Component 2 Designing a Solution - Overview

Preface

Component 2 requires students to define the criteria and constraints associated with the solution to their selected problem and write a set of design specifications for the project. Then based on the specifications, students develop multiple potential solution concepts. Through an evaluation process that involves feedback from experts and stakeholder and the application of a decision matrix, students will select the best potential solution to pursue.

Students will assess their selected solution path based on a variety of factors, consider the consequences of their solution, and optimize their design approach. Finally, students will write a design proposal and make an oral presentation for the purpose of justifying further development of the product.

The importance of detailed specifications cannot be overemphasized. Well-written specifications ensure that the product or service developed is the one that was anticipated. Accurate specifications are necessary to maintain the desired consistency, quantity, quality, performance, and appearance of products that are to be delivered.

Designers are not always able to include everything they want in their design solutions. Multiple factors must be considered and trade-offs accepted during the design process.

Students will devise at least five possible solutions to compare and evaluate using the design specification that they create in order to reduce the number of potential solutions considered. Next, teams will obtain feedback from potential consumers, stakeholders, and experts regarding the design options. Finally, based on the results of the evaluation, students will narrow their design solution options to a single best option that will be developed in subsequent lessons. They will also provide justification for their selection.

Once student teams have identified their solution path, the process of developing the selected concept into a workable solution begins. The final goal of this lesson is to develop and document the product design in detail so that, in following lessons, a prototype can be built and tested. In many cases designers are expected or required to present their design to other interested parties (e.g., potential investors or research and development teams within companies that will decide whether development of a product will continue, etc.).

In this lesson student teams will consider many factors that affect the success of a product (such as function, aesthetics, ergonomics, etc.) in order to refine and improve their product design. They will also consider the ethical implications of product design and the consequence, good and bad, that their product or the potential failure of their product may have on people, the environment, and society. Based on this ethical analysis, students must decide whether the benefits of their product outweigh the risks and if further development of the product is the right course of action.

If further development of the product is justified, students will begin to develop a business plan in order to document information about the industry in which their product will compete and detail strategies to make their product successful in that industry. Most successful companies and entrepreneurs develop a business plan in order to set goals, to guide operations toward reaching those goals, and to assess the level of achievement of those goals. In many cases potential investors also require a business plan as a means to determine the potential success of an endeavor.

At this point in the design process, students will create a design proposal that will provide detailed documentation of their proposed product design and information gathered for their business plan to provide justification for further development of their product. In some cases the research may show that the product cannot successfully compete in the market, forcing students to return to previous steps in the design process to modify the problem, their concept selection, or details of their design. Based on the design proposal, the teacher (and review panels, if applicable) will decide whether students have performed adequate research, provided sufficient documentation, and adequately justified further development of their product.

 

Understandings

  1. Relevant principles and practices of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) should be used to inform and justify design choices.  They should be evident and well documented in an engineering design process.
  2. Engineers use a peer review process to evaluate design solutions, provide feedback, and implement necessary revisions.
  3. Effective design teams typically have a diverse set of viewpoints.
  4. Multiple design possibilities should be explored in an engineering design process.
  5. Design goals include specifications, constraints, parameters, desired features, and fundamental design considerations.
  6. Testing is a critical component to any engineering design process. A prototype should be created that can be tested qualitatively and quantitatively.
  7. Assessing a product’s lifecycle creates an opportunity for identifying potential improvements in the process and provides a method for evaluating the product’s degree of success.
  8. A decision matrix is one tool designers can use to compare preliminary design solutions. A solution path can be determined by assessing each alternate design based on the design requirements specified.
  9. Drawings and sketches are used to organize, record, and communicate ideas.
  10. An effective use of the design process includes the use of a variety of forms of technical visual communication. This may include, but not be limited to technical drawings, circuit diagrams, process or flow charts.
  11. Virtual solutions for designs allow engineers to plan, test, and prepare for building a prototype.
  12. Engineers and designers have ethical responsibilities to clients, peers, their profession, and the general public.
  13. Product development will result in consequences, both good and bad, that must be considered when deciding whether or not to develop a product.
  14. There are many stakeholders involved in an open ended engineering design process.
  15. The ability to communicate as a professional is a critical skill for engineers.
  16. A Preliminary Design Review is a peer review process to determine the viability of the final design proposed and if other modifications can be identified before the prototyping and testing phase.

 

Knowledge and Skills
It is expected that students will...

  1. Identify and describe specific criteria for and constraints to the design of a product.
  2. Write a clear, complete, and concise design specification.
  3. Generate and document multiple potential solutions to a problem.
  4. Develop a decision matrix to compare and rank potential solutions.
  5. Distinguish between practical and potentially successful design solutions and solutions that are not practical or potentially successful.
  6. Sketch and annotate ideas and details while designing a prototype.
  7. Combine, refine, and optimize conceptual ideas to effectively solve a problem.
  8. Describe a Product Lifecycle Assessment and how it impacts design.
  9. Identify math and science concepts that will be or could be utilized in the process of solving an identified problem.
  10. Use scientific, mathematical, and engineering concepts to design a prototype.
  11. Communicate design concepts using visual and written documentation.
  12. Evaluate other teams’ conceptual solutions and make recommendations.
  13. Evaluate feedback from reviewers and modify design concepts as appropriate.
  14. Collaborate with teammates to select a solution path to pursue.
  15. Assess their product design based on a variety of design factors and implement design changes to improve their product.
  16. Identify subsystems of a prototype design.
  17. Create virtual designs of a prototype.
  18. Create a set of working drawings to document their proposed product design.
  19. Perform a peer design review to evaluate their product design in an effort to identify and correct potential mistakes and flaws in their design.
  20. Perform a cost estimate to build a prototype of their proposed product.
  21. Compare the positive and negative consequences of their product design to determine the ethical implications of product development.
  22. Evaluate choices of materials and fastening procedures for a prototype design.
  23. Determine and document resource needs, including a bill of materials, tools, equipment, and knowledge required to build a prototype.
  24. Communicate professionally with experts and mentors to obtain feedback on the technical feasibility of their product design, document the interactions, and implement recommended changes to their product design.
  25. Create a document to present their proposed design and provide justification for further development of a product. (Preliminary Design Review)

 

Essential Questions

  1. What brainstorming or idea generations techniques did I use to help define possible solutions?
  2. Why is it important to take the time to thoroughly explore many potential solutions before selecting a solution path?
  3. How can I show that I kept all of the design requirements in mind throughout the entire process?
  4. Why would an engineer need to identify the criteria and constraints required for a design solution?
  5. What was the best solution to try?
  6. Why was it the best solution to try?
  7. How do I show that our design ideas and proposed design attributes are based on sound logic and subject related knowledge?
  8. How is a decision making matrix used to select the best solution path?
  9. Why does this proposed solution have merit to try?
  10. How do I show evidence that the proposed design has merit beyond the classroom or lab as a real solution? 
  11. Is the design viable?
  12. How can I show evidence that the design could realistically get into the hands of the people the design is trying to help in a sustainable way?
  13. What evidence would I have to offer to honestly ask a family to invest their life savings in this idea?
  14. What are advantages of using virtual solutions before and sometimes in place of physical prototypes?

 

References

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