The 4 Most Popular Design Processes Model

A design is an artistic blueprint or map for the arrangement of some object or apparatus or even for the actual execution of an action or procedure, or the manifestation of that blueprint or map in the form of some product, machine or procedure. The verb to design normally indicates the act of constructing a design. The term design derives from the Greek word meaning “to draw”. Thus design implies the act of drawing or constructing. In engineering the term design refers to the procedure of arriving at a solution for a design problem by means of the use of certain methods.

In most cases, it is obvious that the output of the design approach has to be a practical structure which meets the functional requirements. However, a design approach may also involve some level of creative effort. The designers have to solve a number of problems in order to come up with a useful blueprint or map. These include:

Outside-In Design Approach: In this type of design there is no attempt to describe the physical reality that the designers are dealing with. For instance, in building a house, the architect does not try to describe the shape or size of the building, as he has already taken into account the best possible designs for doors, windows, ventilation and drainage inside the house. Similarly, when you buy a watch you don’t try to describe the mechanism behind it – you just look at the brand and take your decision. In this approach, the designer is free to adopt any approach that he finds appropriate. He just has to ensure that the end product is functional, efficient and reliable.

Inside-Out Approach: Similar to the outside-out design approaches, inside-in design approaches attempt to model the physical reality of a structure or object. However, the aspects of the physical world that are not taken into account in the model are considered as internal constraints. The constraint analysis in this process helps designers to create an architecture that is robust and flexible. This discipline also provides designers an opportunity to learn more about different aspects of the subject.

Technical Systems Approach: In the technical systems approach, the designer considers the needs of the customer from the point of view of technical feasibility. It involves first defining and documenting the technical issues that the customer wants solved. The next step involves analyzing these technical issues using a spreadsheet and drawing a simulation or synthetic model. The user is then able to define his requirements in a report. The objective of this process is to provide a systematic approach to designing and developing the product. This is a very important tool used in product development process.

Most of the modern technologies are based on design processes, which help them become more feasible and easy to use. However, it requires detailed information from designers, including knowledge about the field and the required specifications. This helps in achieving precision in the design. Thus, the accuracy of the final product is ensured. Detailed design process models are very important for designers, as they play an important role in providing the accurate technical solutions to all design and development problems.