In previous meetings, we presented preliminary work on coding student design journals as part ofan effort to better understand how design processes affect design outcomes. We have alsoconducted a number modeling efforts on a dozen student mechanical engineering projects thatcorrelate key process variables to design quality, client satisfaction, and designer productivitymeasures. One of the main patterns across the different analyses is that system-level design,which falls between concept design and detail design, consistently appears as a stronglysignificant variable distinguishing strong performing projects from weaker performing projects.In this paper, I briefly summarize the results of three analyses on the coded journal data. I thenexplore what “system level design” is, illustrated with a case example, and how it serves tobridge the gap between concept and detail design. These results have important implications forengineering problem-solving in general (not just design), which are also discussed.
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