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Systems engineering and design thinking have been widely seen as distinctly different processes, systems engineering being more data-driven and analytical, and design thinking being more human- centred and creative. We use the term ‘design thinking’ to encompass the plurality of human-centered design processes that seek to unpack the core values be...
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... In their conference paper, (Greene, Gonzalez, and Papalambros, 2019) propose a novel instrument for measuring individual attitudes towards both systems engineering and "design thinking." Drawing upon thematic analysis of relevant literature, they develop a Likert-type scale capturing these crucial perspectives. ...
This study aims to create a model that predicts the relationship among university students' design thinking, digital literacy skills and intellectual experiences. Understanding this connection can help us improve educational practices and policies by equipping students with the 21st-century skills they need to grapple with complex information, generate new knowledge, and navigate modern challenges. Examining the connections between design thinking, digital literacy, and intellectual experience, we implemented a quantitative correlational study. The participating sample included 750 diverse university students, representing various grade levels and 25 departments across 12 universities. Convenience sampling enabled participation during the spring semester of 2023. Data collection utilized a multi-instrument approach. The participants completed the Demographic Information Form, the Digital Literacy Scale developed by Ng (2012a) and adapted and validated by Hamutoğlu et al. (2017), the Intellectual Experience Scale developed by Mayer and Caruso (1989) and adapted for this study, and the newly developed Design Thinking Scale. After collecting data through various scales, we analyzed it for validity, reliability, and underlying factors. Descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS-24 software, while confirmatory factor analysis and structural correlations were conducted using LISREL 8.80. Additionally, PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modelling) was used to examine the relationships between design thinking skills (DTS), digital literacy skills (DLS), and intellectual experience skills (IES). Statistical analysis revealed robust support for the hypothesized model. Model fit indices confirmed acceptable and a good fit, indicating strong relationships between design thinking (DTS), digital literacy (DLS), and intellectual experience (IES). DTS emerged as a significant predictor of IES (large direct effect) and DLS (medium effect size), while DLS had a smaller direct effect on IES. Notably, DTS explained 51% of the variance in IES and 6% in DLS, solidifying its position as the most influential factor in the model.
... The former is perceived as a creative and emphatic "solution-centric" approach whereas the latter is a systematic and analytic "problem-centric" approach. In their psychometric research, (Greene et al., 2019) show that engineering and design attitudes are complementary. The willingness to mix DT and SE is not new. ...
The MedTech product development is experiencing a growing complexity of the design process. The design challenge is to keep the medical device simple and user-friendly while maintaining its interconnectivity with the other systems and products. The additional layer of complexity comes from the need to satisfy both - direct customers (pharma companies), and indirect ones (patients, health care practitioners, and pharmacists). Solving those design challenges must not compromise the safety of the end-user and must follow the regulatory requirements.
This research proposes the systematic design process for MedTech combination product development with the emphasis on product strategy and concept development operationalized by design thinking participative toolkit. The proposed approach serves the purpose of increasing the traceability between the early made business decisions on a product strategy level of MedTech company, and the engineering decisions made on product concept level. The ultimate goal of the research is to support the decision-makers with methods and tools which would allow them to make informed decisions on investment in a new MedTech combination product by Pharma and MedTech companies.
... Studies conducted in our country and abroad were examined, and surveys and scale studies on Design Thinking were encountered in studies conducted abroad. Addressing the general target audience abroad, Dosi et al. (2018) and Chesson (2017), a measurement tool developed to determine the DT skills of engineering students (Blizzard et al., 2015), DT attitude scale for system engineers (Greene, Gonzalez & Papalambros, 2019), DT test for primary and secondary school students (Rusmann & Bundsgaard, 2019) are some of them. As Sürmelioğlu and Erdem (2021), as a domestic scale development study, the Design Thinking Scale in Teaching is found in the literature to determine the design thinking structures of teachers in the technology-based instructional design process. ...
Design thinking is a human-oriented and creative problem-solving skill that can empathize with the user's emotions. Today, traditional problem-solving approaches are replaced by design thinking practices that include multidimensional thinking skills. The mission of higher education curricula is to enable students to use their design thinking skills effectively in higher education. In this study, the views of academicians on design thinking skills in different disciplines in higher education were consulted. A qualitative research method was used in the study and data were collected by interview technique. The research was carried out in İstanbul in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year, with the participation of academic staff from two state universities (n=15). In this context, a six-question semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. The data were analyzed with thematic coding and content analysis techniques, which are among the qualitative analysis methods. According to the research findings, academics think that there is a "high, versatile and complementary relationship" between design and thinking skills. They express the concept of design thinking as "human-based, user-need-based, solution-oriented and creativity-based". It is stated that design thinking individuals should have characteristics such as "empathy, analysis, openness to innovations, high imagination, attention to details and creative thinking". It is seen that academicians use design thinking in their courses in practices such as "problem-solving method, design project, searching real-life problems, developing thinking skills". In addition, the academicians stated that "they do not have knowledge about design thinking skills, some of them have theoretical knowledge, but those who have knowledge have weak practice levels". Finally, it is seen that they make suggestions that "design thinking practices should be added to the course content, applied training should be increased, thinking skills should be developed and innovative thoughts should be included".
... The evolution of design education is correlated with engineering education and aspect such as problem-solving methodologies and creative dimensions [3]. The discussion regarding the differences between design thinking and engineering thinking is latent, however there are elements they share, such as product development [4] and process that must be considered to find common practices. In recent years, practitioners have integrated in industrial design currulum a creative and reflective activities to training students for a specific and non-specific knowledge support by active activities in workshops or laboratories. ...
... The results of this work open the discussion on the use of this type of technology, which allows the creation of dynamics focused on a systematic process and a way of approaching a creative problem. This approach coincides with the vision that some authors have [3][4][5] regarding experiential practices in laboratories as well as the relationship between analysis and reflections on product design. During the project time, the students could apply dynamics that they had not done before. ...
The practice of design is constantly evolving; new technologies have become a support for the implementation of disruptive proposals in diverse disciplines, including design products. A Paradigm shift are present in the design and engineering education related with support technologies and developing new products. The objective of this work is to present the novel process of a design project that incorporates a creative and objective process for designing and validating products in order to attract, engage and retain talent in design and engineering courses for research and technology implementation. The challenge was a project for create an novelty industrial tool board with a minimum number of tools validated by Eye-tracking (ET) technology. The ET technology is based on the study of eye movement, which provides an objective indicator of where a person's overt, and typically centered, attention is focused. Twenty-eight students from the third year of Industrial Design Bachelor’s program were involved in this academic course and used a product design methodology to implement the technology and dynamics of the ET. The results of this education project revealed a novel dynamic in design education. The results reveled an improved interest in research and technology implementation. Students perceived the relevance of ET technology in a fundamental phase of product design. In addition, the students shared their enjoyment and interest in reusing this technology in similar processes. The students' perception of factors, such as utility, novelty and relevance of this technology, in their design processes was positive. Finally, the novel process became familiar to the students, even if it was their first-time using ET technology. This work reveals how technology becomes a fundamental part of the process and how to guide students to integrate rigid and meticulous processes in design products without neglecting the creative process.
The design of biological systems is a multidisciplinary activity in which biomedical engineers collaborate to build novel biological systems that address society’s needs. One of the most relevant skills for designing biological systems is engineering systems thinking (EST). Among the EST elements, the EST cognitive competencies are comparatively less explored. Particularly, there is a lack of understanding of how undergraduate engineering students manifest EST cognitive competencies in synthetic biology so instructors and curriculum designers can better scaffold students’ learning. In this study, we contribute to that gap by addressing the question: To what extent do multidisciplinary undergraduate teams exhibit EST cognitive competencies when designing a biological system to address societal needs?. We followed a Qualitative Descriptive Research approach to analyze the EST cognitive competencies of five teams who successfully framed a problem and developed a functional biological system as part of their participation in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition. We coded the publicly available teams’ wikis where they registered their design process using the Capacity for Engineering Systems Thinking (CEST) model and procedures from document analysis. The wikis included evidence of seven of the ten EST cognitive competencies from the CEST model. The studied undergraduate participants framed complex problems, designed systems that typically included various subsystems (e.g., biological, mechanical, electrical) and integrated multiple disciplinary concepts and tools. The participants used various approaches to handle the interconnection and synergistic properties of the elements in their biological systems, such as representing their systems at different levels of detail. Competition judges and advisor can support their teams’ EST using our findings. Furthermore, we propose a framework to explore the EST cognitive competencies of undergraduate students in the context of biological synthetic design and suggest how instructors and other interested readers may use our findings to develop learning environments that promote EST.
The evolving needs of customers and stakeholders necessitate the collaboration of diverse system elements within a cyber-physical, socio-technical network. Socio-technical systems are characterized by numerous complex interdependencies as well as by endogenous and exogenous influences. A key issue that developers must address is the mitigation of data and information uncertainties. The authors introduce an approach that operationalizes Design Thinking as a supporting sufficient condition within the context of designing system models in the realm of Model-Based Systems Engineering.
Current research underscores that there are only a few evidence-based programs that teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) as part of their curriculum, especially for autistic students. Even fewer programs focus on engineering and design learning. Hence, we developed an informal afterschool maker program to develop autistic and non-autistic students’ interests in engineering to understand their experiences learning STEM concepts and values while applying the engineering mindset to develop projects. This qualitative study aimed to explore and understand students’ experiences participating in STEM activities in the maker club. We interviewed twenty-six students (seventeen autistic and nine non-autistic), nine teachers, and thirteen parents representing diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds across three public middle schools in a large urban metropolitan city between 2018 and 2019. Our thematic analysis yielded four themes: (1) active participation in STEM; (2) curiosity about STEM topics, concepts, and practices, (3) capacity-building to engage in STEM learning; and 4) understanding of the importance of STEM education in daily life. The results of this study enabled us to understand that students were deeply engaged with the content and curriculum of our program, expanded their knowledge base about scientific concepts, used engineering-specific scientific terminologies, and engaged with the engineering design process to conceptualize, test, improvise, and problem-solve. Furthermore, this afterschool engineering education program created a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for students to build engineering readiness skills.
In applied program settings, such as in natural environment control and education, performance evaluation is usually conducted by evaluators considering both self-comparison and comparison with peers. We have developed the performance outcome scoring template (POS-T) for assessments with high face-validity in these settings. POS-T puts achievements of individuals or groups in context, i.e. the resulting performance outcome score (POS) reflects a meaningful measure of performance magnitude with regards to internal and external comparisons. Development of a POS is performed in four steps supported by a statistical framework. Software is supplied for creation of scoring applications in different performance evaluation settings. We demonstrate the POS-T by evaluation of CO2 emissions reduction amongst 36 OECD member countries.
This paper investigates how the core technical processes of the INCOSE model of systems engineering differ from other models of designing used in the domains of mechanical engineering, software engineering and service design. The study is based on fine-grained datasets produced using mappings of the different models onto the function-behaviour-structure (FBS) ontology. By representing every model uniformly, the same statistical analyses can be carried out independently of the domain of the model. Results of correspondence analysis, cumulative occurrence analysis and Markov model analysis show that the INCOSE model differs from the other models in its increased emphasis on requirements and on behaviours derived from structure, in the uniqueness of its verification and validation phases, and in some patterns related to the temporal development and frequency distributions of FBS design issues.
The paper presents the experience collected in a case study in the construction equipment concerning the use of physical prototypes for the development of product-service systems (PSS) enabled by new digital technologies. The paper firstly presents how a scaled physical prototype has been deployed to foster value co-creation with customers about the cross-disciplinary opportunity of the transition toward autonomous and electrical construction sites. Secondly, the paper presents the lessons learned during the empirical study.
