Concurrent Engineering/Design Process/Interview with a Designer

(Chris Cookston)

Interview with Janise Medina. Janise graduated with honors from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with a BA in Interior Design. Her work has been recognized by large firms in the South as some of the best they've ever seen.

(Chris)

What are the steps of the design process?

(Janise)

1) Conceptualizing and Programming

2) Schematic Design

3) Design Development

4) Documentation

5) Execution

(Chris)

Can you expand a little on each step?

(Janise)

1) Conceptualizing and Programming:

5% of your total design time is spent on this step. This is the most important step! Although, no design actually happens here.

•	Conceptualizing: Begin with an abstract concept. In interior design, the designer asks "what is the “feel” of the design?" Not “what material will the walls be” but "what is this supposed to feel and look like?" A good concept is written down in about a paragraph. It is very solid, condensed and used as the “Bible” for the design. It doesn’t change down the road. An outstanding design will come from a strong concept. E.g. A clean place where a lot of people can gather. Another example: A refrigeration system that can fit inside of fireman suits. These are examples of concepts.

•	Programming: Here, you need to thoroughly research the consumer in order to turn the concepts into customer requirements. This can be a book long if it's needed. E.g. In the gathering place, the components of programming would be a janitors closet, max 500 occupancy, a big stage, etc. For the refrigeration system, the components would be a weight limit, size limit, cooling temperature, etc.

2) Schematic Design:

This step takes 10% of your total design time. Here you must come up with several different ways to solve the design. Take the numbers from the program and make many designs. Don’t get into nitty gritty details, but utilize the numbers from the program. After you have about 5 designs, sit down and evaluate the merit of each design and pick the best one. If none are satisfactory enough, you need to come up with more designs.

3) Design Development:

25% of all design time is spent on this step. All design decisions are made here. Keep track of every decision. Don’t let anything fall through the cracks. With the chosen design, start hammering out the design flaws. Go from a general, vague design to a very specific, detailed design.

e.g. bubble diagrams --> Block diagrams --> Final design (google: bubble diagrams for more information)

This is where concurrent design is at its peak. Designers, analyzers, and vendors work together to come up with a design. By the time DD is over, you know exactly what the design is going to be. This includes material, time, vendors, labor, money, etc.

(Chris)

In DD, do you try to foresee future problems and solve them before you run into them?

(Janise)

Well, don’t paralyze yourself with “what-ifs”. Be responsible but don’t be neurotic. Interior designers follow the International Building Code in order to eliminate any unforeseen problems. (similar to ASME codes) If the program was very specific and the designers followed them well, and followed the codes, most future problems will be eliminated.

(Chris)

Ok, please continue.

(Janise)

4) Documentation:

40% of your total design time is spent on this step. This is a very monotonous, meticulous step. It consists of Construction Documents and Specifications. You need to document every single detailed design decision during this time.

•	Construction Documents are documentation of how everything goes together. E.g. What is the space between this window and this wall, or how far is this bolt from this gear?

•	The Specifications document describes the specifics of each part going into the design. Any and all information pertaining to the design goes here. For example, if using a certain type of bolt, the specifications of the bolt are its material, chemical composition, who made it, when it was made, where it came from, what size is it, its thread count, its weight, its density, etc. This document is critical for the people building the product. If they are confused about something because it wasn't specified in the specifications document, they might build something incorrectly which might cause harm to the consumers, creating a lawsuit.

5) Execution:

This step requires 20% of the total design time. In this step, the design actually gets built. Here, the project team decreases significantly. Only the managers oversee this step.

(Chris)

What should be done if unforeseen problems come up in Execution?

(Janise)

The only problems that should come up in execution are vendor change, material change, or dimension change. If that happens, the change needs to be documented and amended in the construction documents and specifications. Any changes in the purpose or function of a part or design should have been done back in DD.

(Chris)

What step would be the right step to decide whether or not to terminate a design?

(Janise)

Schematic Design

(Chris)

How do you know when it is right to move onto the next step?

(Janise)

When you are done doing what the step requires you to do, move on to the next step.

(Chris)

Is an engineering design process different from an interior design process?

(Janise)

Of course, in a lot of aspects it has to be different. The details change from discipline to discipline. The percentages of time spent on each step may change as well, but the 5 steps of the design process never change.

(Chris)

Can one person go through the Design Process alone?

(Janise)

I wouldn’t recommend it. One person can be blind to a lot of things. A different perspective is necessary for good design. Good design doesn’t exist without collaboration.

(Chris)

What is your experience using the design process?

(Janise)

Following the design process is hard work. You will get bogged down and tired in each step and you will be ready to move on, but if you push through and finish each step correctly as it should be finished, the design will be very successful. If you follow the process, you will be rewarded. If you don’t, you may still get something that works, but it will just be average. I used it correctly in school. My projects were recognized by industry leaders as some of the best they’d ever seen. The firm that I work for doesn’t follow the design process. Their projects are a liability for them getting sued.

(Chris)

What are the advantages of using the design process?

(Janise)

The advantage is exemplary, superior design.

(Chris)

What are the disadvantages?

(Janise)

It takes a lot of time and hard work, but it’s worth it.

(Chris)

What are some credible sources that you would recommend using when learning about the design process?

(Janise)

I just used my professors and textbooks.

(Chris)

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

(Janise)

Yeah. Anyone who is teaching design and doesn’t teach these steps should be [fired].

(Chris)

Thank you for your time.