Definition

Set of decision making processes and activities to determine the form of an object, given the
customers desired function
Creativity
Requires creation of something that has not existed before or has not existed in the designers
mind before.
Complexity
Requires decisions on many variables and parameters.

Choice
Requires making choices between many possible solutions at all levels, from basic concepts to
the smallest detail of shape
Compromise
Require balancing multiple and sometimes conflicting requirements.
A Problem-Solving Methodology
Definition of the problem
Gathering of information
Generation of alternative solutions
Evaluation of alternatives and decision making
Communication of the results
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Phase I. Conceptual Design
Phase II.

Embodiment Design
Phase III. Detail Design

Types of Designs

Original Design:
Innovative design - new concept, part never existed before
Adaptive Design - adapting known solution to new task
Redesign: Variant design - modifying the form modifying existing Part/subassembly,
but keeping original concept
Selection design - choosing from existing standard parts/subassemblies.

A code is a collection of laws and rules that assists a government agency in meeting its
obligation to protect the general welfare by preventing damage to property or injury or loss of
life to persons.

A standard is a generally agreed-upon set of procedures, criteria, dimensions, materials, or parts.

Two categories of redesigns:
Fixes
Updates

A fix is a design modification that is required due to less than acceptable performance
once the product has been introduced into the marketplace.

Updates are usually planned as part of the products life cycle before the product is
introduced to the market.
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product development process in stage-gate format
four key factors that determine the success of a product

The quality, performance, and price of the product.

The cost to manufacture the product over its life cycle.
The cost of product development.
The time needed to bring the product to the market.
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