SGER: Developing Methodology and Procedures to Create Engineering Design Alternatives

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) focuses on methodology and procedures to enhance the creation of engineering design alternatives. The creation of design alternatives is often thought of as the creative aspect of engineering design, and current methods hold that creativity is best expressed in a value-free environment. This research takes the opposite view and, in an approach called value-focused thinking, seeks to evoke creativity by focusing specifically on values or preferences relevant to the design. Preferences in the case of engineering design are made explicit by design objectives. Procedures will be developed to aid in the elicitation of a full set of design objectives, and methods will be developed and tested to use these objectives to stimulate the creation of design alternatives. If successful, this research could represent a breakthrough in how creativity is viewed, taught and practiced in engineering design. Creativity is extraordinarily important in engineering design, with the efficacy of the entire design process hanging in the balance. Advances toward a theory of creativity could have enormous impact on all of engineering design and engineering education.