Technological Design
Directions:
Step 1 – Review the information posted below.
Step 2 – Answer the question(s) in a clear and organized paragraph.
Design - is the creative process of converting an idea into a plan for a product, solution, or system.
Technological Design
Design is a creative process that is the foundation for all technology and engineering activities.
Humans design for enjoyment and to solve problems, extend human capabilities, satisfy needs and wants, and improve the human condition.
Design is purposeful, open-ended, base on certain requirements, creative, and results in many possible solutions.
There is often no single, correct solution in technology and engineering design; furthermore, designs can always be improved and refined. Multiple pathways lead to multiple solutions.
Design involves an in-depth understanding of a problem and the resources available, a comprehensive search for solutions, and careful evaluation and refinement.
Technological design embraces and often requires making prototypes for testing and design refinement.
Technologist and Engineers implement the best possible solution to a design. They are able to express a rationale, based on testing and analysis of evidence, to support their selection of a design solution that optimizes criteria and constraints.
Criteria and Constraints
Criteria or constraints define the needs of the users, policies, and / or regulations.
Criteria - describe the features or requirements that a solution must include.
Constraints – describe limits to the design process. Constraints may be such things as appearance, funding, space, materials, and human capabilities.
Technologist and Engineers often need to consider ergonomics, energy efficiency, reliability, durability, safety, ease of manufacture, aesthetics, and much more.
Design optimization is governed by criteria and constraints.
Technologists and Engineers often return to earlier stages of the design process to re-evaluate whether criteria and constraints are being met and whether solutions will be enough.
Invention and Innovation
Invention - the design and / or development of an entirely new device, product, or system.
Innovation - altering or improving an object that was developed in the past. Making an electronic device smaller or faster is a common innovation.
Technologists and Engineers avoid fixating on one approach and / or one design solution. They seek to locate the best approach to meet the needs of the end user(s).
Sometimes innovative solutions use resources and processes in unique and unexpected ways. Designers are challenged to generate creative solutions to design problems. Most designers learn best through failure.
Sometimes the best solutions happen as designers combine key features from multiple design ideas.
Optimization
Optimization - is a process or methodology of designing or making a product, process, or system to the point at which it is most fully functional, effective, or near perfection.
Technologists and Engineers evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different design solutions
Design is not measured in terms of right or wrong, but rather by the degree of success demonstrated in problem solving. Technologists and Engineers examine, test, evaluate, and refine their design solutions to ensure they work, are neat, clean, accurate, and functional, and meet the needs and wants of the end-user(s).
Design involves a series of trade-offs and the ability to learn to optimize solutions that best address criteria and constraints.
Trade-Off - choosing one option over another. This may be due to cost, form, function, or availability of materials.
There are many approaches to design.
There is no one correct design or design solution..
Questions
Answer the following question(s) in a clear and organized paragraph.
- Start with your topic sentence. This is where you should state your ideas.
- Then, include evidence to support your ideas.
- Finally, finish your paragraph with a brief wrap-up sentence.
- Then, include evidence to support your ideas.
- Finally, finish your paragraph with a brief wrap-up sentence.
I recommend you type your answers in Word or Google Docs and copy / paste your responses below. This will allow you to save a back-up version of your work.