Design

from the Perspective of Competitive Advantage

by
Edwin B. Dean

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[NASA Logo] We frequently use the word 'design', but what is design? Akiyama (1991) notes that

Dean and Unal (1992) maintain that designing is defining and that function analysis and quality function deployment are premiere tools for defining. Jacobson, Christerson, Jonsson, and Overgaard (1992) portray design as an evolution from a low dimensional abstract model to higher dimensional concrete models.

There seem to be two extremes to the design process. Stauffer and Slaughterbeck-Hyde (1989) portray the the use of constraints to narrow the design space to the final solution. This seems to be the design satisficing process typically used in the U.S.A. Taguchi (1986) portrays the target based design optimization process developed in Japan to design quality into the product. Most design processes seem to use both the contraint and target concepts to some degree, although, they may be biased heavily to one extreme or the other. What is the best mix for the future? Time will tell. Multidisciplinary optimization is a test bed for that determination.

When we design, we design a system to satisfy a set of purposes. The typical system contains hardware, software, people, processes, purpose, organization, and behavior. When life is involved in the system to be designed, there are specific subsystems which must be considered (Miller, 1978). The associated considerations, such as safety, become a part of the set of purposes. The set of the purposes of the system is often called the requirements. The net effect is that we must design the system holistically and we must design the system for many purposes.

Given the above thoughts and almost 40 years of designing, I submit that, in the general sense, design is the definition of form to satisfy desire. That is why I also suggest that comprehensive QFD, implemented under total quality control, is the current process which most exemplifies the basic function of design.

All students of and teachers of engineering design should have read Jones (1981), Hollins and Pugh (1990), Pugh (1991) and Pugh (1996). Bralla (1996) addresses a number of things we now understand we must design for. Norman (1988) provides a refreshing perspective on user centered design.

My latest thoughts on design are here.

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References

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Bibliographies

Design Bibliography
Living Systems Theory and Design Bibliography

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Surfing the Web

Centre for Design Research at Stanford University
Center for Lifelong Learning and Design (L3D)
Centre for Design at RMIT
CMU Engineering Design Research Center
CMU n-dim Project
Customer Oriented Design Methods
Clemson University Design Methodology Group
Decision-Based Design Open Workshop
Design Theories and Studies
Engineering Design at The University of Virginia
Functional Design
Newcastle EPSRC Engineering Design Center
Systems Realization Laboratory
Virtual Library: Design

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System Technologies | Genopersistation | Use

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