The research objective of this EArly concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award is to quantitatively measure, model, and understand the relationships between engineering design behavior (actual engineering activity), problem solving preference (individual psychological predisposition), and real-time physiological responses of engineers (EEG, ECG, and other physiology telemetry data). It will result in an engineering design measurement system that will help improve decision analysis models by reducing individual behavior-based uncertainty, as well as data that will support the formation and optimization of design teams, enabling new insights into the interactions between engineering designers and their contextual environments (e.g., computational and collaborative tools, spaces, and machines). This research will facilitate the integration of analytical creativity and structured engineering approaches with the less structured creativity of divergent rapid prototyping to enable design teams and technical organizations to increase the level of transformation, speed, and value of their product/system development and design processes.

If successful, the results of this research will provide insight into the underlying cognitive processes taking place as engineering designers make decisions (alone and in teams), including the relationship between the amount of stress experienced under different amounts of uncertainty based on the type of design activity and the problem solving preference of the individuals. The results will enable the development of new supportive tools and environments to assist in the resolution of complex engineering challenges, while taking the individual psychological predispositions of the engineers and the specific divergent or convergent nature of the design activity into account. This knowledge will enable the facilitation of mental pivoting between the divergent and convergent engineering design phases, as well as the maximization of each individual engineer's participation and output in both phases.

Project Report

* What are the major goals of the project? It has been our specific objective to triangulate (ANNOVA tests) between psychological preferences variables, actual engineering activity variables, and physiology variables related to the creative performance of design engineers. We sought to create a proof of existence instrument using quantitative, sensor based tools to serve as a foundation methodology in Design Science. We also sought to quantitatively distinguish (blind test) between convergent and divergent engineering activities using physiology data. We aim to understand and model the relationships between actual designed product performance, problem solving preferences of design engineers (psychological predisposition using the KAI (Kirton Adaption­Innovation inventory)), and the physiological data obtained from design engineers (EEG, ECG, and physiology telemetry data) at work during fuzzy front end product development and design activities. * What was accomplished towards these goals? We believe that we have demonstrated that it is possible to create a lab setup that allows for reliable capture of data in support of triangulation between the psychological survey instrument, the engineering activity and the physiology data. We were able to run a "relatively" large sample of 37 participants in the final test setup. Analysis of the physiological data is ongoing to identify the key dependent variables for next generation studies. The infrastructure from these studies remains at Stanford (mainly a $50,000 mobile EEG system). The PI has recently taken on a portfolio of simulation based car-driver interaction studies that promise to benefit from the EAGER study design. We are designing simulator based experiments to study car-design engineers and lay-drivers to better understand how these two populations perceive and think about autonomous car behaviors in ways that will yield safer personal transportation in the not distant future. Continuing collaboration is planned with the Co-PI, Martin Steinert, now Professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, Trodheim, Norway, and co-investigator, Kathryn Jablokow, Professor at Pennsylvania State University. * Profucts Conference Papers and Presentations Steinert M., Jablokow K., Leifer L. (2012). EAGER: AnalyzeD ­ Analyzing Engineering Design Activities. 2012 NSF Engineering Research and Innovation Conference, sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI). Boston. Status = PUBLISHED? Acknowledgement of Federal Support = Yes Steinert M., Jablokow K. (2013). Triangulating Front End Engineering Design Activities with Physiology Data and Psychological Preferences. 19th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED13). Seoul, Korea. Status = PUBLISHED? Acknowledgement of Federal Support = Yes Jablokow K., Spreckelmeyer K., Steinert M., Hershfield M., McEachern C., Hershfield J. (2014). The Impact of Individual Cognitive Differences on Design Decisions while Prototyping. 3rd Annual ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) International Forum. Indianapolis, Indiana. Status = SUBMITTED? Acknowledgement of Federal Support = Yes * Impact - What is the impact on the development of the principla discipline(s) of the project? We believe that transfer of the experimental protocol and instruments to the application domain of safety studies related to autonomous-car interaction with the "driver" is timely, appropriate, and critical to highway safety. As the automotive industry rushes forward with the technology of autonomous car features, our understanding of the coping performance of the driver and passengers is dangerously lacking.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-10-01
Budget End
2013-09-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$132,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Stanford University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Stanford
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94305