A DIFFICULT CASE: BRINGING PRODUCT DESIGN METHODS TO NASA ENGINEERS

The paper offers a critical look at the authors’ efforts to introduce product design methodologies into an organization that is very much “task–centered” rather than “user–centered” – the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Here we describe our work over the past three years in developing a successful course in idea generation methods for the NASA Engineering Training Program. The course itself is an on–going exercise in design as we work to adapt it to the very specialized demands of a renowned organization that faces unique constraints in achieving success.