CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE DESIGN PROCESS BRIDGING THE KNOWLEDGE GAP BETWEEN PROFESSIONS AND PARADIGMS USING VON HIPPEL'S END USER THEOREM – A CASE STUDY
Year: 2015
Editor: Guy Bingham, Darren Southee, John McCardle, Ahmed Kovacevic, Erik Bohemia, Brian Parkinson
Author: Mřhl, Martin; Grode, Jesper
Series: E&PDE
Institution: 1VIA Mechanical Engineering, Innovation and Product Design, VIA University College, Horsens, Denmark, 2 VIA Information & Communication Technology, VIA University College, Horsens, Denmark
Section: Problem Based Learning
Page(s): 524-529
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9
Abstract
ts. Taken to extremes this approach requires the engineer to be an attentive, critical and creative end user before success is obtainable. This is naturally not possible, never the less the issue is especially relevant in relation to the education of engineering students when doing product design aimed at an unknown territory. In this paper, a guideline for doing productdesign in close cooperation with non-technical end users is outlined. The procedure is based upon the Von Hippel End User Theorem, although the setup also addresses the steps prior and subsequent to the use of the theorem. From a didactic perspective, the student is forced to acknowledge “nonengineering” views and values and their importance for the product design. This paper is based upon
observations gathered through a project at the final semester of the Mechanical Engineering Education at VIA University College in Horsens, Denmark.
Keywords: Engineering for alien environments, Von Hippel End User Theorem, prototyping, product design methodology, product design education