What is Engineering Design?

In the field of engineering, design has a special meaning. Engineers design to solve problems using a systematic and intelligent processes. This process is called engineering design. Dym et al. (2005) noted:

“Engineering design is a systematic, intelligent process in which designers generate, evaluate, and specify concepts for devices, systems, or processes whose form and function achieve clients’ objectives or users’ needs while satisfying a specified set of constraints” (p. 104).

Accordingly, Edie, Jenison, Mashaw, and Northup (2001) defined engineering design as

“a systematic process by which solutions to the needs of humankind are obtained” (p. 79).

These definitions indicate that engineering design is neither a routine nor a trial and error process. Engineering design is a process of devising a system or product to meet clients’ needs and wants while satisfying given constraints.

Engineering design inherits features from the nature of engineering and design. Engineering design is a cognitive process that is very murky and unclear (Bucciarelli, 2003). Also, engineering design requires special cognitive abilities, including optimization, decision-making, critical thinking, and analytic ability (NRC, 2000b). Dym and Brown (2012) argued that engineering design is separable from making in terms of its required higher thinking. If a design only requires making, it does not necessarily qualify as engineering design. Engineering design requires some level of compromise to achieve its optimal approach. Accordingly, Wulf (1998) stressed the constraint feature of engineering design. He noted,

“engineering is design under constraint” (p. 29).

He compared engineering design with other creative disciplines, such as music and the arts, and claimed that only engineering operates under such strict constraints.