Session: DTM-05 Design Theory: Studies on Iteration, Search, and Prototyping

Paper Number: 70361

Start Time: August 17, 03:20 PM

70361 - Manufacturing Fixation in Design: Exploring the Effects of Manufacturing Assumptions on Design Ideas 

Designing successfully for any new or unfamiliar manufacturing technology requires an ability look beyond the manufacturing limitations that have constrained one’s design ideas in the past.  However, cognitive bias and fixation on familiar manufacturing processes may make this a challenge for designers.  In this paper we introduce the new concept of manufacturing fixation in design (MFD), which we define as unconscious and often unintentional adherence to a limited set of manufacturing processes and/or constraints and capabilities during the design ideation process.  This concept is explored as a subset of design fixation, a cognitive bias often experienced by engineering designers and engineers.  After reviewing related literature in design fixation, we propose MFD is a type of design fixation and explore ways fixation on manufacturing might be measured.  We then offer an exploratory case study involving design for additive manufacturing, an advanced manufacturing technology that has seen renewed interest lately.  The case study involves a Design for Additive Manufacturing workshop given at a technology company headquartered in the United States with participants who are professional engineering designers.  Results from the study are used to explore how MFD manifests and how its impacts in design and optimization for manufacturing might be measured.  Future research and next steps to validate the existence of MFD are also discussed. 

Presenting Author: Jennifer Bracken Brennan Penn State

Authors:

Jennifer Bracken Brennan Pennsylvania State University
William B. Miney Pennsylvania State University
Timothy W. Simpson Pennsylvania State University
Kathryn W. Jablokow Pennsylvania State University