ECOR 1010  

Lecture 8B
Design Example

“Scientists investigate that which already is; 
engineers create that which has never been”
Albert Einstein
Method Of Design
Seven steps:
1. Recognition of need
2. Definition of the design 
problem
3. Definition of the design 
criteria
4. The design loop
5. Optimization
6. Evaluation
7. Communication

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 Design Example
• Development of the Harley‐Davidson V‐Rod
– Example of the engineering design process used to 
develop a new motorcycle
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpsGwZWvMf0
• While watching the video, think about how the 
engineering design process/method is applied during 
the design and development of the V‐Rod
– See if you can answer the following questions
• What was the recognized need?
• What were some of the design criteria/requirements?
• How did they generate concepts?
• What were some of the issues they faced? 3
 How the How the project How the How the How sales &
customer manager engineer programmer marketing
explained it understood it designed it wrote it sold it

How the project What How the What the

How it was
was operations customer was customer really
supported
documented installed billed wanted
 Over the Wall Design vs. 
Concurrent Engineering
• The previous slide is an example of the “over 
the wall” design process
– Design is walled off from other product 
development functions
– Customers talk to marketing, marketing 
communicates perceived need to engineering, 
engineering interprets the request and develops a 
design and sends it to manufacturing, 
manufacturing builds the design
• Often only one‐way communication
• End product is often not what the customer wanted 5
 Over the Wall Design vs. 
Concurrent Engineering
• Concurrent engineering
– Break down the walls with better communication
– Integration of designers and manufacturing, and 
others
– Concurrently design product and develop the 
associated manufacturing process to make the 
product
– e.g. in the H‐D V Rod video was the design of the 
frame and the development of the hydro‐forming 
tube manufacturing process
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