Abstract
This paper introduces a new prescriptive model of conceptual engineering design. The model is based on the method called parameter analysis (PA) and the relatively new descriptive model called C–K theory. PA was developed based on observations of designers in action, while C–K theory has a strong foundation in logic theory. The new model combines the benefits of C–K theory and PA to overcome the lack of a strong theoretical foundation in PA and the insufficient prescriptive power of C–K theory. The paper describes in detail the process of developing the new model, which was similar to product development. It started with conceptualization in order to define a set of key factors and principles, i.e., the conceptual foundation or the “ideology” of the new prescriptive model. Next, those principles were integrated into a structured systematic procedure to form the new prescriptive model. The conceptual design of a realistic design task is used to demonstrate the application of the new model. The significance of the current work is the contribution to the theory and practice of engineering design, eventually leading to improved design processes and better designed products. Reporting on the experimental testing of the new model will follow in the future.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altshuller GS (1984) Creativity as an exact science: the theory of the solution of inventive problems. Gordon and Breach, Amsterdam
Andreasen MM, Howard TJ, Bruun HPL (2014) Domain theory, its models and concepts. In: Chakrabarti A, Blessing LTM (eds) An anthology of theories and models of design: philosophy, approaches and empirical explorations. Springer, London, pp 171–192
Badke-Schaub P, Eris O (2014) A theory of design intuition: does design methodology need to account for processes of the unconscious such as intuition? In: Chakrabarti A, Blessing LTM (eds) An anthology of theories and models of design: philosophy, approaches and empirical explorations. Springer, London, pp 351–368
Ball L, Evans J, Dennis I (1994) Cognitive processes in engineering design: a longitudinal study. Ergonomics 37(11):1753–1786
Blessing LTM, Chakrabarti A (2009) DRM, a design research methodology. Springer, London
Bracha D, Reich Y (2003) Topological structures for modelling engineering design processes. Res Eng Des 14(4):185–199
Cavallucci D (2014) Designing the inventive way in the innovation area. In: Chakrabarti A, Blessing LTM (eds) An anthology of theories and models of design: philosophy, approaches and empirical explorations. Springer, London, pp 233–258
Chakrabarti A, Bligh TP (2001) A scheme for functional reasoning in conceptual design. Des Stud 22:493–517
Chen Y, Zhao M, Xie Y, Zhang Z (2015a) A new model of conceptual design based on scientific ontology and intentionality theory. Part I: the conceptual foundation. Des Stud 37:12–36
Chen Y, Zhao M, Xie Y, Zhang Z (2015b) A new model of conceptual design based on scientific ontology and intentionality theory. Part II: the process model. Des Stud 38:139–160
Christiaans H, Dorst C (1992) Cognitive models in industrial design engineering: a protocol study. In: Taylor DL, Stauffer DA (eds) Design theory and methodology—DTM92. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York
Coatanéa E, Roca R, Mokhtarian H, Mokammel F, Ikkala K (2016) A conceptual modeling and simulation framework for system design. Comput Sci Eng 18(4):42–52
Cross N (2000) Engineering design methods: strategies for product design, 3rd edn. The Open University, Milton Keynes
Cross N (2004) Expertise in design: an overview. Des Stud 25(5):427–441
Culley SJ (2014) Revisiting design as an information processing activity. In: Chakrabarti A, Blessing LTM (eds) An anthology of theories and models of design: philosophy, approaches and empirical explorations. Springer, London, pp 371–394
Dorst K, Cross N (2001) Creativity in the design process: co-evolution of problem–solution. Des Stud 22(5):425–437
Elmquist M, Le Masson P (2009) The value of a ‘failed’ R&D project: an emerging evaluation framework for building innovative capabilities. R&D Manag 39(2):136–152
Finger S, Dixon JR (1989) A review of research in mechanical engineering design. Part I Descriptive, prescriptive, and computer-based models of design processes. Res Eng Des 1:51–67
Forsberg K, Mooz H (1991) The relationship of system engineering to the project cycle. In: Proceedings of the first annual symposium of national council on system engineering, October 1991, pp 57–65
Fricke G (1996) Successful individual approaches in engineering design. Res Eng Des 8:151–165
Gero JS (1996) Creativity, emergence and evolution in design: concepts and framework. Knowl Based Syst 9(7):435–448
Gero JS, Kannengiesser U (2004) The situated function–behaviour–structure framework. Des Stud 25:373–391
Goldschmidt G (2014) Modeling the role of sketching in design idea generation. In: Chakrabarti A, Blessing LTM (eds) An anthology of theories and models of design: philosophy, approaches and empirical explorations. Springer, London, pp 431–448
Hatchuel A, Weil B (2002) C–K theory: notions and applications of a unified design theory. In: Proceedings of Herbert Simon international conference on design sciences, Lyon
Hatchuel A, Weil B (2003) A new approach of innovative design: an introduction to C–K theory. In: Proceedings of 14th international conference on engineering and design (ICED’03), Stockholm, pp 109–124
Hatchuel A, Weil B (2009) C–K design theory: an advanced formulation. Res Eng Des 19:181–192
Hatchuel A, Le Masson P, Weil B (2009) Design theory and collective creativity: a theoretical framework to evaluate KCP process. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’09), Stanford University
Hatchuel A, Le Masson P, Reich Y, Weil B (2011) A systematic approach of design theories using generativeness and robustness. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’11), Paper no. DS68_2-238, Copenhagen, 15–18 August
Hillier FS, Lieberman GJ (2005) Introduction to operations research, 8th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York
Jones JC (1963) A method of systematic design. In: Conference on design methods. Pergamon Press, Oxford
Kazakçi AO, Tsoukias A (2005) Extending the C–K design theory: a theoretical background for personal design assistants. J Eng Des 16(4):399–411
Kroll E (2013) Design theory and conceptual design: contrasting functional decomposition and morphology with parameter analysis. Res Eng Des 24:165–183
Kroll E, Koskela L (2016) Explicating concepts in reasoning from function to form by two-step innovative abductions. Artif Intell Eng Des Anal Manuf 30:125–137
Kroll E, Shihmanter A (2011) Capturing the conceptual design process with concept-configuration-evaluation triplets. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’11), Copenhagen, 15–18 August
Kroll E, Weisbrod G (2015) A search and optimization perspective on conceptual design. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’15), Milan, 27–30 July
Kroll E, Condoor SS, Jansson DG (2001) Innovative conceptual design: theory and application of parameter analysis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Kroll E, Le Masson P, Weil B (2013) Modeling parameter analysis design moves with C–K theory. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’13), Seoul, 19–22 August
Kroll E, Le Masson P, Weil B (2014) Steepest-first exploration with learning-based path evaluation: uncovering the design strategy of parameter analysis with C–K theory. Res Eng Des 25:351–373
Kruger C, Cross N (2006) Solution driven versus problem driven design: strategies and outcomes. Des Stud 27:527–548
Lawson B (1979) Cognitive strategies in architectural design. Ergonomics 22:59–68
Le Masson P, Weil B, Hatchuel A (2010) Strategic management of innovation and design. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Maher ML (2001) A model of co-evolutionary design. Eng Comput 16:195–208
Marques PDBC, Silva AJPF, Henriques EMP, Magee CL (2014) A descriptive framework of the design process from a dual cognitive engineering perspective. Int J Des Creat Innov 2(3):142–164
Motte D (2015) Effectiveness of the systematic engineering design methodology. International conference on engineering and design (ICED’15), Milan, 27–30 July
Osborn AF (1963) Applied imagination: principles and procedures of creative problem-solving, 3rd edn. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York
Pahl G, Beitz W, Feldhusen J, Grote KH (2007) Engineering design: a systematic approach, 3rd edn. Springer, London
Pressman RS (2001) Software engineering: a practitioner’s approach. McGraw-Hill, New York
Pugh S (1991) Total design: integrated methods for successful product engineering. Addison-Wesley, Wokingham
Reich Y, Hatchuel A, Shai O, Subrahmanian E (2012) A theoretical analysis of creativity methods in engineering design: casting and improving ASIT within C–K theory. J Eng Des 23(2):137–158
Roozenburg NFM, Eekels J (1995) Product design: fundamentals and methods. Wiley, Chichester
Rowe P (1987) Design thinking. MIT Press, Cambridge
Shah J, Noe VH (2003) Metrics for measuring ideation effectiveness. Des Stud 24:111–134
Shai O, Reich Y (2004) Infused design: II practice. Res Eng Des 15(2):108–121
Shai O, Reich Y, Hatchuel A, Subrahmanian E (2013) Creativity and scientific discovery with infused design and its analysis with C–K theory. Res Eng Des 24:201–214
Simon HA (1972) Theories of bounded rationality. In: McGuire CB, Radner R (eds) Decision and organization. North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp 161–176
Suh NP (1990) Principles of design. Oxford University Press, New York
Ullman DG (2010) The mechanical design process, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York
Ullman DG, Dietterich TG (1987) Mechanical design methodology: implications on future developments of computer-aided design and knowledge-based systems. Eng Comput 2:21–29
Weber C (2005) CPM/PDD—an extended theoretical approach to modelling products and product development processes. In: Bley H, Jansen H, Krause F-L, Shpitalni M (eds) Proceedings of the 2nd German–Israeli symposium on advances in methods and systems for development of products and processes, TU Berlin/Fraunhofer-Institut—für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik (IPK), 7–8 July. Fraunhofer-IRB, Stuttgart, pp 159–179
Weisbrod G (2008) Parachuted radar decoy. US patent no. 7,336,216
Woodbury RF, Burrow AL (2006) Whither design space? Artif Intell Eng Des Anal Manuf 20:63–82
Yoshikawa H (1981) General Design Theory and CAD system. In: Sata T, War-man E (eds) Man–machine communication in CAD/CAM. In: Proceedings of the IFIP WG5.2-5.3 Working conference 1980 (Tokyo), pp 35–37
Zeiler W (2012) Stimulating creativity in building design education: introducing experts and C–K’s C-projectors. 2nd international conference on design creativity (ICDC2012), Glasgow, 18–20 September
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Israel Science Foundation under Grant number 546/12.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weisbrod, G., Kroll, E. Idea-configuration-evaluation (ICE): development and demonstration of a new prescriptive model of the conceptual engineering design process based on parameter analysis and C–K theory. Res Eng Design 29, 203–225 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-017-0263-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-017-0263-6