Idea-configuration-evaluation (ICE): development and demonstration of a new prescriptive model of the conceptual engineering design process based on parameter analysis and C–K theory

This paper introduces a new prescriptive model of conceptual engineering design. The model is based on the method called parameter analysis (PA) and the relatively new descriptive model called C–K theory. PA was developed based on observations of designers in action, while C–K theory has a strong foundation in logic theory. The new model combines the benefits of C–K theory and PA to overcome the lack of a strong theoretical foundation in PA and the insufficient prescriptive power of C–K theory. The paper describes in detail the process of developing the new model, which was similar to product development. It started with conceptualization in order to define a set of key factors and principles, i.e., the conceptual foundation or the “ideology” of the new prescriptive model. Next, those principles were integrated into a structured systematic procedure to form the new prescriptive model. The conceptual design of a realistic design task is used to demonstrate the application of the new model. The significance of the current work is the contribution to the theory and practice of engineering design, eventually leading to improved design processes and better designed products. Reporting on the experimental testing of the new model will follow in the future.