A survey of computer-aided design: Implications for creativity, productivity, decision making, and job satisfaction

Abstract

A survey of computer-aided design (CAD) usage was performed to investigate the relationship between CAD tools and four aspects of the designer's job which included productivity, creativity, decision making, and job satisfaction. Several designers (n & 117) representing 19 companies and 3 major universities were administered a CAD questionnaire designed to determine whether CAD utilization improved user performance in the four main job areas. The results indicated that those features which aided the designer in visualizing the structure of the CAD model or allowed the designer to directly manipulate the CAD model, such as rotations, were highly rated tools. Further, those features which resulted in slow system response times, such as engineering analysis, were evaluated as less useful in terms of the four job categories. Implications of the results for the design of CAD systems is discussed.