Adrian Xiao’s research while affiliated with University of Calgary and other places

The appropriate selection of design concepts has a strong influence on product cost, durability, robust-ness and functionality. Effective tools to identify good design concepts are critical. Different design method-ologies have different objectives to aid in making the right decision. Some design methods are complemen-tary, whereas others may provide contradictory results. In this study, two design methods, concept scoring and axiomatic design, are compared for their ability to obtain good design concepts. Conceptual designs of micro-pumps, which provide pressure gradients to actuate the flow of liquids and gas, are used to evalu-ate the design methods. Metrics are used to compare these two design methodologies' abilities to achieve objective evaluations. The concept scoring method is easy to use, especially when comparing different de-signs. The axiomatic design method provides a struc-tured and mathematical design evaluation; however, achieving good design through the uncoupling or de-coupling of matrices is challenging. Further study is required to integrate these two design methods.