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Virtually everything around us and everything we use every day has been designed.

Many different engineers/designers work in our modern society, usually specializing in designing one type of product.

• The pens we use, the chairs we sit on, the rooms in which we spend our time, even the clothes we wear – all of these things are the result of decisions made by engineers/designers.
• In our day-to-day lives we take design for granted. We use pots to cook with, scissors to cut with, we sleep on beds, sit on chairs and climb up stairs.
• We rarely stop to think how these objects came into existence – and what design decisions went into their creation to make them work and look the way they do. 

Design decisions relate to many aspects of an object.

• They include decisions about the use of an object, its size and weight, how it will be constructed, what materials are to be used in its construction, what it will look like, how much it will cost and how long it will last.

It is important for you as future engineers/designers to understand how products are conceived and built, and what design decisions are made in that process.

• “Unpacking” the design of an object will lead you to the design decisions that were made in its conception – you can then use this knowledge in your own design work.
• Make sure you consider the most obvious decisions as well as those that are more subtle.
• For example, a chair must have a height suitable for sitting on (an obvious design decision), but a particular chair may also be designed to fit under a standard table (a more subtle design decision). 

Design Challenge – Asking the Right Questions

Before an object is made, it must be designed.

• Whether this design process is simple or complex, there are a number of questions that must be asked before construction can begin.
• Good design will greatly enhance the success of an object, and asking the right questions in the design process will greatly enhance the success of the design.
• Many design decisions are made according to a design “brief” – the following suggestions of design questions and considerations may already be included in a design brief, or you can incorporate them.

 Use of the object

• How is the object going to be used?
• Who is going to use it?
• How will other design considerations affect its use?
• Determining the use of an object is an important first step in considering its design, but it is also worth checking your design will still work after you have considered all the other design elements.

 Aesthetics of the object

Aesthetics relates to the appearance, beauty and feel of an object and is another important design element. Sometimes aesthetic decisions are purely up to the designer, sometimes they relate to the person who will use the object.

• What shapes are appealing?
• Do the dimensions of the object seem correct?
• Are different parts of the object in proportion to each other?
• What colors/textures are right?
• How will the object fit into its intended surroundings?
• What sort of finish will look best?

Durability of the object

• How long do you expect this object to last?
• Will it be used inside or outside?
• Does it need protective finishes?
• Will it be used for food or liquid?
• Does it need to withstand heat or moisture?
• Will children be using this object?
• Is it decorative or does it need to withstand heavy handling? 

Construction materials

• Asking questions about which materials to use relates to all of the above questions. Once you have a clear idea about the way you want your object to look and work, you can choose a material that will meet your criteria.
• Sometimes designers work the other way round – they find a beautiful material that they enjoy working with and ask what they could make with that material to enhance its qualities. 

Construction methods

There is nothing worse than spending long periods of time designing an object only to discover that it is unable to be built.  Ask questions about how you will construct the object.

• Is the construction method the most suitable for its intended use?
• Will construction methods affect the appearance or durability of the object?

Cost of the object

Asking questions about the cost of an object may be important if you plan to sell it later, and it is also important to know that you can afford to build it in the first place.

• Is the cost of materials or processes a consideration in your design?
• Do you need to investigate cheaper materials for some elements?
• How much will your object cost to build?
• How long will it take to build?
• Could you use recycled materials?
• What about the environmental cost – is this important to you?

Once you have settled on all the elements in your design, sit back and think about it carefully as a whole design.

• Does it give you all the answers you want?
• Could you change anything that would make it work better or look better?
• What do other people think of your design?
• Can you now develop it into a built object?

 Contributor: James W. Orr

I want to talk to you about what the characteristics of a typical engineer are. They can be likened to a picture puzzle where each characteristic is a puzzle piece to be installed to make the final picture..

Characteristics:

Slightly less than 5% of college grads are engineers,

There are about 1.6 million engineers in the current workforce,

They like/are satisfied with their job and want to do it well.

Engineers are seen in many non-traditional opportunities/professions- examples are:

                Engineer                                                Profession

                Neal Armstrong                                    Astronaut/First on Moon

                Herbert Hoover                                   President of the United States

                Jimmy Carter                                         President of the United States

                Alfred Hitchcock                                  Movie Director

                Eleanor Baum                                       Dean of Engineering                           

                Herbie Hancock                                   Jazz Musician

                Ellen Ochoa                                           Space Shuttle Astronaut

                Hyman G. Rickover                              Father of the Nuclear Nay

                Bill Nye                                                   TV Show Host “Bill Nye the Science Guy”

                Boris Yeltsin                                          Former President of Russia

                Montel Williams                                   Syndicated Talk Show Host

                Michael Bloomberg                             Billionaire/Mayor of New York City

                Yasser Arafat                                         Palestinian Leader/Nobel Prize Laureate

                Tom Landry                                           Former Dallas Cowboy’s Head Coach…..

• You are presented with challenging work,
• You will impact society,
• Engineers will be motivated by financial security,
• You will most likely gain prestige in significant ways, such as contributing to the global economy, our standard of living, national security, public health, safety, and policy,
• You understand how things work,
• You will be working in a professional environment,
• Engineering is a very creative profession-rewarded through the issuance of Patents and Nobel Prizes,
• You will work in TEAMS,
• You will work on projects of increasing complexity,
• You will make good use of the time available to complete these projects, and are very conscious of costs,
• You will have an excellent grasp of the design process,
• You will communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing,
• You will conduct business ethically and legally,
• You will have a life time learning attitude,
• You are always conscious of the need for safety,
• You are tenacious,
• You use a rigid fine tuned multi step design process,
• You will develop the need to grasp the emotional needs/reserves of the profession especially when dealing with people,
• If you are management material then expect to be organized, clear thinking, have excellent people skills, and be able to deal with marketing/customer relations, business/budgeting, operational duties and also handle the stress that goes along with these,

The engineer has succeeded in the classroom by:

• Having a good attitude(s)
• Having made goals,
• Is good at taking tests,
• Making the most of your on campus resources/staff,
• Knows their own learning style(s),
• Uses their time effectively and wisely,
• Can be held accountable,
• Have overcome challenges and grow in the process,
• Has an analytical, creative, personal, problem solving capability,
• Has developed brainstorming, critical thinking and decision making strategies,
• Has excellent visualization, graphics, measurement, proportionality, and  sketching skills especially in 3D space,
• Can develop isometric and orthographic drawings,
• Has excellent understanding of the computer tools such as the Internet,Word, Excel, Power Point, especially 3D CADD- using Industry Std AutoCad/Inventor, Solid Works, ProE, MathLab, CFD, CAE, programming languages, and project management software.
• Has excellent grasp of scientific, math/geometry, chemistry, biology, technology, and business principles and can apply them to solve problems.

Yes, this is a very, very big order, however these can be mastered and developed into a rewarding career.

Contributor: James W. Orr