The principles of Mechanics for students of product design

Those engaged in product design need to combine creative talent and sensitivity with intellectual ability. The Carter report on Industrial Design Education in the United Kingdom! identified the ideal 'A~levelsubject combinations as 'traditional academic subjects, such as Maths, Physics or English, in addition to the more specialised design subjects' - a position which the Design and Technology department at Loughborough University of Technology (LUT) would wholeheartedly support. This article concerns the application of the principles of mechanics by students of product design, but could probably equally well have been written about electronics, materials science, ergonomics, or communication techniques

Expert Systems in the Design Process

Computers have been used to aid the design process for well over twenty years. Initially there were just draughting systems, but now 3-D modellers and finite element analysis packages are commonplace. As computing power has become cheaper to buy and smaller to house so the applications for these systems have proliferated and all designers are now taking an interest. Expert systems, which try to imitate human decisionmaking capability, are much newer, but as with the draughting and analytical tools they will eventually find their way into the world of computer-aided design. This article discusses the possible roles of expert systems in the design process and illustrates the use of two shells - TIMM and INSIGHT - in relation to detailed design decisions. Using a shell will impose constraints on the way the problem must be formulated and the application of TIMM to the costing of turned components and INSIGHT to the selection of a manufacturing process demonstrate the kind of structures it will be necessary to use

Technology for Design: Cognitive Mismatches and Their Implications for Good Practice

This paper begins by noting some background issues concerning the linking of science and design and technological activities. Some theoretical difficulties in expressing ideas about design and technology are noted and the consequential merits of an empirical approach are exposed. Research findings are presented which help to support the development of a theoretical position in relation to technology for design, in particular introducing the notion of 'cognitive mismatches'. The evidence presented suggests that whe";;-esignificant cognitive mismatches exist between the matters which the designer must resolve (e.g. some are qualitative and modelled visually and some are quantitative and modelled mathematically), then focused practical tasks are essential in order to ensure high quality design outcomes. An invitation is included to participate in a broadly-based research programme in order to document good practice in relation to technology for design and explore associated issues