TCU 301: INNOVATION AND DESIGN

LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING INNOVATION AND DESIGN

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Welcome to our first lesson in TCU 301(Innovation and Design) which is introduction to
engineering innovation and design. This lesson will be a great learning experience exposing you
to interesting, material which will challenge you to think deeply about innovation and design
process and phases and providing skills useful in professional practice.

1.2 Lesson Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to;

1.2.1 Define concepts and analyze the objectives of innovation and design

1.2.2 Illustrate engineering design process

1.2.3 Illustrate phases of engineering design

1.2.1 Concepts and objectives of innovation and design

Terminology

Innovation in its modern meaning is "a new idea, creative thoughts, and new imaginations in
form of device or method".
Innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new
requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs. Such innovation takes place through
the provision of more-effective products, processes, services, technologies, or business models
that are made available to markets, governments and society.
An innovation is something original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks
into" the market or society.
Innovation is related to, but not the same as, invention, as innovation is more apt to involve the
practical implementation of an invention (ie new / improved ability) to make a meaningful
impact in the market or society, and not all innovations require an invention. Innovation
often[quantify] manifests itself via the engineering process, when the problem being solved is of
a technical or scientific nature. The opposite of innovation is exnovation.

Design “’To design’ refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a product,
structure, system, or component with intention

A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the
implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the form of
a prototype, product or process.

Design Innovation, as you can infer, is a process used to create innovation.

It focuses on addressing people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and devising a
viable business strategy to derive value from this market opportunity.

Creativity is the biggest attribute to design

Why do we design? (To meet a need/ find a solution)

Design does not just solve the problem, but will look for its ipact to the large community.

Good design will go aheat of time and look at the solution for its relevance

An ENGINEER is the custodian of adesign

 Design Innovation Framework Diagram

Design constraints

Design is not an open field. It has many constraints. An engineer has to carefully understand these
constraints and work out a design that fits the situation. This at times puts break on creativity and limit
choices in design. Such challenges include;

Example when designing a drill its weight should not exceed 12kg!!!

Numbering, pacing and sequencing 1.2.1

Title Concepts and objectives of innovation and design
Purpose To define concepts and analyze the objectives of
innovation and design
Brief summary of overall task Read this book on design chapter 1 pg 4-5 and watch
this video on Outcomes and objectives of innovation.
Explain the importance of mechanical engineering
design.

Spark

Why have different designs?

Individual task 1. After reading the book and watching the video,
summarize the objectives of innovation.
2 what are some of the individual needs, national needs,
and universal needs?
3. Which came first? Science, engineering or technology
and why?
4. giving examples explain how constraints limit design
choices

4. Give the answer to the question on the spark

Post your answers on the discussion forum 1.2.1
provided

Interaction begins ● Read what your colleagues have posted in the

discussion forum1.2.1
● Keeping netiquette in mind, comment on what three
of your colleagues have posted.
● Read the facilitator’s comments too to get feedback
Add any new point you have learnt to your
notes/portfolio
E-moderator interventions

Schedule and time This task should take 30 minutes

Next engineering design process
1.2.2 Engineering design process

What is the design process? How does it begin? Does the engineer simply sit down at a desk with a blank
sheet of paper jot down some ideas? What happens next? What factors or control decisions have to be
made? How does the design process end?

10 principles for good design - by Dieter Rams

In 1976, Dieter Rams gave a speech in New York on his design work for Vitsoe. For Rams, his 10
principles for good design were a method of organizing his own thinking about what makes good design.
Since then, they have influenced generations of designers, including Apple's former design guru, pioneer
and influencer of today's Smartphone design - British designer Jonathan Ive. The i-Phone calculator was
considered a digital version of Rams' Braun devices.

“My heart belongs to the details. I actually always found them to be more important than the
big picture. Nothing works without details. They are everything, the baseline of quality."-
Dieter Rams

Numbering, pacing and sequencing 1.2.2

Title Engineering design process
Purpose To illustrate Engineering design process

Brief summary of overall task Read this article , this article and watch this video on
Outcomes and objectives of innovation. Outline the
steps of engineering design process

Spark

The figure shows a design objective tree of a robotic

arm. List any 5 objectives
Individual task 1. After reading the book the article and watching the
video, summarize the objectives of innovation.
2 outline the 10 principles for good design - by Dieter
 Rams
3. explain this phrase ‘Less, but better’ as used by
Dieter Rams in design

4. Give the answer to the question on the spark

Post your answers on the discussion forum 1.2.2
provided

Interaction begins ● Read what your colleagues have posted in the

discussion forum 1.2.2
● Keeping netiquette in mind, comment on what three
of your colleagues have posted.
● Read the facilitator’s comments too to get feedback
Add any new point you have learnt to your
notes/portfolio
E-moderator interventions

Schedule and time This task should take 45 minutes

Next engineering design process

1.2.3 Phases of engineering design

Are there “phases” of design? How do design decisions change over time? Is there a logical grouping of
decisions?

MORPHOLOGY OF DESIGN

There are Seven basic phases for morphology of design process are following:

Conceptual design (Define problem, Gather information, concept generation, Concept selection)

Embodiment design

Detail design

Planning for manufacture

Planning for distribution

Planning for use

Planning for the retirement of the product.

Numbering, pacing and sequencing 1.2.3
Title Phases of engineering design

Purpose To Illustrate phases of engineering design

Brief summary of overall task Read this article on concepts of engineering design and
this video on morph charts. Enumerate the activities that
are undertaken during conceptualization process

Spark

Explain the embodiment phase of design

Individual task After reading the article and the video
1.list the design blocks for a water bottle
2.what is the role of an engineer during the
embodiment phase
3. explain the importance of planning for retirement
of a product
4. What are the various considerations of a good
design?
5. Give the answer to the question on the spark
Post your answers on the discussion forum 1.2.3
provided

Interaction begins ● Read what your colleagues have posted in the

discussion forum 1.2.3
● Keeping netiquette in mind, comment on what three
of your colleagues have posted.
● Read the facilitator’s comments too to get feedback
Add any new point you have learnt to your
notes/portfolio
E-moderator interventions

Schedule and time This task should take 45 minutes

Next Design tools and resources;
Standards and codes and economics
1.3 Assessment questions

1. During which step of the design process would a design brief be written?

a. Identify Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Develop a Solution
d. Evaluate a solution
2. Read the narrative below. Select the best answer that indicates which phase of the design
process is being described in the statement. Narrative: TCD Design Incorporated has just
signed a contract to create a new keyless entry system that is based on fingerprint verification
technology. The design team, led by Ms. Grace Arnold, has eight months to design, test, and
deliver the system to the client. Statement: Grace schedules a meeting between her design team
and several representatives from the client company to discuss the project constraints and to
write up a design brief.
a. Define Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Develop a Solution
d. Construct and Test a Prototype
e. Evaluate Solution
f. Present Solution

3. Read the narrative below. Select the best answer that indicates which phase of the design
process is being described in the statement. Narrative: TCD Design Incorporated has just
signed a contract to create a new keyless entry system that is based on fingerprint verification
technology. The design team, led by Ms. Grace Arnold, has eight months to design, test, and
deliver the system to the client. Statement: The team demonstrates the final design prototype to
the client and delivers a detailed technical report.
a. Define Problem
b. Generate Concepts
c. Develop a Solution
d. Construct and Test a Prototype
e. Evaluate Solution
f. Present Solution
4. A full-size clay model of a new car body design would be considered a _______________.
a. Prototype
b. Mock-up
c. Conceptual model
d. Mathematical model
5. Which of the following disciplines involves the complex analysis, design, and development of
solutions to technical problems?
a. Mathematics
 b. Engineering
c. Science
d. Medicine

6.What is a prototype?
a. An improvement of an existing technological product, system, or method of doing
something.
b. A new product, system, or process that has never existed before, created by study and
experimentatio
c. A full-scale working model used to test a design concept by making actual observations
and necessary adjustments.
d. A tangible artifact produced by means of either human or mechanical work, or by
biological or chemical process.
7.A limit to a design process or a limitation or restriction.
a. Problem Identification
b. Short-Circuit
c. Constraint
d. Hexapod
8. An improvement of an existing technological product, system, or method of doing something.

a. Physics
b. Prototype
c. Client
d. Innovation
9. What term best describes the list of items below?
_ Must be made out of 4 to 6 pieces
-Must be "interlocking"
-part cannot extend more than 3 units in any direction
-no two parts can be the same.
a. client
b. Problem statement
c. Deliverables
d. Constraints
10. The order of the six steps in the Design Process are........

a. generate concepts 
define the problem
develop the solution
evaluate the solution
Construct test and prototype
present the solution
b. define the problem
generate concepts
construct test and prototype
develop the solution
present the solution
evaluate the solution

c. Define the problem

Generate concepts
develop the solution
construct test and prototype
evaluate the solution
present the solution

1.4 E-references

Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design available on

https://www.academia.edu/15016265/Shigleys_Mechanical_Engineering_Design_8th_Edition

Audiopedia Outcomes and objectives of innovation available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=T4if0wIzgfQ

Dierter Rams on good design principle available on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams

Engineering Innovation & Design available on https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/engineering-systems-

division/esd-051j-engineering-innovation-and-design-fall-2012/lecture-notes-and-
videos/MITESD_051JF12_Lec02.pdf

Concepts in engineering design available on

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319310580_LECTURE_NOTES_ON_CONCEPTS_IN_ENGI
NEERING_DESIGN_UNIT-3-_DESCRIPTION_OF_DESIGN_PROCESS

Audiopedia Morph Charts available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzT6mpOQTTo

Design of a Three Degrees of Freedom Robotic Arm available on

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324595819_Design_of_a_Three_Degrees_of_Freedom_Robotic
_Arm/figures?lo=1