Do engineers really "design" anything?

Do engineers really “design” anything, or do they just take the idea and the sketches that a designer has come up with and make sure that the end product will work? Just wondering since most of the engineering programs out there are followed by design, such as mechanical engineering and design, civil engineering and design, etc.

Yes, engineers design lots of things. The engine in your car, the bridge it’s driving over, the factory it’s built in, the circuits and electronics that make it work, etc.

It’s design, but a very different type of design and one not completely associated or related to the field you and I work in. The problem is that every profession technically designs, so the term gets mixed up a lot. Businessmen “design” systems, scientists “design” new compounds, and composers “design” music. As for engineers, they create the back-end of many products you see (how the mechanics work, the efficiency of the product, what materials would work best, technical details etc.) where as industrial designers tend to work on the front-end (how the user engages with it, what form best communicates its purpose, how does it fit into its environment, etc.).

To this end I think “developers” fits with engineers more than “design” does. But it’s really semantics in the end.

It depends on what your definition of “design” is. They’re designers in the sense that they are designing solutions to solve everyday problems, and in the sense that many of them use similar processes to arrive at their end result that Industrial Designers use. If you mean are they product designers, user interface designers, people who understand how to elegantly combine function with form… then yes they do that too, and here’s a picture as proof.
oreck_comvac_wide_vacuum_lg.jpg

I guarantee the designer of that vacuum has “engineer” on his business card, but can also wax-poetic about how well designed it is from the perspective of manufacturing, materials-efficiency, reliability, and probably even ergonomics and aesthetics…

…especially compared to his competition:

It’s all relative.

Now if design-driven companies like Crown or Dyson get into their industrial vacuum market, and apply people with “Industrial Designer” on their business cards to the problem, these guys better watch out.

DO ENGINEERS REALLY “DESIGN” ANYTHING?

That’s the same as asking ‘do designers really “engineer” anything?’. It’s an obvious answer… “yes”

That’s the same as asking ‘do designers really “engineer” anything?’. It’s an obvious answer… “yes”

Depends on what country you’re in. In a lot of places, “engineer” is a protected term that refers to a regulated profession. The US doesn’t have any restrictions that I’m aware of, though. So if I ever move down there, I’ll call myself an Awesomeness Engineer. Fuck yeah.

But of course, it depends on what you mean by “design” and “engineering”. A lot of mechanical engineers do industrial design as part of their work, even if poorly. Chemical engineers do not, although they still use the word “design” a lot. You see, a working engineer falls into one of two categories: design and research. Research engineering is R&D and academic, while design engineering is absolutely everything else. That’s just a function of “design” being a very general term.

Your right it needs tailfins, a ipod dock and a touch pad. :laughing:

When I read the original post I thought “its more like the other way around”.

90% of the designers I have ever met know woefully little about how things are made, what engineering decisions take place in that process, and whether or not something will work. In my opinion these people are mere content-free stylists. Unless a designer deeply knows or understands what the engineer must solve for, their work will continue to be diluted in final production and perhaps not address the problem adequately.

At my current position its expected to be a tw0-way street; my engineers have tried to learn what ‘good’ design choices look like, and the designers are expected to deal with structure, assembly, and the bottom line.

As for engineers, they create the back-end of many products you see (how the mechanics work, the efficiency of the product, what materials would work best, technical details etc.) where as industrial designers tend to work on the front-end (how the user engages with it, what form best communicates its purpose, how does it fit into its environment, etc.).

This is a general outline of how its supposed to work, but better organizations don’t have solid divisions between the two disciplines.

To that I would add that both parties should respect the others opinions.

As an engineer who almost finished a 2nd degree in ID (tempted away by a job that mixes both), ditto to what Slippy and NURB said.

Bringing a product to market is a collaborative effort. It is unfortunate in a way that we use the term “Design” to describe what we do because as it is defined, yes, engineers do this:

1 : to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive
2 a : to conceive and plan out in the mind b : to have as a purpose : intend c : to devise for a specific function or end
3 archaic : to indicate with a distinctive mark, sign, or name
4 a : to make a drawing, pattern, or sketch of b : to draw the plans for
intransitive verb
1 : to conceive or execute a plan
2 : to draw, lay out, or prepare a design

This is the beauty of the word Architect. Engineers design the complex structural elements of buildings, but they are not Architects and no one would confuse them as such.

I couldn’t resist …And did a little redesign :wink:

As for the discussion if there’s a distinctive difference between an engineer and a designer? Then I’d say yes but both do the same job. For me it’s the designers responsibility to take the engineer in uncharted terrain, get them out of the comfort zone. They tend to stick to what they know, to what certainly works. I love to work with engineers who are driven and motivated to do something new. And off course as a designer you do engineer the inside of the product (with the help of others). If you don’t do that then you can’t really say you designed a product :wink:

Grtz

T

so you added cost, and reduced functionality, increased tooling cost, and made repair almost impossible…well done! :laughing:

The definition of design that I use is “The purposeful move from a current state to a preferred state”. In that way everyone can design. In the engineers case their preferred state is all cost and manufacturing based and does nor really include any softer side of the human condition.

Not necessarily. The 3 squeegees will make it more effective in cleaning corners. No need of an operator = reduced cost. Repair impossible? Easy-access panels?

What’s your take on the product then? this?

I think this product will do the best job in terms of cost vs efficiency:

Anyway I made the redesign more for a laugh than to be taken serious.

And my design definition is: “Design concerns the relationship, and the optimization thereof, between the user and his tools.”

Grtz

T

Awesome sketch response. Super fun.

During a team project in college, I was working with a bunch of engineering students, and they given up, as the project was not going anywhere. I didn’t give up, I pulled in an all nighter and still did a royal mess of the whole project. So the conclusion can be made that one rarely designs anything at all :wink:

A design qualifies as a “design” whenever it is fully completed and works in the manner in which it was intended to work. So whoever changes the concept, gives feedback to it, proposes solutions and eventually makes it work or sells it, designs it. Therefore, a marketer, a salesman, and anyone on the development team design things. I have to add that a marketer who tries to market a water bottle as a boat construction material is also a designer :wink:

Sorry to throw the WRONG at you you experiMental but I have to blow the whistle on that one. You are confusing the product development process for design. Design is a part of that, not the entirety.

Thanks for clarifying your point, to me, your reply sounds right. Product development is what I did in college 60% of the time, even though lecturers told me that what I’m doing is design. :confused: