An extension of computer engineering methods for interdisciplinary design

Abstract

This is a case study that focuses on design methods developed by a computer engineer engaged in an interdisciplinary design project with a classic designer. Of interest is how the computer engineer initially found the task of achieving the shared design goals to be almost impossible, primarily due to the differences between the codified design methods of the engineer, and the tacit knowledge based methods of the designer. The study describes how the engineer developed new design realization skills enabling him to reconcile these differences in a way that allow the tacit knowledge of the designer to influence the codified engineering process in a repeatable way. These methods referred to as “dreaming” and “mirroring” represent a potentially learnable extension to the classic engineering design realization process.