Team-Based Design Method Teaching Using Product Dissection and Design Metrics

The use of design methods in industry is established as an effective way of measuring and monitoring the performance of designs from the very early stages of integrated product development. Design teaching practices in undergraduate courses would benefit from more widespread adoption of such approaches, providing the necessary experience in design method use, their subjectivity, application strategies and domains, and the importance of design metrics for justification of redesign opportunities. This paper discusses the motivations, development and delivery of a new team-based exercise in design for manufacture and assembly, aimed at first-year mechanical engineering students, and facilitated by product dissection and the use of design methods. Selected results from the exercise are presented, together with reflections on the interaction and engagement of the students with the exercise and the design method.