Spanning the complexity chasm: A research approach to move from simple to complex engineering systems

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-study approach that allows design thinking of complex systems to be studied by triangulating causal controlled lab findings with coded data from more complex products. A case-study illustration of this approach is presented here. During the conceptual design of engineering systems, designers face many cognitive challenges including design fixation, errors in their mental models and the Sunk Cost Effect. These factors need to be mitigated for the generation of effective ideas.Understanding the effects of these challenges in a realistic and complex engineering system is especially difficult due to a variety of factors influencing the results. Studying the design of such systems in a controlled environment is extremely challenging due to the scale and complexity of such systems and the time needed to design the systems. Considering said challenges, this paper presents a mixed method approach for studying the design thinking of complex engineering systems. This approach includes a controlled experiment with a simple system and a qualitative cognitive-artifacts study on more complex engineering systems followed by the triangulation of results. The triangulated results provide more generalizable information for complex system design thinking. This method combines the advantages of quantitative and qualitative study methods, making them more powerful while studying complex engineering systems. This paper illustrates the proposed method further using an illustrative study on the cognitive effects of physical models during the design of engineering systems.

Accretion theory of ideation: evaluation regimes for ideation stages

“…This is notable considering that ideation sessions are characterised by the scoring of the ideas generated (Girotra, Terwiesch & Ulrich 2010). Design ideas generated by participants in experimental studies are counted and presented for evaluation in a variety of formats including audio recordings (Atman et al 2007), sketches (Perttula & Sipilä 2007), written statements (Girotra et al 2010), physical models (Meneely & Portillo 2005;Viswanathan & Linsey 2012), or digital models (Viswanathan & Linsey 2014). Across studies, ideas are generated by participants in sessions that range in duration a few seconds (Alexiou et al 2009), several minutes (Gonçalves, Cardoso & Badke-Schaub 2013), multiple hours (Viswanathan & Linsey 2012), days or weeks (Yang 2009), or undefined time limits (Atman et al 2007).…”

“…The purpose of evaluating early ideas is only occasionally explicitly articulated in the literature, such as when successful ideation is depicted as 'helpful in supporting engineers to generate novel and creative designs, innovative solutions will follow' (Daly et al 2012); when it is portrayed as playing 'a crucial role in the development of innovative and creative products' (Viswanathan & Linsey 2014); and when it is assumed to be 'likely related to the quality of the final design solution' (Shroyer et al 2018). Such likely causation link between the quality of early and final ideas, whilst may appear intuitively sound, is not explained by theory and remains unsupported by evidence, calling for closer examination.…”

“…2007), sketches (Perttula & Sipilä 2007), written statements (Girotra et al. 2010), physical models (Meneely & Portillo 2005; Viswanathan & Linsey 2012), or digital models (Viswanathan & Linsey 2014). Across studies, ideas are generated by participants in sessions that range in duration a few seconds (Alexiou et al.…”

Representing analogies to influence fixation and creativity: A study comparing computer-aided design, photographs, and sketches

“…The sunk-cost effect occurs when an individual tends not to change paths due to the time, money, or effort already entered in a particular course of action even when it would be more logical to go in a different direction (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979; Arkes & Blumer, 1985). The sunk-cost effect has been shown to be the reason for the apparent fixation in prototyping (Viswanathan & Linsey, 2013 c , 2014).…”