Refection- Visualization

Challenge & Selection

Visualization is a vital communication tool that I use within my engineering degree. As a  university student, I usually work on numerous group projects. Many of the group members I  work with are usually from diverse background with some being overseas exchange students. I  find visualization as an extremely useful tool to help form concepts and convey ideas to other  engineering students and also as a way to communicate complicated ideas that can’t be  expressed in words.

I have used this approach in one of the challenges I have recently come across. This challenge  involved participating in an Engineering Without Borders competition where the sole aim is to  design and build a low cost emergency vehicle prototype capable of travelling on difficult  terrains. The purpose of the vehicle is to transport medical drugs and equipment to  undeveloped communities in third world countries where basic infrastructure has broken  down.

Application

Before starting the designing process using the visualization tool, we first applied elements of  the mind mapping tool presented by University Angie Meyer (Week 3 Course  Content) to help find themes and insights of the design problem at hand. This involved mapping  out client’s demands, objectives and environmental and budget constraints. Mind mapping  enabled us to obtain a more intuitive and engaging visual idea of the design challenge. As a  result, through using the visualization tool we were able to create many designs and concepts  that followed the requirements of the project. This included drawing several different views of  the

prototype vehicle and the relationship between those views known as orthogonal drawings.  These orthogonal drawings along with 3D drawings allowed members within the team to think  in a non-verbal way and grasp a much clearer understanding of the particular ideas being  portrayed.

Throughout the construction phrase the team did a series of small tests on certain components  of the vehicle prototype which were then critically analyzed and evaluated. During these  compliance tests there were problems with the vehicle design which were encountered that  were not realized before. As a result, we had to go back to the drawing board and make a  number of adjustments and modifications on the prototype design such as the braking and  suspension system. It is through the use of visual thinking that we were able to illustrate key  elements further needed to tackle the problem space. We did this by further developing a  series of design solutions and trialing each of them and seeing how effective they were before  making a final decision.

Insight

Visualization being an essential tool greatly assisted us to help place complex concepts from  abstract form into to graphical drawings. This allowed the team to have a more concrete  understanding of what each team members were trying to say when focusing on different  mechanical systems on the emergency vehicle prototype. The habit of producing graphics  allowed the team to develop new insights by unlocking certain aspects of the vehicle design not  previously thought of. The use of visual thinking also strengthened our understanding and  improved our insight on how different systems and mechanisms can work together i.e. the belt- drive motor, braking and suspension system.

Approach

Throughout the design thinking process, we learnt as a team that incorporating other tools such  as mind mapping with visualization we are able to have a more agile approach to tackling the  design challenge. It is also important to realize when working with different teams, there may  be members who might not have a background in design. This can be very intimating and  difficult for them at the start when they try to portray their ideas. In future, the best way to  approach this issue is to keep encouraging them to draw on a regular basis on ideas that comes  to their mind. This will strengthen their visual thinking skills and will soon eventually become  second nature to them.

