Communication & Project Learning

BME 455: Biomedical Engineering Design I

How does communication affect design?

Communication…� Affects opportunities to influence design early� Affects the cost of changing a design later� Affects opportunities to do something

innovative� Affects all of your success

– Your success as an engineer, your happiness as a person, and your satisfaction with life are more dependent on your ability to COMMUNICATE than on any other ability you have or will have

– Engineers are held down professionally by poor communication skills

BME 455: Design I

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?

Concept: What is Communication?

� Definition– A process by which information is exchanged

between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

� Requirement– Mastering the art of speaking AND writing

effectively

BME 455: Design I

Several Different Communication Pathways

Spoken Pathways� Phone (efficient, limited)� Conversation (fluid,

informal, personal, stimulates thought)

� Impromptu talks (“just in time,” focused thought)

� Prepared presentations (“captive audience,” implied importance)

Written Pathways� Notes (logbook, can

become evidence!)� Email/IM/blog (easy,

efficient, casual, not secure)

� Memo/letter (paper, fax, more formal)

� Proposals (“asks,” white papers, quad charts, full applications)

� Reports (progress, final)� Specifications (highly

structured, legal aspects)� Instructions (“how to,”

consumer focused)BME 455: Design I

Communication Anatomy

� Ideas� Requests� Task results� Instructions� Advice

BME 455: Design I

Message

Medium

ResultSender Pathway Receiver

� Conversations� Meetings� Video conferences� Presentations� Notes� Letters/memos� Emails/IMs/blogs� Reviews/proposals/reports

� Support� Execution� Action� Response

What’s missing from this picture?

BME 455: Design I

Communication Anatomy

BME 455: Design I

Message

Medium

ResultSender Pathway Receiver

Communication always includes

NOISE

Challenge� Reduce the noise relative to the message in

order to get the desired result � Increase the Signal::Noise ratio

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?

What is Noise and What Does Noise Do?

� What is noise?– Anything that causes the receiver to be

distracted from the message

� What does noise do?– Limits confidence in you and your message– Prohibits the desired result

BME 455: Design I

Examples of Noise

Spoken Noise� Mumbling, speaking too

soft� Speaking too slow/fast� Being boring and

monotonous� High UPM factor

(“umms/minute”)� Being a statue or a pacer� Blocking the screen� Adoring your visuals� Rambling� Poor grammar & usage� Using irrelevant humor

Written Noise� Confusing organization� Poor grammar, spelling &

usage� Sloppy formatting� Inconsistency in style &

structure� Inappropriate use of jargon� Poor tables, charts,

graphs� Ponderous prose� Inaccurate data� Too little white space� Unnecessary redundancy

BME 455: Design I

Effective Engineering Communication

� Know your message and desired result� Know your audience � Control the noise (spoken and written)� Focus: use as many words as necessary, but

no more� Use richness and terseness in communication

– Big decisions are generally made based on brief, but rich, communication (spoken or written)

– You are always competing for a small slices of your listeners’ or readers’ time

– Respect your listeners’ or readers’ time– Always put the main points “up front” and

organize the details for easy access– Start simply and refine, but never gloss over entirely

BME 455: Design I

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication

The “Talking Stick”

� Sacred power of words… speak while holding the stick…others must remain silent

� Feather gives courage and wisdomto speak truthfully and wisely

� Fur reminds that words must come from the heart and be soft and warm

� Blue stone reminds that the Great Spirit hears themessage of the heart as well as the words he speaks

� Shell, iridescent and changing, reminds that all creation changes and people and situations change, too

� Four colored beads (yellow for sunrise, red for sunset, white for snow, and green for earth) are symbols of the universe’s powers in hand at the moment to speak

� Bear claw represent speaking with the power and strength of this great animal

BME 455: Design I

Listening 10 Commandments

1. Stop talking2. Put talker at ease3. Act interested4. No distractions5. Empathize

6. Patience, patience!7. Temper, temper!8. Don’t argue or whine9. Ask questions10.Stop talking

BME 455: Design I

Listening Techniques

� Critical listening– Separate fact from opinion

� Sympathetic listening– Don’t talk – listen– Don’t give advice – listen– Don’t judge – listen

� Creative listening– Exercise an open mind– Link your ideas with others’ ideas and others’ ideas

with yours

BME 455: Design I

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”

The Ultimate Goal of Project Learning (Phase 1)

� A clear picture of what is considered done and good

� The knowledge to produce a design that is done and good

BME 455: Design I

Project Learning Research

� Linking Design Process to Customer Satisfaction– Problem definition at the higher abstraction levels is

positively related to client satisfaction– Client satisfaction improves with greater effort in

idea generation at concept level, but not at the system or detail design levels

– Greater time spent on design refinement activities across all design levels is negatively associated with client satisfaction

– Greater time spent at the detail design level appears comparatively non-value added to client satisfaction

– Time spent on problem definition and engineering analysis activities at the system design level leads to better client satisfaction

BME 455: Design I

Project Learning Research

� Engineering Design Processes: A Comparison of Students and Expert Practitioners– Experts spent more time overall in design than

students and significantly more time on problem scoping activities

– Experts also gathered more information that covered more categories

– Results support argument that information gathering and problem scoping are design activities with major differences between advanced engineers and students and are important competencies for students to develop

BME 455: Design I

Project Learning Notes

� Talk is cheap… � DOCUMENTATION is a must!!!

– Data (logbooks), schedules, decisions– You do NOT know it until you can show somebody

where you documented it– Action items are NOT complete until documented– Be efficient in documentation

BME 455: Design I

stakeholdersinterviewsobservationspersonal experience

Project LearningAnatomy

BME 455: Design I

Identify and perform activities that clarify issues surrounding each part

persoorm rify

ng People

Technologygy Products

ProjectLearning

People: Identify Stakeholders and Experts

� Stakeholders are people that have an interest in the creation of a new product

� Experts are people that have specific knowledge about related products, processes, and technologies

BME 455: Design I

People: Qualitative Field Research

BME 455: Design I

Groups

Individuals

Observation

Interview Experience

CrossCheck

Interview Probes� Detail-oriented (who,

what, when)� Elaboration (tell

me more, go on, example)

� Clarification(what do you mean by “X”)

Observation Roles� Passive (not

involved)� Participant (native’s

view, empathetic*)� Active (limited participation)

Meaningful Experience� Empathetic research

� Understanding actions

People: Interviews

� Information to getneeds and constraints – Interviews– Focus groups

� Focus on “what,” not “how”– Interviewees focus on solutions and anecdotes, – You must extract the needs– Root cause analysis (5 Whys) is critical

Example: My car will not start. (the problem)1. Why? The batter is dead.2. Why? The alternator is not functioning.3. Why? The alternator belt has broken.4. Why? The alternator belt was well beyond it life cycle.5. Why? I have not been maintaining my car according to the

recommended service schedule.BME 455: Design I

People: General Areas of Needs

� Functional performance� Human factors� Physical requirements� Reliability� Life-cycle concerns� Resource concerns (time, cost, etc.)� Manufacturing requirements

BME 455: Design I

People: Interview Tips

� Watch for “needs”– Direct (declarable)

� Basic (works, rechargeable)� Performance (battery life)� Exciting (GPS, waterproof)

– Latent (hidden, unexplainable)

� Watch for priorities– Must, should, and wish – These must rank the needs list

� Determine why product characteristics are important

� Transform “solutions” into a desired outcome� Let the stakeholder talk!!!� Do NOT waste the stakeholder’s time

BME 455: Design I

Kano Model

People: Conduct Observations

� People often do not realize opportunities, realize their problems, and communicate allneeds

� Apply anthropological techniques to document activity lists, characterize user types, and characterize value to the user

BME 455: Design I

People: Personal Experience

� Use the product, perform the process, experience the hardship!

� First-hand experience is a great way to grow understanding

BME 455: Design I

People: Action Items

Team Activity

� Who are your stakeholders and experts?

� How will you interact or understand them?

BME 455: Design I

stakeholdersinterviewsobservationspersonal experience

Project LearningAnatomy

BME 455: Design I

Identify and perform activities that clarify issues surrounding each part

persoorm rify

ng People

Technologygy Products

ProjectLearning

competitive analysisdissectionpersonal experienceobservationsexperimentsmath model

Products: Competitive Analysis and Dissection

� Teardown competitive products and products with comparable function that may be helpful for conceptual design

� Build model of geometry and performance� Benchmark performance of competitors

BME 455: Design I

Products: Experimentation and Modeling

� Gain clarity in relevant physical phenomenon by creating math models and relating them to experiments

� Useful to determine what can be validated

BME 455: Design I

Products: Action Items

Team Activity

� What existing products or product documentation should be reviewed?

� In what way will you access them and capture the results?

BME 455: Design I

stakeholdersinterviewsobservationsempathetic activities

Project LearningAnatomy

BME 455: Design I

Identify and perform activities that clarify issues surrounding each part

empaorm rify

ng People

Technologygy Products

ProjectLearning

competitive analysisdissectionpersonal experienceobservationsexperimentsmath model

experimentationmath models

Technology: Research

� Identify technologies that are core to the problem or potential directions for the solution

� Web searches, patent searches, existing documentation

BME 455: Design I

Technology: Relevant Codes & Standards

� FULLY understand the governing standards, set of codes, or rules that your design must adhere to

� Consult with experts to get a handle on relevant codes

� Summarize relevant material in a manner that is easily digestible by others

BME 455: Design I

Technology: Action Items

Team Activity

� What technology do you need to become conversant in?

� What do deliverables look like?

BME 455: Design I

Outline for Today

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning� Answer your questions!

BME 455: Design I

� How does communication affect design?� Concept: What is communication?� Effective engineering communication� The “Talking Stick”� Project learning