Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Generative design tools empowered by recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) offer the opportunity for human designers and design tools to collaborate in new, more advanced modes throughout various stages of the product design pr...

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Main Authors: Saadi, Jana I, Yang, Maria C
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ASME International 2024
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/154881
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author Saadi, Jana I
Yang, Maria C
author2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
author_facet Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Saadi, Jana I
Yang, Maria C
author_sort Saadi, Jana I
collection MIT
description <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Generative design tools empowered by recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) offer the opportunity for human designers and design tools to collaborate in new, more advanced modes throughout various stages of the product design process to facilitate the creation of higher performing and more complex products. This paper explores how the use of these generative design tools may impact the design process, designer behavior, and overall outcomes. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with practicing and student designers from different disciplines who use commercial generative design tools, detailing the design processes they followed. From a grounded theory-based analysis of the interviews, a provisional process diagram for generative design and its uses in the early-stage design process is proposed. The early stages of defining tool inputs bring about a constraint-driven process in which designers focus on the abstraction of the design problem. Designers will iterate through the inputs to improve both quantitative and qualitative metrics. The learning through iteration allows designers to gain a thorough understanding of the design problem and solution space. This can bring about creative applications of generative design tools in early-stage design to provide guidance for traditionally designed products.</jats:p>
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spelling mit-1721.1/1548812024-12-23T05:55:15Z Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process Saadi, Jana I Yang, Maria C Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Generative design tools empowered by recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) offer the opportunity for human designers and design tools to collaborate in new, more advanced modes throughout various stages of the product design process to facilitate the creation of higher performing and more complex products. This paper explores how the use of these generative design tools may impact the design process, designer behavior, and overall outcomes. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with practicing and student designers from different disciplines who use commercial generative design tools, detailing the design processes they followed. From a grounded theory-based analysis of the interviews, a provisional process diagram for generative design and its uses in the early-stage design process is proposed. The early stages of defining tool inputs bring about a constraint-driven process in which designers focus on the abstraction of the design problem. Designers will iterate through the inputs to improve both quantitative and qualitative metrics. The learning through iteration allows designers to gain a thorough understanding of the design problem and solution space. This can bring about creative applications of generative design tools in early-stage design to provide guidance for traditionally designed products.</jats:p> 2024-05-09T17:25:16Z 2024-05-09T17:25:16Z 2023-04-01 2024-05-09T17:21:46Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/154881 Saadi, Jana I and Yang, Maria C. 2023. "Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process." Journal of Mechanical Design, 145 (4). en 10.1115/1.4056799 Journal of Mechanical Design Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf ASME International ASME
spellingShingle Saadi, Jana I
Yang, Maria C
Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title_full Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title_fullStr Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title_full_unstemmed Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title_short Generative Design: Reframing the Role of the Designer in Early-Stage Design Process
title_sort generative design reframing the role of the designer in early stage design process
url https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/154881
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AT yangmariac generativedesignreframingtheroleofthedesignerinearlystagedesignprocess