An integrated expert weight determination method for design concept evaluation

Abstract

Expert weight determination is a critical issue in the design concept evaluation process, especially for complex products. However, this phase is often ignored by most decision makers. For the evaluation of complex product design concepts, experts are selected by clusters with different backgrounds. This work proposes a novel integrated two-layer method to determine expert weight under these circumstances. In the first layer, a hybrid model integrated by the entropy weight model and the Multiplicative analytical hierarchy process method is presented. In the second layer, a minimized variance model is applied to reach a consensus. Then the final expert weight is determined by the results of both layers. A real-life example of cruise ship cabin design evaluation is implemented to demonstrate the proposed expert weight determination method. To analyze the feasibility of the proposed method, weight determination with and without using experts is compared. The result shows the expert weight determination method is an effective approach to improve the accuracy of design concept evaluation.

A novel integrated MADM method for design concept evaluation

“…As experts have an important role, various studies about the expert weights are carried out in other fields of MADM problems 44 . The weights of experts depend on their background and experience 45 . Both subjective and objective methods have been applied in expert weight determination for years 44 .…”

“…The project manager expects to organize a decision-making group with experienced customers. However, using many customers may not work well in the assessments 45 . Some studies suggest that the experts in the R&D department should be selected as the experts because they are much more familiar with the criteria 16 , including product attractiveness, manufacturing, maintenance, cost, and time to market 19 .…”

“…In a previous study, the experts were recruited from amongst designers, manufacturers and customers, and a cluster-based expert weight determination method was proposed in the 2-tuple linguistic environment. The case study part of that paper found the variances of experts in each group were very small (Designer cluster: 0.32%, Manufacturer cluster: 0.35%, Consumer cluster: 1.15%) 45 , and widely considered statistically insignificant. It mainly occurs because the experts in the same cluster have a similar background and interests, and their preferences are thus probably similar.…”

“…Previous customer information 45 reveals the passenger cabin should be comfortable, aesthetic and eco-friendly. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of the passengers while considering all the aspects of the design, nine criteria are identified by the decision-making organizers.…”

An MAGDM method for design concept evaluation based on incomplete information

“…The Technique of Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), proposed by Hwang and Yoon, is one of the most popular MADM methods, and is widely used in several fields including design concept evaluation [ 13 , 14 ]. To decrease the subjectivity caused by individuals, the decision organizer recruits more experts in the decision-making process [ 15 ], and the MADM methods evaluated by a group of experts are defined as Multiple Attributes Group Decision-making (MAGDM). MAGDM, which integrates the fuzzy set and TOPSIS method, has shown its advantages for design concept evaluation [ 5 ].…”