ABSTRACT
Engineering design is the use of scientific principles, technical
information, and imagination in the definition of a mechanical structure,
machine, or system to perform specified functions with the maximum
economy and efficiency. [1]
Industrial design seeks to rectify the omissions of engineering, a conscious
attempt to bring form and visual order to engineering hardware where
technology does not of itself provide these features. [1]
We will take a more catholic view of design, in which no distinction is
drawn between the technical needs of engineering design and the aesthetic
approach of industrial design. Our working definition of design will be the one
used by Sriram et al.:
[Design is] the process of specifying a description of an artifact that
satisfies constraints arising from a number of sources by using diverse
sources of knowledge. [2]
Some of the constraints must be predetermined, and these constitute the
product design specification (PDS). Other constraints may evolve as a result of
decisions made during the design process. The PDS is an expression of the
requirements of a product, rather than a specification of the product itself. The
latter, which emerges during the design process, is the design. The design can
be interpreted for manufacture or construction, and it allows predictions about
the performance of the product to be drawn.
