APSC 100

Engineering Design

The process of applying engineering knowledge and skills to solve real-world, open-ended problems

Engineering Design Process S0

The problem

Engineering Design Process 1

Understand the problem

Engineering Design Process S2

Generate ways to solve the problem

Engineering Design Process S3

Narrow down and the choose the promising one

Engineering Design Process S4

Develop

Engineering Design Process S4.5

Review and revise

Engineering Design Process S4

Implement

Actual Costs Curve

Money, time, and resources. Low costs early on, and increases as you proceed in the design process (e^x)

Costs Committed Curve

The decisions made early in the design process determines the costs (log(x))

Stakeholder: 

Anyone who is influence by or can influence the project. We need to consider who the stakeholders are, what degree of influence they may have, and what needs they have

Needs:

The stakeholder wants and expectations of what the final design should be or do

About stakeholder needs

Different stakeholder groups tend to have different needs

Stakeholders, even from the same group, may have varying and opposing needs

Some needs may be expected and so obvious that nobody thinks to speak about the need

Threshold Needs

Needs that are expected but not spoken about

Expressed Needs

Important needs that stakeholders speak about

Latent Needs

Needs that stakeholders have not thought about, but they would be happy if these needs were to be addressed

Generating Ideas

The more ideas we can generate, the better the chance of having strong idea. We should also have varying ideas, and only stop once we know that we have come up with enough ideas.

When should we stop generating ideas

This depends on

1. How good we feel about our current ideas

2. Whether the current ideas have a good chance to solve the problem

3. How much time we have available

4. How standard the problem is

5. How quickly we are coming up with new ideas

Anchoring

Becoming stuck on one idea, and only generating versions of the same idea

Solution Generation Guidelines

1. Generate as many unique ideas

• Focus on the amount, not how good they are

• Welcome creative and unusual ideas

2. Avoid anchoring

3. Do not evaluate ideas

• Focus on what changes can make ideas work

4. Generate varying ideas

• Work independently and in a team

• Sketch, discuss, tinker

Collaborative Sketch

1. Each person individually sketches 

• Simple drawings, no words

• Focused time, no speaking

2. The sketches are passed around so that each team member has worked on each idea

3. Everyone has equal time and equal input to every idea

Engineering Design Process S3 Goal

Narrow down all possible solutions to our design problem, and identify the solution to be developed

Requirements:

The must have features for a design to be considered acceptable

Screening

Remove the solutions that do not meet our requirements. We should always look to see if there is something we can do to modify a solution to make it work before we discard

Evaluation Criteria:

Measures that distinguish between better or worse performance in the eyes of the stakeholders

Ranking

Roughly rank ideas highest to lowest performance based on the evaluation criteria. We should know roughly which solutions are most promising, but not spend too much time. There should be a number of ideas that are highly ranked and will move forward to scoring

• Too many ideas through ranking creates more work to analyze ideas

• Too few ideas through ranking might overlook the top idea

Scoring

Analyze the higher ranked ideas and quantify them based on relative performance

• A WDM is used in this process

Ranking Methods

1. Individual, independent vote (avoid groupthink)

• Based on vote numbers, carry an amount of

• Based on incomplete information and subjective evaluation

2. Borda count

• Individually rank ideas where the highest gets the most points

3. Pairwise Comparison

• Compare each concept to every other concept, one at time

• Find the concepts that are favored more often

4. Criterion-based Ranking

• The most comprehensive approach based on the performance in each criteria

• Determine whether each concept is above average for each criteria

Iteration

We may find that out concept is not the best approach. We should keep track of our ideas and decisions if we need to revise them later on.

Prototype

Simple models and representations of a final design. Used to study different aspects of the design problem and answer different questions along the way. In general we look at the simplest and quickest ways. Prototypes tend to progress from focused to comprehensive as we become more committed to our design

Focused Prototype

Captures one or two aspects of a design

Comprehensive Prototype

Near complete representations of the design

Physical Prototype

Tangible real-world models of the design. They are more expensive to make

Virtual Prototype

Simulations that do not use any physical resources

Early Prototypes

Quick, inexpensive, simple prototypes

• Explore

• Suggest

• Question

• Provoke

Late Prototypes

Detailed, accurate prototypes

• Refine

• Describe

• Answer

• Resolve

We are willing to invest more in prototypes due to greater consequences of errors

Audience

Who you are presenting to

1. Understand what your audience already knows, what they need to know, and what they do not know about the topic

2. Helps you determine the focus of your presentation and how you deliver your message for maximum impact

• Affects how simple or complex your presentation can be, and whether you can use jargon or need to define key terms

3. Know your audience’s opinion on your topic and what they hope to get out of your communication

Purpose

Your goals and reason behind your communication

• What information to convey, and how to convey it

• Convince? Teach? Educate public?

• You can have a mixed purpose with informing and persuasive elements

1. Inform: describe, review, instruct, explain, demonstrate

2. Persuade: convince, influence, recommend, change, justify

Context

All the other elements revolving your communication

1. What led you to developing the communication?

• Requested? Update?

2. What is the setting of the communication?

3. What other factors related to time, tools, and space are relevant?

Goals of Module 2

• Appreciate the complexity and uncertainty typical of real engineering problems

• Develop a tolerance for ambiguity in engineering problems

Problems with Vehicles

• Per km travelled by person, vehicles have high cost

• Consume huge amounts of energy

• Large environmental impact

• Vehicles take up a lot of space

Re-allocating spaces 

Spaces previously devoted to cars can be transformed into

• Pedestrian spaces

• More spaces for small retailers and markets

• More nature and greenspaces

• Opportunities for cultural and artistic experiences

• Community events and social gatherings

Space affects well-being

When there are more natural elements

• Happiness

• Trust

• Desire to return

• Attraction to space

Active Transportation

Cycling and walking benefits mental and physical well-being, and reduces demands and costs on healthcare systems

Trip Time vs Trip Distance

Drive

• For short distances, slower than walking

• For longer distances, faster than walking

Transit

• Travels slightly slower than cars

• Requires to get to the stop, and wait for transit

Cycling

• The most average efficient trip

AAA Designation

For bike lanes, should be usable by all ages and abilities

• Safe: away from traffic, good visibility, traffic lights at busy intersections

• Comfortable: room to pass, smooth surfaces, good lighting

• Convenient: good connections on the network, limited grade

becomes more welcoming and attracts new cyclists

Economic Impacts

• Cyclists have more disposable income, and spend more

• Cyclists are more likely to stop during commute their commute to spend money at businesses, compared to vehicles

helps the economy

Types of Scales

Scales are part of an engineering mindset

Spatial: Physical extent of a device or problem

Temporal: Time from now, to the future, and the distant future

Organizational: Different levels of government and society

How do scales help us

• Helps us understand the problem more fully

• To consider all of the people involved

• Explore the full range of impacts now and into the future

• Solving the right problem and deliver the best solution we can

• Look for the best overall solution, not technical

Scales

A mindset to help us view and understand problems, NOT to directly solve the problem

• the best solution could come at any scale

Salient term

To be important or prominent

• Salience of stakeholders helps us understand how to interact with each stakeholder group

Salience

How prominent and important a stakeholder is in a given project

What are the three elements to salience

Power, legitimacy, and urgency

Power

How much a stakeholder can influence the project

• Decision-making authority

• Financial or resource contribution

• Expertise

Urgency

How important a project is to a stakeholder’s needs

• How much they care about the issue

• How much they want timely action

• Time-sensitive

Legitimacy

The rights a stakeholder has to have a say in a project

• Legal rights: indigenous

• Moral rights: those who’s livelihoods are affected

Types of stakeholders based on the saliency model

Primary: possesses all three attributes

Secondary: possesses two attributes

Tertiary: possesses only one attribute

• none: not a stakeholder

Rights Holder:

Anyone whose legal rights could be impacted by a project

Engagement Strategies

• Inform of project and monitor them: all

• Provide opportunities to give input: primary, secondary

• Involve during decision-making: primary

Sustainability

Meet the needs of the present without compromising the future. The capacity of human society to continue indefinitely within the earth’s natural cycles

Environment (dimension)

How we interact with the biosphere

• Clear air and water

• Biodiversity

• Conservation

• Emission reductions

• Management

Society (dimension)

• Health

• Safety

• Human rights

• Education

• Opportunity

Economy (dimension)

• Employment

• Prosperity

• Trade

• Business

• Innovation

Bearable

Environment and Society

• Urban green spaces

• Shoreline cleanup

• Environmental justice

Viable

Environment and Economy

• Resource efficiency

• Renewable energy

• Product stewardship

Equitable

Economy and Society

• Job creation

• Skills enhancement

• Local economic impact

Four Principles Framework

• Avoid removing materials from the earth faster than they can naturally replenish

• Avoid making things and releasing substances faster than they can naturally break down

• Avoid degrading ecosystems faster than they can naturally regrow

• As a society, move toward happiness, well-being, and meeting the needs of all people

Simple System

• small number of elements

• deterministic (predictable)

Complicated

• large number of elements

• deterministic (predictable)

Complex System

• Large number of interacting elements

• Not deterministic (randomness)

• Adaptable to disturbances

Causal Loop Diagram

Complex system under a qualitative analysis

Balancing Loop

When there is an odd number of negative links

Reinforcing Loop

When there is an even number of negative links (or none)

• The parameter we started with will behave the same way it started

Profession

A group of individuals widely recognized by the public who

• Possess specialized knowledge or skills

• Have received special training or education

• Adhere to ethical standards

• Apply their knowledge and skills

Code of Ethics

Values and beliefs through a series of tenets, in and out of work

Engineers Canada

Regulates the engineering profession

Engineering titles

Engineer and engineering are protected

• Working on degree: Engineering Student

• When you graduate: Engineering Graduate

• Apply to become an: Engineering in Training

• Once you are licensed: Professional Engineer

Engineering Seal

Allows you to stamp documents and drawings (as a professional engineer) to ensure that the work done has been made to the standards expected of a competent engineer. It signifies that you are responsible for that work even if others did the work under your supervision

How to become a professional engineer

1. Graduate accredited by Engineers Canada

2. Gain work experience for 3-5 years under the supervision of a professional engineer

3. Study for, and pass a professional practice exam on engineering law, ethics, and profession

Iron Ring

Given when you graduate from your engineering program. It is a reminder of the professional and obligations for the wearer

Iron Pin

Received as an engineering student, and at the ceremony you can adopt the engineering student code of ethics

Weight in a WDM

The weights reflect the priorities of the stakeholders

Scores in a WDM

Scores reflect the estimated stakeholder satisfaction. 10/10 full addresses needs and expectations, 0/10 is minimally acceptable

Sensitivity Analysis

Checking how sensitive the results are

• Making changes to the raw scores given 

• Making changes to the weights

Hybrid Concept

Putting two concepts together to create one concept that does a lot better in the WDM analysis