The window blinds installed by the owner seem to meet our needs perfectly. I will briefly describe some of the main features we enjoyed and why I consider this a good design.
Good Design: Silly Putty
It squishes, it bounces, it breaks, and it occupies a spot in the Smithsonian museum!? Most of us have played with Silly Putty, the iconic pink goop, but few know its origin story and the lessons it has for designers and engineers.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Engineering Design
Have you thought about how AI will affect your design work? I’m excited for the ways that AI can facilitate product realization work, and in this article I describe why.
Beyond Paper: How to Make Origami Out of Thick Materials
Many people either know about origami, have seen others fold origami, or have folded it themselves, but very few people can translate origami crease patterns into 3D objects and designs. That skill is necessary to take origami from a hobby to an engineering tool. I want to push your origami knowledge and exposure just a little deeper and go beyond the paper pattern. Specifically, after reading this article, you’ll be able to make an origami tessellation pattern out of materials thicker than paper.
Good Design: The Ozark Trail 1-Person Backpacking Tent
Going backpacking this summer? Still need to buy a tent that won’t break the bank? Consider the Ozark Trail, 1-person backpacking tent.
What is Systems Design? Part 3: The Case for Model Based Systems Engineering
Here in Part 3 we tackle the challenge of performing systems design at various points on the system design spectrum in a planned and coordinated manner such that all designs, small and large, are properly specified, decomposed, allocated, tested, and integrated into a desirable and successful complete system.
Good Design: Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2
Nike has returned to its roots by providing exceptional performance, comfort, durability, and even fashion to elite and non-elite runners alike. Through my own experience and research, I can verify that Nike encapsulates this new vision in its Zoom Vaporfly NEXT% 2 shoe design
Good Design on the Roads of New Zealand
The reason why we can see so much good design in the world is because many of the bad (or not as good) designs have been removed over time and replaced with something better. At any given moment or place, the observable products and processes generally represent the best designs that the local people or nation could adopt or afford.
Life Lately - Memes for the Stressed Design Engineer
Engineering can be hard… but it’s harder when you aren’t laughing. Happy April Fool’s Day!
The Rules of Work
In this article, I share direct quotes from six of Templar’s rules of work. These rules are all centered on one of the book’s ten themes: “Act One Step Ahead”. If you are going to move up in the company you have to practice the “mannerisms, attitudes, and managerial traits of the position above the one you currently hold. If you already look as if you’ve been promoted, chances are you will be.”
Pocket Prototyping
In engineering we frequently have questions to which we’d like practical answers to keep us moving forward. If a simple prototype will do, don’t forget to look in your pocket, your home, your lab, your hobbies, or just down the street.
Innovate (Safely) and Thrive
In a spurt of spontaneity, I found myself at BYU’s Cougar Skate event a few weeks back. I’d never been rink skating before, but my previous experiences with inline and ice skating left me with enough confidence that I didn’t look up any tutorials before heading for the Wilkinson Student Center. Though, I think my tailbone would’ve thanked me if I had.
NFL Stadiums and Human Centric Design
This year, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs face off at my home stadium– Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. What needs to be considered when designing NFL stadiums? And what design principles can we learn?
How did ChatGPT Perform as an Author?
On January 24th, 2023 we asked ChatGPT to be a guest author of the BYU Design Review. This week we discuss the experiment and how ChatGPT performed. If you’ve somehow missed hearing about ChatGPT, here is another chance to learn about a new technology that might become a part of our everyday lives.
How to Coordinate Product Development Activities
Product development involves a lot of work. Making sense of what needs to be done and in what order, and how one bit of work on the team relates to another is a major challenge. This article describes three ways product development activities relate to each other. Understanding these relationships helps teams establish effective sequencing and timing for the work they do.
How ChatGPT Can Help Design Products (Written by ChatGPT)
ChatGPT is taking over the world!… Or is it? Here is the first article on the BYU Design Review written entirely by an artificial intelligence. No edits were made by a human of any kind. What do you think? Impressive or Over-hyped?
Why Designers Make Prototypes
Have you been asked to make a prototype, or feel like you should be doing more prototyping, but you’re not quite sure why, or not quite sure how to get the most out of prototyping? This article presents 4 reasons designers make prototypes. Understanding these reasons and mapping them onto your project will unlock the power of prototypes and speed up your development efforts.
Good Ideas: They Come From Your Head
It sounded like I was trying to find sources for plagiarizing answers. But I was genuinely concerned—if the internet is just some depository of mediocre thinking, where on earth was I supposed to go to find good ideas? She looked startled that I asked the question, but one millisecond later she gave me an answer that changed my life…
Five Articles From 2022 You May Have Missed
As we wrap up the end of another calendar year, we wanted to draw attention to some articles that may have slipped under your radar.
Most Read Articles of 2022
Check out our most popular articles from 2022!