Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
Enhancing the concept generation capability of novice engineering designers
Leary, Martin John; Burvill, Colin; Field, Bruce
Type:
Year:
2013
Editor:
Udo Lindemann, Srinivasan V, Yong Se Kim, Sang Won Lee, John Clarkson, Gaetano Cascini
Author:
Series:
ICED
Institution:
1: RMIT university, Australia; 2: Melbourne University, Australia; 3: Monash University, Australia
Page(s):
077-084
ISBN:
978-1-904670-51-3
ISSN:
2220-4334
Abstract:
The professional contribution of an engineer often includes the generation of design concepts in response to an identified need. Concept generation creativity has multiple measures of interest, including: fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. Of these metrics, fluency measures the total number of concepts generated, and is of critical importance to an engineerâs capability for concept generation. This work reports on a program to enhance the fluency of the concept generation capability of novice engineering designers. The program involves a novel computer based, self-assessed method to capture in real time the fluency of a novice engineer in response to a design task. The outcomes of this work can be applied to assess the effectiveness of teaching on fluency, and can provide tailored feedback to students to identify and overcome scenarios that may have negative influence on concept generation fluency. The outcomes of this initial work suggest that simple methods with minimal teaching overhead can be used to enhance concept generation capabilities. These outcomes are being used to inform a more extensive research program.
Keywords:
