CHOOSING THE RIGHT D FOR DESIGN

In the current CDIO V2.1 standard (2016), there is no formal definition of what design is or

what process should be employed. Instead, it is left to the educator to figure out what is the

right way to proceed. Among philosophers of design, there is no agreement on the nature

of design processes. Design is often taught as an iterative method taking a developed list

of requirements and trying different combinations of elements until a satisfactory solution is

found. Knowing which elements are worth investigating is often said to be only gained through

reading background material and experience. There are alternatives in the form of formalized

design methods, including Axiomatic Design and Google’s Design Sprint. This paper presents

an overview of these methods to provide opportunities in hybrid design frameworks for the CDIO

educator. When properly informed, both students and teachers can choose or create the right

D in CDIO to fit the project or discipline.