My Design Cycle

My design process comes from my different experiences. MIT D-Lab: Development taught me how to find the right problem, MIT Sandbox taught me to conduct market research, my research work taught me to run experiments and find real data, and robotics taught me to come up with multiple solutions and iterate.

Rylee's engineering design cycleEight-step design wheel in four phases (Understand, Imagine, Create, Prove) around a design notebook, with flow arrows and an iterate loop from Test back to Brainstorm solutions.Discover challengeFind a new problem andinterview those itaffects. Sketch itas it is today.ResearchInterview users andexperts, do marketresearch, readarticles, and runexperiments.Set a goalUse research to createmeasurable outcomesand variables totrack.Brainstorm solutionsBrainstorm 3 possiblesolutions, then scorethem in a decisionmatrix.DesignSet fundamentalrequirements, thenthe bill ofmaterials,procedure, anddimensions.PrototypeSketch, CAD, andcardboard prototypes;once iterated, buildthe hardware andsoftware.TestTest against criteriaand collect data.Doesn't meetrequirements?Iterate.ShareCreate a clearpresentation thattells the story ofthe design andinvites feedback.UnderstandImagineCreateProveIterateDesignnotebookLog every step

The cycle in action:

Discover challenge
D-Lab: Mérida communication buttons
Site visit and teacher interviews at Perkins School for the Blind.
Research
2.671: Bone conduction study
Measurement experiments on bone conduction hearing aid.
Set a goal
Aerogel structural core
Load requirements turned into measurable pass/fail criteria.
Brainstorm solutions
Invention Convention
Early concept sketches and a decision matrix.
Design
Assistive hip joint
SolidWorks assembly and FEA of the load path.
Prototype
D-Lab: Mérida communication buttons
Cardboard mockups, then waterjet-cut parts from the Hobby Shop.
Test
2.007 robot
Trial runs and scoring data against requirements.
Share
2.007 presentation
Final presentation telling the design story.