Intro to Engineering Design - Unit 1Design Process

Content Checked GradeUnit 1 Key Terms

Activity 1.3 Concept Sketching

Activity 1.3 Concept Sketching Rubric

Activity 1.4 Product Improvement

Activity 1.5 Deep Dive

Activity 1.6 Discover Engineering

Activity 1.9 Design Innovation

Activity 1.9 Design Innovation Rubric

Unit 1 Key TermsKey Term DefinitionAssess To thoroughly and methodically analyze accomplishment against specific

goals and criteria.Assessment An evaluation technique for technology that requires analyzing benefits and

risks, understanding the trade-offs, and then determining the best action to take in order to ensure that the desired positive outcomes outweigh the negative consequences.Techniques used to analyze accomplishments against specific goals and criteria. Examples of assessments include tests, surveys, observations, and self-assessment.

Brainstorm A group technique for solving problems, generating ideas, stimulating creative thinking, etc. by unrestrained spontaneous participation in discussion.

Client A person using the services of a professional person or organization.

Creativity The ability to make or bring a new concept or idea into existence; marked by the ability or power to create.

Criteria A means of judging. A standard, rule, or test by which something can be judged.

Constraint 1. A limit to a design process. Constraints may be such things as appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities. 2. A limitation or restriction.

Design 1. An iterative decision-making process that produces plans by which resources are converted into products or systems that meet human needs and wants or solve problems. 2. A plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of something before it is built or made. 3. A decorative pattern.

Design Brief A written plan that identifies a problem to be solved, its criteria, and its constraints. The design brief is used to encourage thinking of all aspects of a problem before attempting a solution.

Design Process

A systematic problem-solving strategy, with criteria and constraints, used to develop many possible solutions to solve a problem or satisfy human needs and wants and to winnow (narrow) down the possible solutions to one final choice.

Design Statement

A part of a design brief that challenges the designer, describes what a design solution should do without describing how to solve the problem, and identifies the degree to which the solution must be executed.

Designer A person who designs any of a variety of things. This usually implies the task of creating drawings or in some ways uses visual cues to organize his or her work.

Engineer A person who is trained in and uses technological and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Engineering Notebook

A book in which an engineer will formally document, in chronological order, all of his/her work that is associated with a specific design project.

Innovation An improvement of an existing technological product, system, or method of doing something.

Invention A new product, system, or process that has never existed before, created by study and experimentation.

Iterative A process that repeats a series of steps over and over until the desired outcome is obtained.

Piling-on An idea that produces a similar idea or an enhanced idea.Problem Identification

The recognition of an unwelcome or harmful matter needing to be dealt with.

Product A tangible artifact produced by means of either human or mechanical work, or by biological or chemical process.

Prototype A full-scale working model used to test a design concept by making actual observations and necessary adjustments.

Research The systematic study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

Activity 1.3 Concept SketchingIntroduction

You have heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Visualization through images (as opposed to words) allows people to absorb large amounts of data quickly. Sketching is an important skill for engineers and designers. Sketches provide a means through which one can quickly and clearly communicate ideas. Representing existing objects and new ideas with sketches can make the design process more effective and efficient and greatly enhance the ability of others to understand your ideas.

One of the most important skills necessary to create an accurate sketch that realistically represents an object is the ability to make careful observations of the characteristics of that object. Paying close attention to the underlying basic shapes and the relative proportions of various features of the object will allow you to more accurately reflect the true shapes and proportions of the object in your sketch.

Another important key to success in sketching is practice. As is true with most activities (like playing lacrosse, solving Sudoku puzzles, and beating the system in Guitar Hero), the more experience you gain, the better you will perform. So consider carrying a pencil with you wherever you go. When you notice something interesting, something that can be improved, or something you would like to share, make a quick sketch instead of taking a picture. Your sketching skill will improve, you will impress your friends and family with your ability, and you will become a more competent designer.

In this activity you will sketch a variety of objects in your engineering notebook. The goal is to produce hand drawn representations of real objects that closely resemble the actual objects and that appear 3 dimensional. In this activity, you will focus on obtaining the correct shape and proportions of each object from a single “straight-on” or orthographic view and add shading to produce a more realistic 3 dimensional affect. You will start with simple forms and progress to more complicated products. Some examples of student-produced sketches are provided.

Equipment Paper Pencil Various objects to sketch (see below)

ProcedureCreate the following sketches in your engineering notebook as directed by your instructor. A front view refers to the view that typically shows the longest dimension and the most distinctive shape. For instance, in this context, the “front” view of a

vehicle would actually be one of the side views (driver’s side or passenger side). Concentrate on boxing out the correct size and shape of the object and then refining the sketch based on careful observation. Insert a photographic image of the object represented adjacent to each sketch. Remember to title, initial, and date all sketches and inserted photographs.

1.

Sketch a “front” view of at least two of the following objects.

Highlighter, Sharpie, pen, or pencil

Toothbrush Clothes pin Scissors Flash drive Coffee cup Glue bottle Flashlight Beverage can or bottle Other instructor-approved

object

2.

Sketch a “front” view of at least two of the following objects.

Computer mouse Tape dispenser Stapler Contoured speaker Monitor Surge protector Cell phone Other instructor-approved

object

3.

Sketch a “front” view of an Automoblox vehicle.

4.

Sketch a “front” view of two objects at home. Some suggestions follow.

Spoon, fork, or knife Remote control device Cleaning product bottle Can opener Corkscrew Coffee maker Sink faucet Lamp Computer desk Chair Squirt gun Etc.

Conclusion1. Explain the concept of proportion. How does the concept of proportion relate to

creating a realistic sketch?

2. Why would the ability to create realistic sketches make a person a more competent designer?

3. Give an example of a visual or graphic representation of information that has more impact than an explanation of the information in text.

4. In your opinion, what is the most important thing to know/do in order to create a realistic sketch of an object?

Activity 1.3 Concept Sketching RubricElements Weight 5 Points 4 Points 3 Points 2 Points 1-0 Points Total

Proportions

Proportions of the sketch mirror the size and shape of sketched object.

Proportions of the sketch closely resemble the size and shape of the sketched object but the sketch looks slightly distorted.

Proportions of the sketch somewhat resemble the size and shape of the sketched object. There are obvious indications that the sketcher created guidelines to attempt to establish proper proportions.

The sketch is disproportional to the object being sketched. Some indications that the sketcher attempted to provide guidelines to establish proper proportions.

No evidence that proper proportions were attempted

Attention to Detail

The sketch shows great attention to detail and is a realistic representation of the object.

The sketch contains many strong elements of detail but some details are missing.

The sketch shows detail that is reflective of the object but needs further refinement and fine-tuning to appear realistic.

The sketch is lacking detail. The detail included is not reflective of the object and is incomplete.

No evidence of detail in the sketch.

Shading

The sketch has strong, well done shading that displays good use of value to represent the color(s) of the object and creates a realistic and three dimensions appearance.

The sketch has strong, well done shading that displays good use of value to represent color(s), but additional shading is necessary to show shadows and create a more realistic and three dimensional appearance.

The sketch is shaded but does not represent the color(s) of the object nor the shadows that create a realistic three dimensional appearance.

Minimal shading is incorporated in the sketch.

No evidence of shading in the sketch.

Neatness Clean, neat pages with no smudges.

Neat work with some smudges.

Poor appearance. Messy with food or other stains.

Activity 1.4 Product ImprovementIntroduction

Hummers®, iPods®, cell phones, clothes, and video games are just a few products that are familiar to most people. What is it about any of these products that you like? What causes you to want to buy a cell phone or an IPod? Is it the commercials or the appearance of the product? Whatever the reason, design plays a vital role in the creation and marketing of any product.

Equipment Paper Plain white coffee cup (1 per class) OR alternate consumer product Pencil

ProcedureThis activity is designed to provide an introduction to design. As a team of two, you will brainstorm ways to enhance or change a plain white beverage container so that nearly every consumer would want to purchase it. Remember to apply the rules for brainstorming that were identified in the PowerPoint during this activity. The following list is available to guide your team through this activity:

Assign a recorder and a speaker for your group. Brainstorm for five minutes with your team to identify enhancements or

changes that you would make to the item. The recorder will make a list of all ideas mentioned in those five minutes. Changes or enhancements could be anything; you are not limited by cost.

After five minutes, select ideas to enhance or change the item from the brainstorming list.

For the next ten minutes, each member of the team should develop and sketch a potential change or enhancement to your product.

Your team will take five additional minutes to develop a justification for each potential change to the item.

Your team speaker will present your changes to the class.

Conclusion1. What factors must be considered when changing or enhancing a design?

2. Why it is important to document the brainstorming process?

3. What is the purpose of sketching your ideas?

4. What effective or ineffective techniques did the group speaker use to communicate your idea to the class?

Activity 1.5 The Deep DiveIntroduction

How do professional design companies work through a design process? The video you are about to see chronicles the efforts of a world-renowned design firm, as they apply their process to the redesign of a common, everyday product.

One of the best-documented examples of the design process in action took place in Palo Alto, California, at an industrial design firm called IDEO. ABC News gave IDEO the challenge of redesigning the old and familiar shopping cart in just five days. Nightline chronicled the experience and aired the program on February 9, 1999.

This short documentary reinforces the idea that fantastic solutions can be produced under very difficult constraints when the designers have a commitment to the problem, a firm understanding of a design process, and a willingness to operate as a team.

In this activity you will watch the Deep Dive documentary and record information related to the design process used in the redesign of a shopping cart.

Equipment

VCR or DVD player Television The Deep Dive DVD

ProcedureIn this activity you will watch a group of professionals work to solve a design problem in just five days. Answer the following questions as you watch The Deep Dive. A class discussion will take place following the broadcast.

1. “From the buildings in which we live and work, to the cars we drive, or the knives and forks with which we eat, everything we use was designed to create some sort of marriage between _________________ and _________________.”

2. The folks at IDEO state that they are not experts in any given area. But they do claim to be experts on the ____________________, which they apply to the innovation of consumer products.

3. After the team of designers is brought together, introduced to the problem, and informed they have five days to “pull it off,” what phase of the design process do they immediately engage in?

4. Give two examples of what the team members did during this phase.

a. _____________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________

5. List five rules-of-thumb that IDEO employees follow when they share ideas during the brainstorming phase:

a. _____________________________________________________

b. _____________________________________________________

c. _____________________________________________________

d. _____________________________________________________

e. _____________________________________________________

6. Why should wild (and sometimes crazy) ideas be entertained during the brainstorming phase?

7. After the brainstorming phase was over, the team narrowed down the hundreds of ideas by _____________ for those ideas that were not only “cool” but also _________________ in a short period of time. Which phase of the design process includes brainstorming and narrowing ideas?

8. IDEO believes that the ideas and efforts of a ______________ will always be more successful than the planning of a lone genius.

9. Once the ideas were narrowed down and divided into categories, the group was split into four smaller teams. For which phase(s) of the design process was each of these groups responsible?

10.The leaders at IDEO believe that ________________ behavior and a ______________ environment are two important reasons why their employees are able to think quickly and creatively to produce innovative results.

11.Sometimes, people come up with great solutions that work by trying their ideas first and asking for _________________ later.

12.Design is often a process of going too far and having to take a few steps back. What phase(s) of the design process would the critique of the four mock-ups come under?

13.Upon critique of the four teams’ models, it was obvious that none of the teams had developed an optimum solution. However, the people at IDEO believe that it is important to _____________ often in order to _____________ sooner.

14.What percentage of the entire week’s time did it take to fabricate the final prototype?

15. Instead of showering his design team with a tremendous amount of praise, what did the boss require his employees to do with their new design?

16.Of all the things that we are surrounded by every day, what has not been placed through the design process?

Extend Your Understanding (Optional)Engineers need to know what problems they are addressing. They must have an idea about the degree to which the solution should be carried out, along with what the solution should do to solve the problem. The engineer must also work within constraints, such as time and budget. A design brief is a tool that is used to concisely identify the problem, solution expectations, and project constraints. The engineer will often return to the design brief throughout a design process to assess the progress and validity of his or her creative work.

Imagine that you are part of that design team. The project leader has given you the responsibility of creating a design brief that defines the problem, states the expectations that the solution must meet, and identifies the project criteria and constraints. Your design brief will serve as a guide to the team as they work through the design process.

From your observations of the video, record your information in the design brief on the following page or in your engineering notebook.

Shopping Cart Redesign Design BriefClient:Who is the customer or client that is paying for the design service?End User:Who is going to use the new product?

Designer(s):Who was responsible for the design of the revised grocery cart?

Problem Statement:What was the problem that the design team was trying to solve? Write your answer as a complete sentence.

Design Statement:To what degree was the solution to be realized? Was the design team’s intention to merely sketch an idea and be done? Was the intention to come up with an idea, build it, and stop there? Or, was it the design team’s intention to design, build, and test an idea? What expectation(s) did the design have to meet before it would be considered a successful solution to the problem? In other words, what did the solution have to do?

_______________________________________________

Criteria & Constraints:What criteria did the solution have to meet? What limitations did the design team have to work with? Was there a time constraint to get the project finished?

Conclusion1. What was the most impressive part of the team’s effort?

2. What advantages are there to having a design team with members that have non-engineering backgrounds?

3. There was a point in the process where a self-appointed group of adults stepped up, stopped the ideas, and redirected the group to break up into teams. Why was this done?

4. At the end of the video, Dave Kelly states, “Look around. The only things that are not designed are the things we find in nature.” Can you think of anything that would contradict this statement?

5. Consider the various versions of a design process (below) that were introduced in the Design Process presentation that you viewed. How are the processes similar? How are they different?

ITEA Standards for Technology Literacy Design Process used in IED

6. Do you think the tasks completed by the design team during the design challenge or the final solutions have changed if the team had followed a different version of a design process? Explain.

Activity 1.6 Discover EngineeringIntroduction

What is engineering? Many people have difficulty answering this question. In fact, engineering is a diverse field – there are many disciplines within engineering that can involve the application of a very different body of knowledge and skills. Nearly everything that is not “natural” (i.e., created by Mother Nature) most likely was designed and created with input from engineers. The shampoo you used this morning to wash your hair, the technology that cleans the water you drink, the buildings in which you live, work, and attend school, and the iPhone you use to communicate all involved the expertise of engineers in the initial design, building and testing, and final production.

All engineers are problems solvers. The differences among engineers in varying disciplines are dependent on the types of problems that they solve. In general there are four major disciplines within the engineering field: chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical. Many other engineering disciplines are derived as an extension of or specialization within one of these major disciplines. For example, environmental engineering is a subcategory of civil engineering. Other engineering disciplines have resulted from the combination of aspects of two or more of the major disciplines. Mechatronics is a relatively new branch of engineering that incorporates both mechanical and electrical engineering principles.

In this activity you will investigate the four major disciplines of engineering and consider their impact on you and the world.

Equipment Engineering notebook Pencil Computer with internet access

Procedure1. What is engineering? Based on your current perception, in a few sentences

define the term “engineering”.

Now investigate the engineering profession. Some websites that may be helpful in your research include the following.

Discover Engineering. www.discoverengineering.org

Engineering Degrees 101. http://engineeringdegrees101.com/engineering-info/why-become-an-engineer/

Engineer Girl. www.engineergirl.org National Engineers Week. www.eweek.org The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. www.careercornerstone.org Try Engineering. www.tryengineering.org

As you perform your research, record information that will help you respond to the following. Once you have gathered sufficient information, write your responses in the spaces provided.

2. Describe the four major disciplines of engineering and identify problems or projects that an engineer in each discipline might encounter.

Chemical engineering

Civil engineering

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

7. Choose a discipline of engineering (other than chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical) that is of interest to you. Describe this engineering field and explain how it is an extension of, specialization within, or combination of one or more of

the four major engineering disciplines. (Optional – create a PowerPoint slide to describe your chosen engineering discipline.)

Visit the National Academy of Engineering website on the Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century at http://www.greatachievements.org/. Choose one of the achievements listed and read the information provided about your selected achievement. Then, based on what you learn, respond to the following.

8. Describe your selected achievement in a few sentences.

9. Which major discipline of engineering do you think was most involved in the development of this achievement? Justify your answer.

Visit the National Academy of Engineering website on the Grand Engineering Challenges at http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/. Review your choice of

an engineering discipline in number 3 and consider how an engineer within this discipline could contribute to the solution of one or more of the grand challenges.

10. If you were an engineer within the discipline that you chose in number 3, which engineering grand challenge would you like to work on?

11.Describe your selected grand challenge.

12.Why is a solution to this challenge important to the world?

13.How could you, as an engineer in your chosen discipline, contribute to a solution to this challenge?

Conclusion1. What is it about “engineering” that is common to all disciplines of engineering?

That is, what makes an “engineer” an “engineer” regardless of the work one does?

2. Why do you think engineering has been called the stealth profession? (Hint: there are many internet resources that address this question.)

3. How is an engineer different from a scientist?

4. What interpersonal characteristics do you think are important to the success of an engineer of any discipline?

Activity 1.9 Design InnovationIntroduction

Name a product or process that is truly an original invention. You possibly named an Xbox Kinect or an iPhone. These products are examples of high quality consumer products; however, neither is an invention. Both are innovations: an improvement of an existing technological product, system, or method of doing something. The Kinect is an adaptation of existing technology using multiple cameras and facial and voice recognition to interact with a computer using gestures. An iPhone adapts mobile phone technology dating back to 1973.

An invention is a new product, system, or process that has never existed before, created by study and experimentation. An example of an invention is a nanobot. Robots of a size comparable to atoms had not been accomplished previously. The first wheel would be an invention. The modification to make the wheel out of aluminum alloy and cover it with a synthetic rubber tire is an innovation.

In this activity your team will research an original invention and show the timeline of subsequent innovations.

Equipment PC with Internet access Engineering notebook Pencil

Procedure1. Form a two person team with the guidance of your teacher.

2. Select an invention that your team will research. Examples are listed below, though the possibilities are numerous.

a. Anti-lock brakes

b. Multiplane camera

c. 3D printer

d. Bullet-proof glass

e. Internet based social network

f. Garbage disposal

g. Tetracyline

h. Optical fiber

i. Random access memory

j. Playable/recordable sound media

k. Gaming control device

l. Bicycle

m. GPS

n. Crop rotation

o. Hybrid plant

p. Low level laser therapy

q. Cataract surgery

r. Teflon

s. Air conditioner

t. Calculator

u. Eye glasses

v. Kevlar

w. Coffee maker

x. Elevator

Record the invention chosen by your team _________________________

Teacher approval of invention __________________

3. Research the invention chosen by your team. Discover at least the information below and document in your engineering notebook.

a. When was the product invented?

b. What need did the product address?

c. Who invented the product?

d. List any existing patents.

e. What materials were originally used to make the product?

f. How was the product originally made?

g. What improvements have been made to the product?

h. Why were these improvements made?

i. Who uses the product?

j. What is the global impact on society of the invention and subsequent innovations?

k. If you had the ability to change this product in any way, what would you change?

4. Prepare to make a three to five minute presentation to your peers on the invention and innovation. Include a minimum of the information shown below.

a. Include your team member names, class, period, and selected invention.

b. Explain the original invention and patents.

c. List the discipline(s) of engineering most important to the development of the product and explain how these disciplines were essential.

d. Provide a timeline drawn to scale showing the history of the invention and evolution.

e. Identify major changes that have occurred in the design of the product.

f. Address the global impact on society and the environment.

g. Provide a reference page of at least four Internet sites and other sources used to gather your presentation information. Record all citations in APA style.

5. As a class combine research findings into a timeline drawn to scale. Each invention should be included on the timeline with a brief statement about the importance of the advancement or achievement. The timeline scale will show development pace including time lapse between achievements.

Conclusion1. Define and differentiate invention and innovation.

2. What were the major factors that contributed to past innovations of the invention that you researched?

3. How has the pace of development changed through the history of the design?

4. What future innovations to the chosen invention do you predict?

Activity 1.9 Design Innovation RubricElements Weight 5 Points 4 Points 3 Points 2 Points 1 – 0 Points Total

Content

The information included is accurate and completely addresses each component of the assigned topic or research question.

The information included adequately addresses each component of the assigned topic or research question.

The information included inadequately addresses the assigned topic or research question. The information included is sometimes inaccurate.

The information included does not address the assigned topic or research.

There is no evidence of accurate content information.

Organization

The content has been organized using the appropriate method. The required information is easy to locate within the report.

The report content has been mostly organized using a logical sequence, but some flaws exist. The required information is generally easy to locate within the report.

The report content has been organized using a somewhat logical sequence. The presentation is sometimes confusing.

The report content is disorganized. The required information is difficult to locate within the report.

The report does not include evidence of organization.

Delivery

Effectively and creatively delivers the information while staying on topic and considering the audience. Excellent use of voice, posture, eye contact, gestures and pace. Interesting and vivid to hear.

Good delivery of information while staying on topic and considering the audience. Speaks clearly and confidently although may not demand attention or inspire interest.

Adequately delivers the information while staying on topic. Lack of confidence, appears nervous and fidgety. Marginal use of posture, eye contact, gestures, pace. Poor voice volume and intonation.

Delivers the information but does not stay on topic. Little consideration of audience. Uses incomplete sentences. Speaker appears anxious. Difficult to hear.

Little attempt is made to stay on topic. Does not consider audience. Presentation is difficult to follow and understand.

© 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.IED Activity 1.9 Design Innovation Rubric – Page 26

Quality

Effective use of templates or designs which make the slides visually appealing. Excellent use of high quality photographs, graphs, images, etc. that support and enhance the presentation.

Effective use of templates. Slides were somewhat appealing. Good use of photographs, graphs, and images, etc. that help to enhance the presentation.

Slides were somewhat appealing, but were not consistent. Some photographs, graphs, and images but may not enhance the presentation or support the content.

Ineffective use of templates. Few photographs, graphs or images or images are unrelated to content.

Slides were not effective or appealing. No use of pictures, graphs, and computer models.

Readability

All words and text are large, bold, and easy to read. Statements are brief and concise. No misspellings. Excellent grammar.

Most of the words and text are large, bold, and easy to read. Statements are brief and concise. One or two misspellings. Good grammar.

Some of the words and text are difficult to read. Statements are too long or are missing important elements. A few misspellings or grammatical mistakes.

Most of the words and text are difficult to read. Statements are too long. Presentation lacks detail. Several misspellings or poor grammar.

Text is insufficient to convey information in presentation. No detail. Consistent use of poor grammar or misspelled words.

Timing

Presentation lasted three to five minutes.

Presentation did not adhere to timeframe but lasted more than one minute.

Presentation lasted less than one minute.

© 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.IED Activity 1.9 Design Innovation Rubric – Page 27