Optimal Sequence in Product Design

This paper introduces Axiomatic Design (AD) for top-down design of ergonomics systems. The Independence Axiom was used to demonstrate how design activity can be structured to simplify the design process. Functional Requirements (FR) are first specified at a high level of abstraction and corresponding high level Design Parameters (DP) are generated. Then lower level Functional requirements are generated, and corresponding lower level Design Parameters. To avoid iterative improvements of design, one should strive for a decoupled design. This means that for each Functional Requirement there should ideally be only one Design Parameter - and this design parameter should satisfy only one functional requirement. Two case studies were used to illustrate the AD procedure.