What is Design?

Engineers and Designers perform a task we generally call "design"; but what does that mean really? What exactly is the output of a Design?

In a word: Requirements.

That sounds trite perhaps especially when one considers that the input to the design process is also requirements. So design is the act of translating one set of requirements into one or more other sets of requirements.

To see this consider for a moment what the "deliverables" are from a design process. For an electronic circuit design effort we may obtain the following...

  • Schematic Diagrams (requirements for layout)
  • Printed Circuit Layout Files (requirements to PCB manufacturing house)
  • Test Plan, Test Procedure (Requirements for testinging)
  • Bill of Material (Requirements to Purchasing)
  • Assembly Diagrams (Requirements to assemblers)

    • So really the result of a design process is a set of requirements which, if presented to the correct people or businesses (accompanied by money) can result in the creation of the object of the design.