferred representation techniques. The key is to use the right
representation methods. If text is to be used to capture a design concept, it is important to
recognize how easy it is to make the written word vague or arbitrary. When text is used
for concept representation, it should be to support the information, not replace it.
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 Other design representations

1. Block diagrams of major components
2. Flow charts, state diagrams, pseudocode, a list of steps, data flow
3. Sketches of basic physics
4. Proof of concept calculations to support a design concept
5. Crude prototypes or bench tests
6. Existing design implementations
7. Rough budgets for money, mass, etc.
8. Key technologies and alternatives including critical parts
9. Layout diagrams
10. Process diagrams
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Block Diagram

 These block diagrams show the major parts of a system and the values/materials/others
that are passed between them. The advantage of these diagrams is that we can put system
parts in “black boxes” to reduce the complexity while looking at the system on a macro
level. If the block diagram is sufficient, each of the blocks becomes a standalone design
problem. (Breaking big parts into smaller ones is a very good strategy.) These diagrams
are well used in electrical and computer engineering but are very useful for other
engineering work.
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Function Diagrams

 The method provides a substantial amount of flexibility, however the rules of thumb are: l

Pick reasonable function boundaries (not too much or too little). l Conserve energy and

material. l Information can be discarded easily, but it takes energy and materials to create.

l Add information flows to determine when things should happen, how they should

happen, and how they are related.

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Identifying concepts

 When identifying concepts the aim is to build an inventory of knowledge to find the low-
hanging fruit that is easy to pick. If no good concepts are found, then we will need to
make our own. If there are multiple options, we will need to select one, however, the
focus is to look and investigate. Basically, all information is good, and if concept
generation is needed, it may also prove useful. During this phase, collect good notes and
keep an open mind. Strategies that will be useful here include the following:
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 Self: Consider what you know about similar issues and available concepts. You will probably
know one or more ways to fulfill the specification.
 Previous: Work done during the specification development can be useful here. In some cases a
suitable concept may have already been selected. The major risk here is that other good solutions
are ignored or overlooked.
 Patents: Patents protect new ideas for 20 years. After that you can use the idea freely. Before a
patent expires you can negotiate a license or develop other ideas. Be careful to look for related
patents.
 Market: Look to see what is for sale—consumer products, auction items, and industrial products.
 Supplier: Look for supplier-based solutions to your problems. Call them. Check their catalogs
and websites.
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 Technology: Find technologies that are commonly used.

 Literature: Refer to books, magazines, libraries, the Internet, etc.
 Network: Talk to people you know for ideas and find experts.
 Consult: Pay somebody to help sort the ideas.
 Internal: What are the available capabilities at the company?
 Standards: Are these common components, practices, methods, techniques, etc.?

An ideal outcome at the end of the concept identification phase is to determine what you do,
and don’t, know.
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Concept Generation

 Concept generation methods are plentiful and each one provides some unique
opportunities and values. Some of these are described in the following list. Major
variations between these methods are (1) the number of people involved, (2) the level of
creativity required, (3) the amount of change expected, and (4) how the creative process
is structured. Approaches such as brainstorming do not require much time and
forethought. A method such as prototyping requires more time and effort. Each of these
methods will have advantages based on problems, individuals, and needs.
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Concept generation methods:

 Brainstorming: A technique for generating ideas using free-flowing conversation.

 Brainwriting: A nonverbal approach to brainstorming where ideas are written and then passed to others who add
more ideas. The 6-3-5 method is a variant where six participants create three ideas every five minutes.
 TRIZ: An inventive problem-solving technique.
 Doodling: A free-form method of drawing sketches, including discarding, changing, or combining to find solutions.
 Thought experiments: Consider the problem using extreme examples.
 Incremental: Combine or modify existing ideas.
 Prototyping: Build a model of a process, component, or critical feature and test it.
 Eureka: Wait for inspiration
 Architect: A designated concept creation individual.
 Ishikawa diagrams: A useful technique for capturing cause and effect relationships
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Prototyping

 Prototypes are created by engineers to test concepts in the early design process. It is worth

noting that sometimes a project will be launched and run entirely to produce a prototype

before a full-scale design is attempted. It is possible to think of this process as two design

projects, or a design project where the conceptual and detailed design phases overlap.

Examples of prototyping approaches, and tools, follow:

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 Rapid prototyping: There are a number of processes that can quickly convert solid models
into parts. The materials are generally plastics or similar materials, useful for testing
assembly, aesthetics, and touch/feel. Simpler parts can be made in a few hours. Prototype
printed circuit boards (PCBs): Online services and circuit-board mills can be used to produce
boards very quickly from CAD systems. The typical time frame is less than an hour for a
circuit board mill in a design office.
 Development kits: Electronics companies often provide general boards, or reference designs,
that can be used to create and test hardware and software before the detailed design work
begins.
 Component off the shelf (COTS): Modules or major pieces of the system are purchased in a
working form. This sidesteps some testing as well as detailed design, but often at a higher
cost.
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 Sample parts: Most component suppliers will provide free or low cost sales samples to
major designers. Other times standard parts can be purchased, modified, and used.
 Crude: Sometimes a prototype can be constructed in minutes out of cardboard, duct tape,
and other common components.
 Hobby parts: The hobby market can be a great source of parts, especially for scaled
models. This includes electronics, mechanical, and many other system types.
 Hacked: An existing design can be modified as a proof of concept for a new design. This
is a very good approach when developing a new generation of a product.
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Brainstorming

 Basically, brainstorming generates a large number of diverse concepts using a group of

individuals. One approach is:
 Have a meeting of individuals (6–12 is good) related to the current design tasks.
 Make it clear that criticism is not allowed and every idea is good.
 Ask everyone to write ideas on separate pieces of paper.
 Start going round the room one at a time, and ask for the ideas. (Don’t allow criticism or
judgment!) After the idea is given, the paper is placed in the center of the table.
 This continues until all ideas are exhausted. (Participants should generate new ideas based on
what they have heard from others.) Encourage participants to suggest ridiculous ideas.
 Go through the ideas in the middle of the table, and vote for the best one(s).
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 During the idea-generation phase it is critical to avoid being negative. Some of the problem phrases and words
are:
 That won’t work because…
 I don’t agree.
 We already tried that.
 We can’t do it because…
 That is silly.
 We need good ideas, Don’t waste our time.
 A better idea is… l Is that possible?
 You don’t know…
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Brainwriting

 Brainwriting allows ideas to be shared and extended nonverbally. In simple terms, each
team member writes some ideas on paper. The piece of paper is passed to another team
member. The ideas are read and new ideas are added. This continues until all of the ideas
have been passed, or there are a suitable number of responses. After that, the ideas are
reviewed for interest. Another round of writing generates a new set of ideas. This can be
repeated a number of times before the ideas are reviewed and prioritized critically.
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Brainwriting

 The Delphi technique was developed to work with separated experts. The process begins
with a generalized questionnaire sent to the individuals, often via email. The responses are
reviewed, and a new, more specific, questionnaire is created. Multiple rounds of reviews
and questionnaires may occur before the process ends. The result will tend to be a group
consensus that includes all voices.
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Morphological Matrix Method

 A morphological attribute list can be used to break a problem into parts. The problem
statement is used to identify three terms: gardens, plants, and tools. For the word “garden”
a few different forms are listed. For example, a garden could be hanging or a lawn. These
lists can be generated with free thinking, a thesaurus, a web search, and so on. Similar
lists are generated for the remaining terms.
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Morphological Matrix Method

 The terms form a morphological matrix. To generate concepts, a word is selected from
each column to form an abstract sentence. The first combination would be “hanging
weeds hoe.” The question is, “How could this be made?” A design team might reply,
“With an extended hand tool that reaches into a hanging basket to remove weeds.” If done
exhaustively this matrix would yield 5*6*5 = 150 possible combinations.
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Free thinking

 Sometimes a concept solution is not obvious because we are looking at the problem,
solution, or system with a limited perception. There are a variety of approaches used to
suggest new mechanisms or perspectives for satisfying specifications. In simple terms, if
you find that you are stuck, look at the terms and ideas in this section to conceive new
directions for thought. If we assume that we know the solutions, but just can’t see them,
we can use the list of mental barriers provided by Niku (2009).
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1. False assumptions and nonexistent limitations

2. Typical solutions
3. Being overwhelmed and making things more difficult than they are
4. Incomplete or partial information
5. Information and sensory saturation
6. Associative thinking
7. Misunderstanding
8. Inability to communicate properly
9. Emotion-, culture-, and environment-related barriers
10. Falling in love with an idea
11. Improper methods of solution
12. Overabundance of resources
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Deconstruction

 Deconstruction is a process of undoing assumptions, to create design freedom.

Deconstruct a design by listing the essential features. Each of these is then questioned. At

first the method will feel awkward, until some interesting outcomes arise. Some of the

questions to ask include: “Could this be eliminated?” “What other ways could it be

done?” “Do the other steps really need the step?”

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TRIZ

 The theory of inventive problem solving, TRIZ, is a systematic method for solving

problems using an inventory of ideas and problem solutions developed from thousands of

Russian patents (Altshuller, 1988). The method steps define a specific problem, restate it

in abstract terms, find generic solution approaches, and apply the generic solution to the

specific problem.
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TRIZ

 The basic TRIZ method provides 39 contradiction parameters. The concrete problem

needs to be converted to one parameter to maintain, and another to increase (or decrease).

Once encoded, the TRIZ matrix is used to select possible solutions.The solution numbers

relate to one of the 40 TRIZ principles. The final step is to convert the principles back

into concrete solutions. Normally, there will be multiple solutions of varying value.
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Concept selection

 When presented with multiple alternative concepts, we want to use the opportunity to pick

the concept that will give us the best outcome for the lowest cost. This point is the most

critical to establishing the remaining project work. It is an opportunity to stop, assess the

options, and pick a good path.

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Decision Matrix

 A simple decision matrix is used to relatively compare alternative concepts against one

reference concept. The process begins with the selection of criteria for comparison. One

concept is chosen as the baseline reference and given scores of 0 for each criteria. The

other concepts are compared as better, “+,” or poorer, “−.” The concept columns are

summed to provide a relative score for each concept.

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Embodiment designs

Concepts are ways that a design could be done. Embodiments are the way the design will be
done. A good embodiment design includes enough detail so that components and parts can be
developed independently. Key attributes of embodiments include:
 Configuration
 Format
 Framework
 Hierarchy
 Composition
 Form
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Components of an Embodiment

Typical components in an embodiment include:

 Software code using stubs and/or an API (application programming interface)
 State diagrams for sequential systems
 Timing diagrams
 Mechanical sketches using normal drafting practices including 2D, isometric, and pictorial views
 Calculations and equations to support the design concept
 Test data
 Electrical schematics and data sheets for major components
 Block diagrams for electrical, software, data flow, and control systems
 General budgets for money, mass, heat, power, etc.
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Components of an Embodiment

 Flow charts l Physical prototypes

 Selected component sources, costs, data sheets, specifications, etc.
 Universal Markup Language (UML) for software design
 Formal process diagrams, P&ID, or similar
 Algorithms and pseudocode
 Graphical user interface (GUI) sketches
 Product component breakdown diagrams
 Details presented as lists, tables, or numbered steps
 Aesthetics: Sketches, solid models, color schemes, surface finishes, and mock-ups
 A parts list, or bill of materials (BOM), for major or strategic parts
 Suppliers for critical parts including availability and cost
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Intellectual Property

Copyrights, industrial designs, and trademarks provide decades-long protection for creative works
including writing, images, shapes, logos, and product forms. Patents provide 20 years of protection for a
useful thing or process. Patents are used to prevent competitors from copying new designs and
guarantee revenues for an inventor. Designers must be aware of the patent system when doing concept
generation. If a patent has expired, the idea can be used freely. A new concept can be patented. An idea
covered by a current patent should be avoided unless it can be licensed. In cases where a competitor has
used a patent to block competition, companies will develop new technologies or circumvent patents.
Circumvention is a process of finding loopholes in poorly written patents. Other forms of legal
protection include the following:
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Intellectual Property

 Trademarks: Small symbols, names, or designs (marks) that are used to distinguish one product from
others. A registered trademark uses the symbol ™ or ®. This prohibits the unauthorized use any place
else in the country of registration.
 Copyright: A copyright is used to restrict the right to copy or perform certain creative works.
Copyrights generally exist until 70 years after the author’s death, in most cases. Copyrights can be
registered (an optional step), but when the copyright is to be assigned or licensed to another party, it
should be registered.
 Industrial design: This is a protected design that is novel and original and generally refers to a
sculpture, shape, configuration, or pattern that is aesthetic. The functional components cannot be
considered. This can be registered for five years and then five more.
 Trade secrets: This takes a similar approach to a patent except there is no public disclosure and it may
include information or other nonpatentable things. Generally, a trade secret permits a business
advantage over the competition (“industrial know-how”).
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Multi-choice Questions

1. How many years of protection does a patent provide? (a) 10 years (b) 20 years (c) 30 years (d) 40 years

2. Copyrights exist until how many years after the author’s death? (a) 20 years (b) 30 years (c) 50 years (d) 70 years

3. The following are key attributes of embodiments except? (a) Configuration (b) Form (c) Framework (d) Position

4. Which of the following is not a concept generation method? (a) Brainstorming (b) Brain jotting (c) Brainwriting (d) Prototyping

5. Which of the following concept generation method takes the smallest time? (a) Freethinking (b) Prototyping (c) Triz (d)Brainwriting

6. Which of the following is not a factor affecting concept development? (a) Theory (b) Hypothesis (c) Creativity (d) Patent

7. Which of the following is used as a legal protection for a logo? (a) Trademark (b) Copyright (c) Patent (d) Industrial Design

8. The following are forms of legal protection except? (a) Trademark (b) Copyright (c) Trade secrets (d) Intellectual Design

9. Which of the following concept generation method takes the highest amount of time? (a) Prototyping (b) Triz (c) Brainwriting (d) Morphological
Matrix Method

10. Is Brainstorming the same as freethinking? (a) Yes (b) No

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11. .................. is a nonverbal approach to brainstorming where ideas are written and then
passed to others to add more ideas. (a) Brainjotting (b) Brainwriting (c) Jotting (d)
Freethinking
12. The following are mental barriers provided by Niku 2009. (a) Typical solutions (b)
Associative Thinking (c) Misunderstanding (d) Freethinking
13. .................. is a systematic method for solving problems using an inventory of ideas and
problem solutions developed from thousands of Russian patents. (a) Triz (b) Quiz (c)
Doodling (d) Eureka
14. .................. is a technique for generating ideas from free-flowing conversation. (a)
Freethinking (b) Brainwriting (c) Brainstorming (d) Freewill
15. How many solution principles are used in triz? (a) 38 (b) 39 (c) 40 (d) 41
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Answers
1. B
2. D
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. D
7. A
8. D
9. A
10. B
11. B
12. D
13. A
14. C
15. C
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Theory Questions

1. What is the difference between specifications and embodiments?

2. Mention the key attributes of embodiment.
3. What is the difference between Brainstorming and Brainwriting?
4. What is the difference between Trade secrets and Patents?
5. List five things people may say to sabotage brainstorming.
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Solutions

1. Specifications are lists of specific, non-arbitrary needs for the final acceptance of the project while
Embodiments are complete set of concepts which satisfy the specification and may contain the final details.

2. Mention the key attributes of embodiment.

a) Configuration
b) Format
c) Framework
d) Hierarchy
e) Composition
f) Form
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Solutions

3. Brainstorming is a technique for generating ideas using free-flowing conversation while

Brainwriting is a nonverbal approach to brainstorming where ideas are written and then passed
to others.
4. Trade secrets has no public disclosure while Patents has public disclosure
5. List five things people may say to sabotage brainstorming.
a) That won’t work because…
b) I don’t agree.
c) We already tried that.
d) We can’t do it because…
e) That is silly.