**9. Engineering database**

136 Industrial Design – New Frontiers

These are all design elements which bring the designer in an environment where he can create the innovative product designs in the embodiment design stage. Knowledge, experience and skills are the qualities of the designer which are fed by personal designer needs, inspiration which stimulates creativity; structure of design process plays, an important role in the designer life, education of developments on different design areas and the culture of living and designing. The hierarchy of designer needs have also been defined on Maslow (1970). It starts with the basic needs (knowledge, methods and tools) and the highest need is design research, see figure 13. Nowadays embodiment design is used on conceptual design level so the designer has to follow education that trained on the level of acting. The prospective designers have to develop themselves to fulfill the needs of concept

The industrial designer can follow a certain path of education at a design school. During the educational program the industrial designer typically starts with the basic knowledge and progresses step by step in the hierarchy of the designer needs. An autodidact can follow these steps in his or her tempo, but gaining an overview of the right competences from each step costs much more time. Nowadays, the advice is to take a design course or apply for a

Embodiment design is mostly not offered exclusively but in the form of design courses with accents on embodiment design for example Advanced Design Project in master program of

The prospective designer applies for a degree in Industrial Design Engineering. He follows the program and has certain expectations of design education. These expectations are based on three main design capabilities: knowledge of design, communication of design and

Sometimes there is a great difference between the design program and the expectation of the prospective designer. If a selection is necessary by abounded of application, the offered program will match better the expectations? The applicants are more motivated for their

design program, which is a more effective for the development to be a designer.

design, which is mostly found in design programs at university level.

Fig. 13. Hierarchy of designer needs based on Maslow

the industrial design engineering school in Delft.

training, see figure 14.

In the embodiment design stage it is a possibility to orientate on the design problem to solve the design problem with knowledge from an engineering database that can inspire the designer.

The engineering database has three main goals within the educational context:


In design education enormous quantities of design information are generated in all kinds of courses and design projects. This information can be useful as an inspiration source for future design assignments. Thus, storing this design information is practical, if it can be quickly retrieved. Quick searching of design information is a need, if a designer wants to use the information for fulfilling a new design task. The data processing should be fast and reliable. For this reason, the input of product design information must be correct. This intensifies the need for structure and unambiguous data in product design information.

The stored design information must be reviewed regularly to check whether the information is still up-to-date. The size of the database may be large; however, it is only useful if the information is up-to-date. The search time should not be too long, otherwise the chances of inspiring the designer will decrease, which is shown in figure 15.

Fig. 15. Curve of the response time versus inspiration

Product Design with Embodiment Design as a New Perspective 139

Fig. 17. Product structure on product, sub-assembly and part level with the design aspects

Fig. 18. Product Design Education model

The design education operates under high pressure, because the right information should be chosen from all the information offered for a specific design task. The present design assignments are so extended that no time could be spent on searching for the necessary information. Sources like the internet can deliver some information, but the amount of data is often overwhelming. Each day it is getting harder to find useful information on the internet. The engineering database can also fill up quickly.

Finally, the use of an engineering database in design education can prevent design students from aimless searching on the internet or in other information sources. The goal is to allow designers to find the needed information in the database, so that he or she is inspired. The engineering database can be consulted for inspiration in all phases of the design process. Inspiration gives motivation and inspiration challenges the creativity and inspiration challenges the creativity. The inspiration should be conceptual inspiration and detailed inspiration, see figure 16.

Fig. 16. Conceptual and detailed inspiration

Products have a structure that describes mostly how they are composed, with the relations out of the FMPG- model.

The product structure, figure 17, distinguishes several levels: product level, sub-assembly level and part level. The FMPG model is applied at the part level, but the design aspects change at component and product level

Components and sub assemblies can be bought or outsourced, depending on company strategy, volume on year base, uniqueness. Components are not made in the fabrication place itself. Sub-assemblies can be made inside manufacturing plants or produced on record.

Parts are manufactured in special shops to keep the cost to a minimum. The biggest part makers in the world are India and China, but they are also under pressure about the labour costs. Shipping the manufactured parts towards the place where the assemblies are done is relatively cheap in spite of the large distance between the part manufacturer and the assembly site. Parts which are assembled can be manufactured separately. So manufacturers of parts and sub—assemblies can be found all over the world.

Standard and Norm parts are produced in mass production; in this type of production, nearly all labor cost is cut away. The production of washers, for example, can be done almost fully automated.

The design education operates under high pressure, because the right information should be chosen from all the information offered for a specific design task. The present design assignments are so extended that no time could be spent on searching for the necessary information. Sources like the internet can deliver some information, but the amount of data is often overwhelming. Each day it is getting harder to find useful information on the

Finally, the use of an engineering database in design education can prevent design students from aimless searching on the internet or in other information sources. The goal is to allow designers to find the needed information in the database, so that he or she is inspired. The engineering database can be consulted for inspiration in all phases of the design process. Inspiration gives motivation and inspiration challenges the creativity and inspiration challenges the creativity. The inspiration should be conceptual inspiration and detailed

**Detailed inspiration** 

**Embodiment design** 

Sub-assembly and parts Structure & functionality

Manufacturing process

Material

Products have a structure that describes mostly how they are composed, with the relations

The product structure, figure 17, distinguishes several levels: product level, sub-assembly level and part level. The FMPG model is applied at the part level, but the design aspects

Components and sub assemblies can be bought or outsourced, depending on company strategy, volume on year base, uniqueness. Components are not made in the fabrication place itself. Sub-assemblies can be made inside manufacturing plants or produced on

Parts are manufactured in special shops to keep the cost to a minimum. The biggest part makers in the world are India and China, but they are also under pressure about the labour costs. Shipping the manufactured parts towards the place where the assemblies are done is relatively cheap in spite of the large distance between the part manufacturer and the assembly site. Parts which are assembled can be manufactured separately. So manufacturers

Standard and Norm parts are produced in mass production; in this type of production, nearly all labor cost is cut away. The production of washers, for example, can be done

internet. The engineering database can also fill up quickly.

inspiration, see figure 16.

out of the FMPG- model.

almost fully automated.

record.

Fig. 16. Conceptual and detailed inspiration

**Conceptual design**

**Conceptual inspiration**

Global product information Product functionality Product geometry

change at component and product level

of parts and sub—assemblies can be found all over the world.

Fig. 17. Product structure on product, sub-assembly and part level with the design aspects

Fig. 18. Product Design Education model

Product Design with Embodiment Design as a New Perspective 141

improved, because embodiment design should be learned efficiently and also experienced

Embodiment design will also be communicate where the technical engineering language plays a connected role in the whole. The shape of a product should be communicated by different designers which may lead to misunderstanding but if they have the same goal

The communication goes verbal and visual; every designer has his own means to

Fig. 20. Technical Engineering Language model which contains shape language

distinguish four more specific domain languages:

 Functional language Manufacturing language Aesthetic language Material language

year.

Communication is a way in which product designs respectively embodiment design become their gestalt by means of technical engineering language see figure 20. We need a language to transforms ideas into product designs. Within this technical engineering language, we can

Manufacturing language contains specific manufacturing terms. For instance volume is the number of pieces made in one batch; yearly volume goes about the production in one

by applying it in the new perspective.

then it leads mostly to success.

communicate his design work.

Obviously modeling in 3D-systems comes up with views, sections, rendering as expression in visual images but e-drawings are also possible. This means walking around the product and check out or it is visual correct or wrong.

Calculation on parts, components and products may inspire the designer to optimizations. This is useful detailed inspiration information that is retrievable in databases.

Estimation of costs, market potential, appearance, color, etc., are necessary to become from uncertainty to certainty at the moment that every aspect is detailed and the production may start at this moment. But embodiment design is always searching to a solution that comes closer to certainty in spite of the uncertainty. Estimations help to increase uncertainty until it fits within the bandwidth that gives confidence about the solution area.
