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<br> Learning Portfolio 3
#br$Length% &'' to a ma"imum of ('' words.
<br><b>Results</b><br><p>
)riefly describe *no more than ( lines total+ the design concept your team selected for
two of the primary systems of your design.
The design concept chosen for our team, albeit simple, was implemented for the fact that
it met all of the criteria mentioned in the group problem statement and it worked in
theory. ,n terms of the - primary systems of our design, structure and tether grip, we
constructed the elevator out cardboard and then used paper mache to strengthen the
design. !urthermore, in terms of structure, the top of the elevator was kept on an angle of
.(.& degrees to ensure optimal sunlight would be reflected on the solar panels. Moreover
the wheels and engine were kept on either side of the elevator to eually distribute the
weight. / switch was also implemented on top f the elevator to help reverse the current
ad hence allow the elevator to move down. ,n terms of tether grip, the design consisted of
0 wheels of which only one was connected to the engine while the others simply went
along with the momentum. ,n addition, the wheels used had enough friction so as to push
the elevator up the tether without causing it to fall down.
</p><b>Reflection</b><br><p>
1onsider the activities of yourself and your team during the design evaluation phase of
your pro2ect. Think about how well you and your team members have understood the
decision making techniues described in the te"tbook, and applied them in this phase.
3rite a reflection on this part of the process. ,nclude the following headings in your
reflection%
</p><b> My first evaluation</b><br><p>
4escribe how you personally prioritised your design goals and what your underlying
reasons were, such as the best mark, the thrill and pride of having the fastest vehicle, the
most uniue vehicle, the most elegant vehicle5 )riefly e"plain how you rated design
concepts, such as how you worked out the difference between a poor, satisfactory, or
good design concept5
, personally prioritised my design goals based on the group problem statement. This was
effective in a way that , had not leaned away from the task however it also limited me to
e"plore other goals. , deconstructed the problem statement, firstly, and took the vital
details in order to construct my design goals6 my goals included using recyclable
materials and using the solar panels. My underlying reasons for my specific design goals
was simply to attain the best possible marks, in terms of meeting the design brief.
However , also constructed goals that would allow us, as a group, to have the most
uniue vehicle that would enable us to e"press our creativity and initiative. ,n terms of
rating design concepts, although there were varied opinions among the group, , simply
had a set of basic criteria that allowed me to assess if a concept was poor, satisfactory or
good. ,f a design was drawn poorly and seemed to have little though put into it, then it
would be poor. ,f a design seemed to be well drawn, well thought about and theoretically
works, then , considered it to be good.
</p><b>Team activities</b><br><p>
Outline the process by which your team evaluated the design alternatives. !or e"ample
was there a clear winning design concept across all goals5 3hat critical uestions were
generated out of this process and what was agreed that needed to be done ne"t5
/lso discuss how effectively all team members contributed to this activity. 7ou may
consider the following in your reflection on how well the team worked%
/ny signs of problems ahead in achieving your team goals for the pro2ect5
,f so, what plans do you have for correcting the problems5
#8p$The simple, but effective, process of brainstorming ideas was utilised by our group
to evaluate the design alternatives. /s a group we decided to brainstorm the positives and
the negatives of each design however we also thought about how each design might be
improved. There was no clear winning design concept across all goals, per se, however
there was a design that clearly satisfied most of the goals and hence was used as our base
design6 our foundation. The critical uestions that were generated out of this process
included%
#8p$ 9 3hat are important features5
#8p$ 9 /re the designs fle"ible in terms of changing criteria5
#8p$/fter the completion of the process, it was agreed, that the team be split into - and
then assess how each design concept can contribute to help make the base design more
suited to match the problem statement. Team members contributed very effectively in
terms of completing this activity. The team, once split into -, decided to complete a
:3OT analysis of the base design and each design concept to help assess how the base
design may be improved upon.
</p><b>What I learned about design and teamor! from the
process</b><br><p>
3hat were your feelings about the decisions made by the team, such as%
3as there a solution that you felt deserved to be selected but wasn;t5
4id one of your design concepts get selected as the best one by the group5
4escribe how you felt about the outcomes of the team;s decisions5
3hat do you now think about the nature of open9ended problems such as the design
pro2ect that you are now engaged in5 1an you think of a more effective way in which to
systematically solve engineering design problems5
#8p$ ,n terms of my feeling, , felt that each solution had potential to be worked upon and
create a suitable final product. However , was e"tremely happy with the base design
chosen. /lthough one of my design concepts did not get selected, aspects of my design
such as the placement of the solar panels on an angle were implemented onto the base
design. , felt e"tremely happy and proud of the group from the outcome;s of the team;s
decision. , found that splitting the team into -, helped cover more work and e"pressed
more ideas that were helpful in creating an ideal solution.
#8p$, found that open9ended problems, such as the design pro2ect we are currently
engaged in, are e"tremely beneficial. ,t not only facilities creative simulation but also
provides everyone an opportunity to e"press themselves more openly and honestly.
!urthermore it encourages others to come up with more ideas and concerns. ,n terms of
effectiveness, , think, personally, that open9ended problems are by far the most effective
problems to solve engineering design problems as it brings about a range of uniue ideas
and allows other e"plore new ideas.