The process of engineering design is constantly present in the learning process. You may not notice it, but it is used in every aspect of our learning, be it math, language, social science, or science. When using the engineering design process, students must use various skills, starting with recognizing that there is a problem they can solve with engineering.
The engineering design process lies in a series of specific steps that mobile application development services engineers follow to find a solution to a problem. Steps include problem-solving strategies, defining your goals and constraints, prototyping, testing, and evaluating.
It is important to note that engineers do not always follow these steps of the engineering design process in order. Often, they may go back to a previous step to make changes to the design. It is called iteration and is quite common in engineering.
People talking about design often mean user experience (UX) or user interface (UI). Still, in reality, design is also a product development process that includes architecture and infrastructure, Forbes notes.
Let’s look at what steps the Engineering Design Process consists of.
Seven steps of the engineering design process
1. Formulation of the problem
Solving a problem starts with finding the problem. This step helps develop critical thinking skills and the ability to use a different perspective to examine a situation.
The data from Researchgate confirms that problem scoping and information gathering are the main differences between advanced engineers and students, as well as essential competencies for the development of engineering students.
2. Statement of the question
The next step is to ask questions about the problem. Students can request the following questions:
- What problem is being solved?
- Who is this product for?
- Why is solving this problem important?
- This step develops creativity and research skills.
3. Filtering
At this stage, you need to narrow down the list of solutions to the problem. You can start by discussing possible ideas and explaining how they would work. Many pictures will be rejected at this stage. This phase of the engineering design process teaches critical thinking and curbs the creativity associated with the last step.
4. Building a plan
This move continues to teach critical thinking and applied design because the solution is one step away from reality, and they need to consider the natural world in the design.
5. Prototyping
At this point, you have a project, and it’s time to create a working version of your solution. This step aims to create a solution you can test before spending time building the final product.
6. Testing
When the prototype is ready, it’s time to test it.
In this step, students can see which ideas are working and which need improvement, giving them a clearer picture of the problem and everything that affects the final solution.
7. Improving
This iterative process teaches students patience because there is a difference between getting done and doing your best job.
How to successfully start the engineering design process?
You need to follow the above tips. You may encounter difficulties in the “Improve” phase of the process. Students may think they have completed the project without repeating it. It will take time and simulation to help students get through this stage.
In the process of engineering design, students see where they left off and can continue the task from the inside.
The engineering design process is something that your students can use throughout their lives to solve problems, whether they choose to become engineers or not.
Author’s bio: Anastasiia Lastovetska is a technology writer at MLSDev, a software development company that builds web & mobile app solutions from scratch. She researches the area of technology to create great content about app development, UX/UI design, tech & business consulting.