Engineering Design Methods: Strategies for Product Design

Written in a clear and readable style by an experienced author of teaching texts, Engineering Design Methods is an integrated design textbook that presents specific methods within an overall strategy from concept to detail design. It also outlines the nature of design thinking, and sets it within broader contexts of product development and design process management. The book is much more than a manual of procedures; throughout, there is discussion and explication of the principles and practice of design.

Building on the outstanding success of the previous three editions, this new edition cements the position of Engineering Design Methods at the forefront of engineering and industrial design as an essential text not only for students and lecturers but also for practitioners. The book promotes a flexible approach to the design process, and provides explicit, step-by-step advice on how to implement several separate design methods that have been shown to be of value in both education and practice.

This revised fourth edition -

• promotes a flexible approach to the design process,
• provides explicit, step-by-step advice on how to implement several separate design methods that have been shown to be of value in both education and practice,
• contains new case studies and examples from industry that further broaden the scope of the book from engineering design into product design,
• includes a significant new chapter presenting user scenarios; a procedure for investigating potential product user wants and needs, that culminates in a design brief identifying an opportunity for developing a new product concept,
• features a book companion website with powerpoint slides for instructors.

Reviewers’ comments:

“Engineering Design Methods… is a valuable contribution to the engineering design literature. The engineering design methods presented are those that are of practical significance and the book is a must for anyone wishing to raise the standard of their design work. The design methods are described clearly and succinctly, examples are used to illustrate principles and design strategies are presented that show how the methods are best employed”. Professor Graham Thompson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMIST, UK

“Professor Nigel Cross’ treatment of Engineering Design is a singularly successful treatment for my courses because it is short and concise enough to be read by virtually all students. Furthermore, his interpretations are open enough to allow the inquiring mind to fill out the picture, incorporating and extending the ideas to fit the reflective designer’s own needs.” Professor Larry Leifer, Stanford Center for Design Reseach, Stanford University, USA

“This book is an excellent book as a textbook for design methodology both for undergraduate and graduate level… Students will gain a firm foundation of design methods from problem definition to design evaluations from this book”. Professor Kun-Pyo Lee, Department of Industrial Design, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Korea  

Building on the outstanding success of the previous editions, this new edition reinforces its original three-part structure: Part I provides an introduction to design, Part II presents design methods as the core feature of the book and finally, Part III puts the methods into a wider context of managing the overall design within the business process of planning and developing new products.

Substantially revised and updated, this text also contains two completely new chapters:

* Design Ability, which takes advantage of the new knowledge about design cognition and designers' activities, and

* Product Development, which also covers the most recent thinking, including the broader business context of design activity.

This third edition will remain at the forefront of engineering and industrial design as as essential text for students and lecturers, as well as practitioners.

Booknews

Offers a strategic approach for designing successful products, for use by students of engineering design and industrial design. Emphasis is on design of products that have an engineering content, and on the conceptual and embodiment stages of design. Part I introduces design, Part II presents design methods, and Part III puts methods in a wider context of managing the overall design process, and the role of design within the business process of planning and developing new products. Includes b&w photos and illustrations. This third edition contains new chapters on design ability and product development. Cross is affiliated with The Open University, UK. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nigel Cross, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK