Article
Supporting Novice Engineers in Idea Generation using Design Heuristics
Annual Meeting of American Society of Engineering Education
(2017)
Abstract
How can beginning engineers learn to generate a variety of candidate concepts to consider?
Because they likely have little experience with idea generation, training in specific techniques may
be especially useful. Design Heuristics are an evidence-based tool developed to help engineers
expand diversity of ideas considered during the front-end phase of design. Brainstorming is a
common ideation technique in both engineering education and practice. Our research sought to
compare the characteristics of ideas generated by incoming engineering freshmen using both
techniques. The analyses of this study involve qualitative patterns in a subset of data collected
from 94 incoming engineering freshmen. We explored diversity, fixation, and the scope of the
concepts generated. Ideas were coded based on a variety tree coding scheme, students’ selfperceptions,
and system vs. component scope. We found that concepts generated using Design
Heuristics were more likely to focus on the methods for achieving functions and on specific
components, while Brainstormed ideas tended towards more holistic systems. The results suggest
that alternative tools for idea generation may serve to focus attention on different qualities of
design, and that multiple tools may be important for design in engineering education.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer June, 2017
Citation Information
Laura Murphy, Shanna Daly, Seda McKilligan and Colleen M Seifert. "Supporting Novice Engineers in Idea Generation using Design Heuristics" Annual Meeting of American Society of Engineering Education (2017) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/seda-yilmaz/26/