Complexity metrics for design (simplicity + simplicity = complexity)

TLDR

The paper introduces complexity concepts to help designers balance manufacturing and assembly difficulty, aiming to provide guidance throughout the design process for efficient first‑time production. The authors review and select appropriate definitions of complexity, discuss metrics for comparing variants, and outline a research agenda to develop these metrics within the Designers' Sandpit project.

Abstract

This paper presents an introduction to concepts of complexity in support of assembly-oriented design, to guide the designer in creating a product with the most effective balance of manufacturing and assembly difficulty. The goal is to provide the designer with such information throughout the design process that an efficient design is produced in the first instance. In this paper, definitions and applications of the term ‘complexity’ are reviewed, and then definitions appropriate for the situation are selected. The metrics required for comparison of different complexity variants is discussed. Finally, a research agenda is presented for development of the proposed metrics within the Designers' Sandpit project, to make complexity in design a practically useful concept.