ABSTRACT
Engineering design involves the concepts of design theory and methodology. Design theories are useful because they explain the mechanism of design and provide guiding principles for improved design knowledge collection, representation, and utilization. The General Design Theory of Yoshikawa is based on a topological model of human intelligence and has three aims: clarifying in a scientific way the human ability to design; producing practical knowledge about design methodology; and framing design knowledge in a form suitable for implementation on a computer. The Axiomatic Design Theory of Suh represents the most significant contribution in the field of design theory to date. Design of individual elements is performed as a large design problem is divided into smaller, more manageable components. Design approaches to be used at this stage may involve mathematical and numerical analyses, physical model studies, experiments, and empirical analyses involving the use of heuristics.
