1 Copyright © 2012 by ASME ADVANCES IN TRANSFORMATIONAL DESIGN: CORRELATING CONTEXT EVALUATION TO QUALITY FEASIBILITY AND NOVELTY Bradley Camburn camburn@utexas.edu Kristin Wood wood@mail.utexas.edu The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX, USA Richard Crawford rhc@mail.utexas.edu Jeremy Robbens C12Jeremy.Robben@usafa.edu Dan Jensen dan.jensen@usafa.edu Aadit Patel C12Aadit.Patel@usafa.edu United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO, USA ABSTRACT In response to the call for multi-functional products, we have developed several relevant ideation techniques. These techniques are tailored for design of transformers- devices with multiple functional states. In this paper, we present significant advancements in transformational design. Primarily, we introduce a method to enhance quality, novelty, and feasibility (QNF) of design solutions. The method is used to classify design problem context and suggest pursuit of one of the two following device archetypes, transformer or monomorph- devices with a single functional state. The Indicators method is associated with a significantly increased probability of producing a design problem solution with higher QNF than a control (standard) design method. The claim that this method is accurate, its results are repeatable, and usage thereof enhances QNF is supported by a network of experiments and analyses. Statistical analysis is used to establish the accuracy, precision and repeatability of the method. Industry-standard qualitative methods, including inter-rater reliability analysis, demonstrate that usage of the Indicators method enhances design concept QNF. Concurrent minor analyses highlight the novelty of transformable designs; and some positive psychological effects of using the method. Additionally, the contextual (archetype) indicators have shown implicit promise as a core element for future research into ideation methods. 1 INTRODUCTION Designers and engineers are called to develop products that can address customer needs in an environment of rapid change and development. Correspondingly, the research community is called to develop methods and techniques that empower the engineer to analyze design context in a refined manner that matches this dynamic environment. These tools must provide reliable insight regarding the best approach to each particular design problem. Although many concept ideation and customer needs analysis techniques are extant, there are fewer methodologies which provide systematic selection of the appropriate subset of these to apply. 1.1 MOTIVATION The approach explored in this paper is to examine the influence of one concrete or not intuition-based, method for the selection of concept ideation methods. Such ‘selection’ methodologies are employed during early phases of design problem research and provide the designer with a guided, systematic design process that has been individuated to the given problem. One such method is the Indicators method, which is examined herein. The result of this method is to provide a tailored subset of concept ideation methods and assist the designer in relating the concept selection process in a systematic way to design context. It provides a means to select between the transformational and monomorph ideation methodologies tracks. Proceedings of the ASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE 2012 August 12-15, 2012, Chicago, IL, USA DETC2012-71416 This work is in part a work of the U.S. Government. ASME disclaims all interest in the U.S. Government’s contributions.