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2005-12-27
Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Developing a design concept is the most "fun" part of design engineering. This is where your imagination can run free and you can come up with new and creative ideas.
But design concepts that can be engineered are special. We are not trying just to design something that looks new. We are trying to find a balance between all the different factors that influence a product. The product must appeal to its intended users at a variety of levels: function, usability, cost, reliability, shape & colour, etc. This is why it is so important to study the design problem so carefully. Without really understanding the problem, there is little hope of generating concepts that can be turned into realisable products that satisfy all its requirements.
Brainstorming is a great way to stimulate the develop of ideas and concepts.
It's important to be able to "think outside the box" - to come up with different (not necessarily better or worse) solutions. If you can do that often enough, then eventually you shall have a really great idea. With practice and experience, you can improve the odds that the different ideas you have will be good ones. To practice thinking outside the box, try some thinking exercises.
In order to develop a concept, the following stages are used: