A Framework for Fostering Compassionate Design Thinking During the Design Process

Abstract

Design educators in mechanical engineering departments have witnessed an evolution in the types of design problems that students prefer to address in their courses. Anecdotal evidence from discussions with colleagues indicate that over the last 30 years, projects have evolved from the design of purely mechanical systems to projects that require knowledge outside of the traditional engineering paradigm, including social sciences. These evolving interests have added complexity to the role of design educators and have revealed the limits of available design tools used in these courses; these tools are often not sufficient to support decision-making when subjective aspects of the design process are involved, such as customer preferences.