Cognitive estimation in the ideation phase of engineering design

Abstract

Estimation in its diverse forms is assumed to be relevant for problem solving in engineering design due to the inherent deficiencies in information availability and reliability. Nevertheless aside from some exception estimation as a method is hardly mentioned in standard literature on systematic approaches to engineering design like Pahl and Beitz. As well it is rarely deliberate addressed in engineering education. Engineering designers are expected to gain estimation competence by experience. Good performance in estimation and the development of estimation competence by hat is left to chance. Estimation as a problem solving strategy covers a wide range of activities on a continuous spectrum between the extremes of random guesses and highly mathematical statistics based approaches. Our research addresses estimation activities which are solely based on cognitive performance, without using specific mathematical procedures or technological support. Our current study is an explorative, qualitative protocol analysis of two idea creation meetings addressing different problems in the early phases of a technology-driven innovation project recorded by the DTRS7 organisation. The addressed research questions are: Where, how, why and what for is estimation used in engineering design? This analysis should give further insight in the not widely delineated topic of estimation in engineering design