Evaluation matrices are one of the most misused, misunderstood, tools of product development. However, a simple shift in the way we think about them can help us all get the most out of evaluation matrices.
Many Good Design Choices Can Add Up to a Bad Design
A complicated design can usually be decomposed into lots of smaller design choices. But those individual good choices can add up to an overall low-quality design and experience if the bigger picture isn’t continually considered.
13 Leadership Principles
You cannot lead if no one follows. And no one follows if they don’t trust you.
Embracing Failure: Your Design Mentor
Everyone needs a mentor and maybe more than one. One of your mentors might be called Mary, Bob, or Jim. But at least one of your mentors should be called “Failure.”
The Rise and Fall of IoT?
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a relatively new term and a lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon calling new devices “smart.” But what makes a device smart? And is that even the correct term?
Eight things the best students know
Here’s what the good students seem to know, and that I wish everyone knew.
Engineering from the Very Beginning
As is customary this time of year, we often think about goals and resolutions associated with the new year. There is something very refreshing about a clean slate and starting over from scratch at the beginning of January.
Year in Review of the BYU Design Review - 2019
Thank you for being a part of the BYU Design Review! Here are some highlights as we look back at 2019.
Five Articles From 2019 You May Have Missed
Read some great articles from 2019 you may have missed on the BYU Design Review.
Most-Read Articles from 2019 on the BYU Design Review
Check out the most read articles in 2019 on the BYU Design Review.
A Design Review of the Christmas Booby Traps from Home Alone
Ever thought about the design of Kevin’s booby traps in Home Alone? Consider these critiques before you choose how to defend your home this Christmas…
Inspiring YouTube Channels
YouTube is a treasure trove for design-related content. Here are a few channels to consider once those Christmas presents have been opened and you’re ready to cozy up and be inspired during Christmas break.
The LEGO Brick
The creation of the LEGO Unit was not only a meaningful piece of LEGO history but rather a fundamental player in modern LEGO design culture. It’s no surprise the market loves this toy. It’s proven so by buying more than 600 billion bricks produced to date. Enough for every person on the planet to have 81 pieces.
I Can Do Hard Things, but I Can’t Do All Things.
Stressed? Robert Juvinall’s book Stress, Strain, and Strength talks about how engineered parts hold up under pressure – but there are some interesting parallels that can put your stress in perspective and help you see that you can do hard things, but also that you can’t do all things.
Design for Star Wars
There is a common phrase among design engineers: Design for X. And although you might not be involved in such a high-stakes design activity as Star Wars, yet, you can still embrace some of the principles it took to bring this universe to life.
Golf Ball Dimples - A Design Feature for Distance
It takes a little curiosity and engineering to make certain features standard on many everyday things. Take a look at how dimples became one on golf balls.
Groupthink in Design Thinking
There are a lot of reasons to seek a unanimous decision. We do it all the time to be or feel united, avoid hard feelings, increase buy-in, etc. But when the stakes are higher, and the decisions are more complicated and multi-dimensional, the last thing you want is full consensus early on in the decision-making process.
Seeds of Failure
To have any hope of success, the following three issues should be focused on simultaneously during and from the beginning of product development. Don’t leave them to chance and don’t ignore them.
Christmas Gift Ideas for Design Engineers
Trying to find that perfect gift for the engineer or designer in your life? Give these ideas a try…
Self-Imposed Deadlines
One secret to designing a better life: Self-imposed deadlines.