Conceptual Design – How It Can Be Improved

Although the later stages of design are well supported by software, there is currently no commercially available software to support conceptual design. The research community has been aware of this deficiency and has been working hard to establish techniques which are capable of assisting the designer to find better solutions at the conceptual design stage. Within the last few years, a set of algorithms known collectively as stochastic search techniques, have emerged as being ideal tools for this area. This paper describes how one of these algorithms, known as a genetic algorithm, works and how it can be used to support the designer during conceptual design.