Course: GE106

Introduction to Engineering Design

College of Engineering
King Saud University

Topic 3
Need Analysis and
Problem Definition
Chapter 23 in the text book
 Before We Start

If I had only one hour to save the world,

I’d spend 55 min defining the problem
and 5 minutes finding a solution*

“A problem properly-stated is half-solved”

Charles Kettering (Inventor and holder of
over 150 engineering patents)

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The Big Picture
Customer Design Engineer

Communication

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Communication
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Product Manufacturer

Example: Water bottle is not only a reservoir, but also for transportation…
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Importance of Communication

Design Construction
Poor communication between the designer and the
construction team lead to the collapse of the second floor
114 people died !!!*
*http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/175/Hyatt-Regency-Walkway-Collapse.aspx 4
Design Process

Customer needs a solution

(Client statement)

Analyze the Needs  problem

This lecture
definition and formulation

System Design
(Conceptual + Detailed )

System integration and

product test

Properly functioning system

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 Client Need
Client Statement Input Statement
(Need)

• Talk with the

client (interview)
Problem Definition Tasks • Some potential
users (survey)
• Brainstorming
Clarify Identify Establish • Problem
objectives constraints criteria statement
Output • Objectives
• Constraints
Border of the Selection of the • Criteria
solution best solution

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Client’s Need Statement
• First understand what the problem is (what does the
customer want?)
• Often, the customer does not know exactly what s/he
wants nor what is achievable
• Client Statements usually have limitations such as:
• Bias (e.g., Crowded classrooms:
reconsider the admission strategy;
whereas the problem could be
managing the classrooms)
• Implied solutions (e.g., Door problem:
replace the door; whereas another
solution can be fixing the door)
Make sure that the correct
problem is being addressed 7
 Example
Client Statement:
The residents of one of my tall buildings
are complaining that the elevator is always
busy and they have to wait a lot.
Solution 1?
Install another elevator (a great expense)
Solution 2?
Put entertainment (Wi-Fi, kid games) on
the main floors area, and may provide
some coffee

The second solution could be much cheaper, and may even bring in more
customers to your business; i.e. you solved the problem by changing your
management strategy 8
 Problem Statement

• The statement is a very short paragraph

providing answers to (What? Why? How?)
Who needs what because of what?
• Written in the language of the customer
• Normally straightforward, non-technical and
non-quantifiable

Note:
Problem statement and Problem definition here mean –almost- the same thing,
yet definition usually implies more details (statement is usually just 1 sentence).

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 The Wright Brothers Example
• The problem addressed by the Wright
brothers at the turn of the 20th century
was:
Need a manned machine capable of
achieving powered flight1
• This means that2:
1. They wanted to design a flying machine
2. It must carry a person (which rules out model
aircraft)
3. An onboard power source must be used to take
off (which eliminates hot air balloons)
1. This is the client statement (i.e. the problem written in the customer’s, simple terms)
2. This is the actual problem statement (i.e. the same problem written in the design engineer’s
words/format); thus, this is the first step in the need analysis. 10
How to Assess Needs
• Question the customer
• Explore resources (gathering information)
 Technical literature (books, journals,
www, nature)
 Similar designs (competitors, patent
search)
• Search legal and regulatory restrictions
 Allocation of frequency bands
 Restriction on tower heights
 Environmental impacts
 Safety
• Brainstorm
• Investigate Manufacturability issues
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 Types of Specifications1
• Design Specs: provide basis for evaluating the design
(e.g., safe, light, inexpensive, simple)
• Functional Specs: describe what the product must do
(e.g., drilling, grinding, polishing)
• Performance Specs: to judge how good is the design
(e.g., speed, energy, accuracy)

 Use (but don’t confuse) “Demanded” design

elements and “Wished for2” design elements
 Be as specific as possible by using numbers where
possible (e.g., not “heavy” but “2.5 kg”)

1. This is a continuation to the last slide (this is still part of the need analysis); also note that we will see
later how design specs are related to the design criteria.
2. This is part of the objectives (D: primary, W: secondary)
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Common Categories for Specifications

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 Need Analysis Example Questions:
Why?
1. When and why do you use the product? How?
2. What do you like about existing products? What?
3. What don’t you like about other products? Who?
4. What are the required functions? Where?
5. Who is the product user? When?
6. Where is the product going to be used (environment)?
7. What are the unacceptable options/behaviors of the product?
8. What should the product satisfy?
9. What specifications do we have/know?
10. Are there any legal issues?
11. What are the human factors to be considered?
12. What is the expected life duration of the product?
Note how each set of questions addresses a different part of the need analysis: e.g. Q4: functional specs,
Q7: prob. Statement, Q8: objectives, etc. 14
Design Objectives
Objectives are the requirements that the
design is to satisfy (Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, Time bound)

• Construct an Objective Tree

by:
• Listing objectives Ladder
according to the assessed Safe
stable
needs
Strong
• Grouping the relevant Marketable
objectives Inexpensive
Portable
• Forming a hierarchical
tree structure Durable
• The Design Objectives can be divided into:
• Primary (need/must)
• Secondary (wish/want)
• The Primary Objective is what the customer/client
really needs
• Without the primary objective the design is a failure
• The Secondary (less important) objectives are not
necessarily specified; but can have an added value
to the product (e.g., safety, simplicity, beauty)

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Constraints
• Constraints are boundaries that limit
the engineer’s flexibility; they form the
design envelope (feasible design space)
• They help to identify acceptable designs
• Should be measurable
• Should be answered with: True/False;
Yes/No
• Example: Cost <1000 SAR?
Weight <100 Kg?
Flexible system (yes/no)?

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Sources of Constraints

• Cost: cost of design, production, maintenance, support

• Time: delivery dates, processing, time to market
• Legal, ethical: patents, intellectual property, product
reliability, safety requirements
• Physical: size, weight, power, durability
• Natural factors: topography, climate, resources
• Company practices: parts, manufacturing processes
• Human Factors/Ergonomics
• Sustainability
• Environment: bio-degradable materials,
recycled materials, green energy

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Design Criteria
• Criteria are indicators defining the
success of achieving the objectives
• Criteria define the product physical
and functional characteristics
• They represent descriptive adjectives
that can be qualified on a given scale:
examples: beautiful, low cost, low
noise, smart, low weight
• Might be used for judging between
different designs

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Examples of Criteria To be qualified say on a scale 1 to 10
1 (worst) and 10 (best) 4 (average)*

 High safety  Ease of Maintenance

 Environment friendliness  Ease of Manufacturing
 Public Acceptance  Aesthetic design
 Performance (Appearance)
 Ease of operation  Geometry
 Durability
 Physical Features
 Cost
 Reliability
 Use Environment
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Example: Specs for Designing an "Auto-Golfer"
Geometry D Single unit, 3 foot circle
Materials W Not degrade in rain and snow, 30ºF
Time D Ready to go < 14 weeks
Cost D  $600 (exclusive of radios)
Manufacturing W Off-the-shelf parts as possible
Standards D Radios OK for regulations
Safety D Must pass safety review

Transport D Must be portable

Compactness W Should fit in a car or small truck

D = demand (i.e. primary obj.)

W = wish (i.e. secondary obj.)

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Problem Definition

Need •Specifications
Analysis

•Objectives
Problem •Constraints
Definition •Criteria

Problem •A paragraph compiling the

above points
Formulation
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To summarize

Problem Definition
• Turn the problem statement into a
Need Analysis
• technical, quantified problem
Needs that are well
definition
understood
• Precise description of the properties
• A well stated objective
• of the object being designed
A list of Demanded and
• Can be a long list
Wished for Specifications
• A set of criteria
• A set of constraints

Problem
Formulation
• A compiled
carefully written
paragraph

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