Synthesis

Revisit the design goals in Exercise 4 (Solution Development) and develop a morphological chart to combine ideas for achieving desired goals or functions of the proposed design

Context

Barrier to Synthesis

Design by accident

Engineers can not depend on unplanned, accidental occurrences to provide solutions to technical problems
Still, one must be prepared to take advantage of a serendipity and transform it into a serendipitous discovery, e.g.,
- Newton's law of universal gravitation by Isaac Newton 1643—1727
- Lysozyme and benzylpenicillin by Alexander Fleming 1881—1955
- Microwave oven by Percy Spencer 1894—1970 of Raytheon
- Teflon or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), 1938
- Velcro, 1941
- Slinky, 1943
- Post-it, 1968 and 1974
- Gore-Tex (expanded PTFE), 1969
- EnChroma color blind glasses, 2015
Such preparation requires an extensive knowledge of science, mathematics, and engineering fundamentals together with curiosity, analytical skills, and imagination
Pasteurization was named after Louis Pasteur 1822—1895, "In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind."

Creativity Simulation Technique

Biomimetics was coined by Otto Schmitt 1913—1998

Bionics, a portmanteau from biology and electronics, was coined by Jack E. Steele 1924—2009

Checklisting trigger questions and words
Synectics stimulates thought processes by joining different and apparently irrelevant elements, developed by George M. Prince 1918—2009 and William J.J. Gordon 1919—2003 at the Arthur D. Little Invention Design Unit in the 1950s
Analogies, adaptation, and duplicated design
Fresh perspective
Inversion of less effective ways, e.g., a hacksaw cuts the wood held still vis-à-vis the wood moves against a table saw
Idea diagrams such as mind map or concept map

Example of Trigger Questions

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