Technical – Aesthetic – Economic

The term design can have different meanings and interpretations depending on the context and the discipline. For example, graphic design is concerned with the visual aspects of a product, such as colors, fonts, images, and layouts. Product structure design is focused on the physical components and functions of a product, such as materials, shapes, mechanisms, and interfaces. Other types of design include service design, interaction design, user experience design, and system design. All these design disciplines share some common principles and methods, but they also have their own goals and challenges. Therefore, it is important to understand the scope and nature of each design domain before engaging in a product development process.

Designing is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can be understood from different perspectives. One perspective is aesthetic, which focuses on the form, appearance, and style of a product. Another perspective is technical, which deals with the functionality, performance, and reliability of a product. A third perspective is economic or entrepreneurial, which considers the marketability, and profitability of a product. These perspectives are different yet have important interactions and relationships. For example, a product that is aesthetically pleasing may attract more customers, but it also needs to be technically sound and economically viable. A product that is technically innovative may offer new benefits, but it also needs to be aesthetically appealing and economically feasible. A product that is economically successful may generate more revenue, but it also needs to be aesthetically satisfying and technically reliable. Therefore, design requires a balance and integration of these perspectives to create products that meet the needs and expectations of users and stakeholders.

The most important misconception to address right off the bat is what domain or perspective you should have. The target audience for this text focuses on the technical domain. There is often an underlying anxiety with respect to the other domains. Siloing is a term used when you or your team focus only on one aspect of the design, such as the technical, and trust that others will handle the economic and aesthetic perspectives. You may not be getting a degree in business, but without understanding the economic drivers, your product design may devolve into non-value adding activities. You may or may not consider yourself artistic. However, you can learn and apply principles to develop elegant and functional products. In short, individuals will have specific education, skills, and experience in a particular domain. However, great designers will continuously consider perspectives outside their own throughout the design process.

The Technical Perspective of Product Design

This textbook will focus on the technical perspective of product design. Let’s start with a detailed definition.

Engineering Design is a systematic and iterative process(1) of decision-making(2) to develop(3) a product, service, process, or system(4) to satisfy stakeholder needs.

Let’s dig into this definition a little deeper with the numbers shown above:

1. Understand that the activity of designing involves moving through systematic stages as well as iterations within and between those stages is critical. There is a natural human desire not to revisit a decision once it has been made. However, changes will occur, and knowledge gained from the design process will require revisiting some decisions. However, for design work to be successful it must be moving forward towards completion.
2. Designing is not the same thing as tinkering. Design engineers are not hired to “just try stuff until it works”. Your education and experience are valuable because you will be using them to make decisions. You also have the honorable and grave responsibility for those decisions as the products we make affect human lives.
3. Various stages of designing are often enjoyable for many people. Creative thinking and problem solving, “eureka moments”, and detailed modeling and analytical thinking can be very satisfying. However, designing needs to lead to one of two outcomes: either successful designs or valuable learning experiences.
4. There are many different technical domains in design. Often, there is a significant overlap in methods and goals. However, there are specific tools and practices that are most effective in certain domains. Not all of the tools and techniques in architectural design will be applicable to chemical process design. However, there is often much that can be learned by studying how others design. Always keep an open and learning mindset. This text will focus on techniques and tools that are most effective in the development of electromechanical products.

To misquote Voltaire: “Perfection is the enemy of good enough.” The end goal of design is satisfaction of needs. There will always be tradeoffs. Thus, a successful design is one that meets those needs. Most of the time, there is no way of knowing what the “best” solution will be in the beginning. If any design decision cannot ultimately be traced back to a stakeholder’s needs, that decision should be suspect.