ABSTRACT
Introduction The preceding quote from Benjamin Franklin is one of the earliest known mentions of a technique for trade-off analysis. It remains one of the most eloquent statements of how to approach a complex decision-making problem. There are numerous points in the design process when the designer must make a decision in order to proceed. We are at such a juncture now with the toy catapult example. Having generated a collection of integrated design concepts, we must select one of the design concepts to be the basis for our subsequent design efforts.
