Our aim in writing this book is to bring out the broad issues affecting all design. We have not attempted to provide prescriptions, formulae or recipes to solve particular problems. These can all be found in codes, manuals and other books. We have instead concentrated on the factors affecting design and the process undertaken. Engineering education tends to be a compartmentalised learning of different techniques. The main missing link is the appreciation of the purpose behind these techniques, and the context of their application. We have tried to illustrate the all-pervasive nature of design.
The book is particularly aimed at young engineers and undergraduates. We hope that we have kindled their curiosity, so that students feel that their studies are purposeful. We believe that this in turn will allow the students to derive more from their curriculum. It is hoped that the book will enable them to appreciate the bigger picture, and how many of the skills they had acquired in a disparate fashion can be brought to play in a constructive manner. The book has been a pleasure to write, and our hope is that it contributes to the understanding of the creative activity that is design.
The book is particularly aimed at young engineers and undergraduates. We hope that we have kindled their curiosity, so that students feel that their studies are purposeful. We believe that this in turn will allow the students to derive more from their curriculum. It is hoped that the book will enable them to appreciate the bigger picture, and how many of the skills they had acquired in a disparate fashion can be brought to play in a constructive manner. The book has been a pleasure to write, and our hope is that it contributes to the understanding of the creative activity that is design.