DESIGN PROCESS

The engineering design process is a common series of steps that engineers use in creating functional
products and processes. The process is highly iterative - parts of the process often need to be repeated
many times before another can be entered - though the part(s) that get iterated and the number of such
cycles in any given project may vary.
It is a decision making process (often iterative) in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and
engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective. Among the
fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis,
analysis, construction, testing and evaluation

Steps of the Engineering Design Process

1. Define the Problem
The engineering design process starts when you ask the following questions about problems that
you observe:
What is the problem or need?
Who has the problem or need?
Why is it important to solve?
[Who] need(s) [what] because [why].
2. Perfom feasibility study/Reseach/back ground research
 A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project design or system. A
feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an
existing design or proposed venture, opportunities and threats present in the natural environment,
the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success In its simplest
terms, the two criteria to judge feasibility are cost required and value to be attained.
A well-designed feasibility study should provide a historical background of the business or
project, a description of the product or service, accounting statements, details of
the operations and management, marketing research and policies, financial data, legal
requirements and tax obligations. Generally, feasibility studies precede technical development
and project implementation.
A feasibility study evaluates the project's potential for success; therefore, perceived objectivity
is an important factor in the credibility of the study for potential investors and lending
institutions. It must therefore be conducted with an objective, unbiased approach to provide
information upon which decision can be based. How to conduct a feasibility study
A feasibility analysis is an in-depth process to determine the factors that will lead a project to
success or failure. In the interest of simplicity, I’ve taken the liberty of breaking up this process
into five steps.
Step 1: Conduct the preliminary analysis
.
There are four key steps to performing a preliminary assessment:
 Create an idea outline: Outline everything you hope to achieve by taking on this project
and why this project is important to your team, organization, or business.
 Assess the market space for this project: Try to find examples of this type of project and
whether or not others have had success in execution.
 Examine your competitive advantage: What will you do differently to ensure that your
idea will succeed, such as talent, location, technology, etc.
 Determine the risks of the project: . Perform a risk assessment to outline anything that
may pose a threat to your success.
Once you’ve completed your preliminary assessment you will have a better idea about
whether or not to continue exploring your project feasibility. If there aren’t any major
insurmountable risks that you find during this assessment, then it’s time to move onto the
full feasibility study.
Step 2: Create a project scope outline
Step 3: Perform your market research
Step 4: Calculate the financial cost
Step 5: Review your research and present your findings to the project stakeholders
Do Background Research
Learn from the experiences of others — this can help you find out about existing solutions to similar problems, and
avoid mistakes that were made in the past. So, for an engineering design project, do background research in two
major areas:
Users or customers
Existing solutions
3. Specify the design Requirements
Design requirements state the important characteristics that your solution must meet to succeed.
One of the best ways to identify the design requirements for your solution is to analyze the
concrete example of a similar, existing product, noting each of its key features.
4. Brainstorm Solutions/Generate different ideas
There are always many good possibilities for solving design problems. If you focus on just one
before looking at the alternatives, it is almost certain that you are overlooking a better solution.
Good designers try to generate as many possible solutions as they can.
5. Choose the Best Solution
Look at whether each possible solution meets your design requirements. Some solutions
probably meet more requirements than others. Reject solutions that do not meet the
requirements.
6.Develop design detailed drawing;
Your solution is presenseted in for of drawing,the dawing will show the requirement of the design in
terms of the coponents involved.Drawings will include exploded views,front views,end views,plan,and
sectional views.
7. Develop the Solution
Development involves the refinement and improvement of a solution, and it continues throughout the
design process, often even after a product ships to customers.

8 Build a Prototype
A prototype is an operating version of a solution. Often it is made with different materials than the final
version, and generally it is not as polished. Prototypes are a key step in the development of a final
solution, allowing the designer to test how the solution will work.
For detailed help with this step, use these resources:
Prototyping
9 Test and Redesign
The design process involves multiple iterations and redesigns of your final solution. You will likely test
your solution, find new problems, make changes, and test new solutions before settling on a final
design.
10.Communicate Results
To complete your project, communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board.
Professional engineers always do the same, thoroughly documenting their solutions so that they can be
manufactured and supported.
ITERATION
Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate a (possibly unbounded) sequence of outcomes.
The sequence will approach some end point or end value. Each repetition of the process is a single
iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration.
Iterative design is a design methodology based on a cyclic process of prototyping, testing, analyzing, and
refining a product or process. Based on the results of testing the most recent iteration of a design, changes
and refinements are made. This process is intended to ultimately improve the quality and functionality of
a design. In iterative design, interaction with the designed system is used as a form of research for
informing and evolving a project, as successive versions, or iterations of a design are implemented.