A study of the use of concept selection methods from inside a company

作者：Lopez Mesa Belinda^*; Bylund Nicklas

来源：Research in Engineering Design, 2011, 22(1): 7-27.

DOI：10.1007/s00163-010-0093-2

• Design methods
• Adoption of methods
• Impact of design methods in industry
• Concept selection

Design methods have been studied by researchers for decades. Academia considers their impact on industry to be insufficient. The objective of this research is to understand the use and impact of design methods in the context of a specific company, Volvo Car Corporation (VCC), by describing the behaviour of engineers in relation to methods, to assist in the future development of design methods and tools. We mainly concentrate on concept selection methods because of their relevance in this company. The data presented is the result of qualitative research carried out during 4 years at VCC, where the authors were located as researchers. The research shows that many methods are employed besides those with an academic name, that some in-company methods used contain improvements to methods researched by academia, that some modifications to academic methods lead to unreliable results, and that there is a lack of objectivity in method modification. For these reasons, the authors suggest further research on understanding the principles of successful and unreliable modification of concept selection methods.

• 出版日期2011-1