Collaborative design between industry practitioners: an interview-based study

This research describes and compares the interviews of practicing engineers and designers in industry regarding theircollaboration on design projects with how academic textbooks teach design. An empirical study was conducted thatcentered around live interactions between the researcher and the interviewees to retrieve targeted information specific tocollaborative design research that may be more difficult to attain in written documents. A total of ten interviewees fromthree companies volunteered to participate in an interview with topics related to design projects, processes, tools, andmeetings. Interviews were then deconstructed to quantify results based on specific topics discussed (e.g., informal andformal meetings) and collaborative tools used throughout a project. Insights into when, why, and how the intervieweestypically undertake design projects at their respective companies were elucidated. Results show that only one of theinterviewees mentioned the benefits of a design tool, which they did not however use during their projects. This findingcontradicts the textbook suggestions of using design tools as the means from which to collaborate. The purpose ofcollaborative design from the perspective of the interviewees is also discussed through formal and informal meetings.According to the interviewees, each meeting type employs a different set of needs when used in the design process. To betterequip students for work outside of academia, preparation for meetings would be beneficial as they would begin to developsoft skills and project management skills required for industry. Such training is useful in concurrence with the teaching ofdesign tools by enforcing student teams to compile meeting minutes, begin with stating the project problem statement, orlimit meetings to a specified duration. These tips were useful in providing students with skills in managing meetings toensure the ultimate success of the engineering design project. Additional research questions are posed for purposes offurther study of other firms regarding their design practices and what resources academia can provide for individualdesigners.