Engineering Design Processes
A design is a specific plan or blueprint for the creation of an actual object or machine, or even for the practical application of an idea, product or procedure, or even the resultant of that plan or blueprint in the form of a finished product, prototype or procedure. The word design also implies the process of generating a design. Design comes under the umbrella term of art. In a more technical sense design would be described as the process of coming up with or discovering a new design.
The design process requires analysis, experimentation, and selection of appropriate means and methods by which to implement the design. The end product is designed keeping the need for flexibility, performance, reliability, robustness, cost effectiveness and accessibility in mind. The designer is responsible for determining the time-frame, the scope, the materials, and the manner of implementing the design as well as adhering to the legal requirements. The designer may use a variety of techniques and methods to design solutions to complex problems.
The rational model approach provides a tool for testing design solutions to problems in a controlled environment. It is based on the premise that design goals are not fixed but changeable, taking into account changes in demand and technology. This assumption is challenged by the fact that the quality of a product depends primarily on its relationship to its end users. Thus, the rational model implies that there is no such thing as a priori knowledge of the end user, and therefore the end users must be dealt with directly. Rational model based engineering design goals provide a framework for designing products and systems and for understanding their complexity and their effect on the organization’s overall objectives and strategies.