A conceptualisation of design context to explain design trade‐offs in the automotive industry

Abstract

The paper explores decision‐making rationale when making trade‐offs in design. A case study of a mass‐market car manufacturer was conducted using interviews, qualitative questionnaires and observation. It revealed that decision‐making practices in trade‐off situations depend on the way that decision makers perceive the relative importance of design targets and trade‐off criteria. These practices are unformalised and embedded in the larger processes of car development and often contradict the technical guidelines for making trade‐offs that exist in the company. The paper presents a conceptual framework to explain the rationale of trade‐offs in different design contexts. How to apply this framework to understand design trade‐offs is described with an illustration of its use in two real life examples.