The Engineering Design Process

The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineers follow to come up with a solution to a problem. Many times the solution involves designing a product (like a machine or computer code) that meets certain criteria and/or accomplishes a certain task.

This process is different from the Steps of the Scientific Method, which you may be more familiar with. If your project involves making observations and doing experiments, you should probably follow the Scientific Method. If your project involves designing, building, and testing something, you should probably follow the Engineering Design Process.

Engineers do not always follow the engineering design process steps in order, one after another. It is very common to design something, test it, find a problem, and then go back to an earlier step to make a modification or change to your design. This way of working is called iteration, and it is likely that your process will do the same!

The steps of the engineering design process are to:

a. Define the Problem

b. Do Background Research

c. Specify Requirements

d. Brainstorm Solutions

e. Choose the Best Solution

f. Do Development Work

g. Build a Prototype

h. Test and Redesign

Engineers and designers use the engineering design process, shown in the diagram, to solve a problem by creating new products, systems, or environments. The process rarely moves in a linear fashion. Instead, designers jump back and forth between the steps as they move toward the final solution.