ENGR 101 Design: Home/Design Process

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Information resources play a very important role in the brainstorming stage and assist in enhancing the design process:

• Find background information (use books and reference material such as encyclopedias and handbooks)
• Have others researched your problem? (find technical journal articles)
• Has someone invented what you are trying to design? (look for patents, manufacturer information)
• How did others solve your problem? (journal articles, patents)
• What is the market for your design? (articles in business databases, market research, demographic research)

There is no right or wrong answer to solving a problem.  There may be many alternative solutions and it largely depends on your design constraints. Searching library databases and other information resources (including cautious use of the Internet) will assist you in trying to answer these questions.

Using an example in this session will illustrate how to use these resources.

Decision Tables