2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Design Method Adoption in Industry as Uncovered Using Semi-Structured Interviews

Presented at Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - Embedding Industry in Design Education

Engineering design education frequently focuses on the methods and tools that enable and enhance product creation. These tools range from individual and group ideation techniques to innovation portfolio management for organizations and originate from a diversity of consulting, academic, and industrial sources. The factors that drive the adoption, use, and ongoing success of these tools are not well understood and are likely driven by a complex interaction of human, organizational, and economic factors. This paper investigates innovation method and tool adoption in industry through semi-structured interviews with individuals from a Fortune 500 company. This work explores three resulting themes 1) individual incentives and motivation for adoption, (2) the appropriateness of tool selection for the organizational product domain and compatibility with existing processes, and (3) executive and management support for adoption. The implications for engineering education are also discussed.

Authors

Dr. Julie S Linsey Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Julie S. Linsey is a Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technological. Her research focus is on design methods, theory, and engineering education with a particular focus on innovation and conceptual design.
Mr. Kristoffer Gunnar Sjolund Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Kristoffer Sjolund is a Mechanical Engineering PhD student at Georgia Tech. He is currently researching the adoption of design methods in industry and classrooms.
Dr. Michael Helms Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Michael Helms is a Senior Research Scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where his research focused on improving design creativity.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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