2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering design processes often focus on beginning with a problem and considering multiple possible solutions, following problem-first design practices. Alternatively, design processes can start with a solution and identify potential problem applications it can solve, termed “solution mapping.” Most design tools and strategies have been developed to support problem-first design practices. Tools and strategies to support solution mapping have been underexplored. We plan to develop tools to support solution mapping by examining experienced engineers’ approaches. Experienced engineers gain expertise as they spend more time scoping problems and gathering information, and considering alternative approaches compared to novice engineers who have limited experience in these areas.
We conducted think-aloud studies to analyze experienced engineers’ solution mapping behaviors. The think-aloud method asks participants to verbalize their thought processes during a task, allowing the research team to capture the details of their behaviors. Five experienced engineers were recruited and asked to generate possible problem applications for a design problem. We examined the patterns in their solution mapping practices to identify strategies used to identify problem applications.
This paper describes experienced engineers’ solution mapping practices by capturing details about their thought processes. They demonstrated several key strategies such as identifying alternative uses and replacing existing solutions to problems with new technology to identify problem applications. By understanding specific strategies used in solution mapping, this study can lead to explicit instructional tools to support engineering students develop solution mapping skills.