Design Matrix

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Notebook section:  Design Documents
Purpose: Document your analysis of multiple design options

A set of design matrixes will help you to decide what type of design to choose for your project. The design matrixes will also document your design decisions for later.

The process

  1. Goals. First, you must decide on several design goals. See the PowerPoint presentation on design for more details on this. You should have around ten (five to fifteen) design goals. Describe each goal in a one or two paragraph description. Decide how much weight each goal has for the total evaluation of design ideas.
  2. Designs. There are two different ways to organize this:
    bulletIf you are choosing between significantly different design options, then use a single matrix. Choose four or more complete design options based on brainstorming sessions. These options should be significantly different from one another - not just minor variations on a theme. You must have at least four serious designs to consider. Provide an adequate description of each design option, including explanations for how you assigned points.
    bulletIf your product has a set of major components that are best analyzed independently, you may use a set of design matrixes, one for each major component. For example, if your product is an air quality analyzer, you might have four matrixes: One for the basic type of pollutants you will identify, one for the type of technologies you will use, one for user input options, and one for output and display options. You should provide a paragraph or two describing each matrix and all the options. This should include descriptions of how you assigned points.
  3. Matrix(es). Make a table with goals on the vertical axis and design options on the horizontal axis. Assign a maximum possible value to each goal. Fill out each space in the table with an estimate of the value for a particular goal and design combination. Add up the points for each option. The one with the highest points wins!
  4. Reality check. Did this process seem to work? Maybe a design that seems odd ended up winning. If you don't like the result, figure out why. Perhaps the odd design that win really is the best one. Or maybe your goals aren't weighted properly. Maybe your stated goals don't really reflect how you think the designs should be judged. If needed, modify/add to your goals, adjust their weights, or rethink how you analyzed a solution.

 

 The document must include the following:

  1. A one-paragraph introduction.
  2. An explanation of each of your goals (one or two paragraphs each)
  3. A description of each of your designs or design options including explanations of how you assigned points in each category. If you are using multiple design matrixes, you must include a descriptive paragraph for each matrix.
  4. The design matrix(es)

Kevin Bolding September 22, 2009