Contextual influences on trade-offs in engineering design: a qualitative study

• Published in: Design Science Vol. 10
• Main Authors: Nickel, Jordan, Hurst, Ada, Duimering, P. Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 24.10.2024
• Subjects: Context; Decision making; Design context; Design engineering; Design practice; Designers; Engineering design; Influence; Pareto optimum; Path dependence; Problem solving; Product development; Qualitative research; Trade-off; Tradeoffs; Qualitative research; Engineering design; Design context; Path dependence; Trade-off; Design practice
• ISSN: 2053-4701; 2053-4701
• DOI: 10.1017/dsj.2024.34

Design occurs in complex socio-technical contexts with conflicting stakeholder goals, requirements and other constraints. These limit solution options and create trade-offs where improvements relative to one goal come at the expense of performance on another. Little is known about how the design context influences trade-offs, or how designers interact with context to manage trade-offs. This article reports on an exploratory qualitative interview study investigating design trade-offs in relation to their socio-technical context. We identified nine themes reflecting engineering designers’ perceptions of the influence of the design context on their ability to resolve trade-offs. Findings suggest that the design context is both a source of trade-offs, and of knowledge and information that helps designers clarify ambiguous requirements to navigate and resolve trade-offs. The results provide insight into how designers interact with the design context to learn about the structure of their design problems and the degrees of freedom available to resolve trade-offs. The findings also contribute to understanding the effects of path dependencies in trade-off situations, and how the sequential distribution of design decisions over time constrains trade-off resolution. We discuss some of the goals and challenges of conducting rigorous qualitative research in design and identify potential directions for further research.