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Handbook of Ethics, Values, and Technological Design pp 667–690Cite as

Design for Values in Engineering

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Abstract

Values have probably always played a role in engineering design. However, in current practices and design methods, the attention for values in engineering design tends to be implicit and unsystematic. Establishing Design for Values in engineering would require overcoming this situation. This contribution discusses which values play a role in engineering and engineering design, describes existing methods and experiences with Design for Values in engineering, and explores how values can be integrated into engineering design and existing design methods, in particular quality function deployment (QFD). It identifies four challenges for Design for Values in engineering: (1) discovery of the values to be included in engineering design; (2) translation of these values into engineering characteristics; (3) choice among design options that meet different values to different degrees; and (4) verification of whether a design indeed embodies the intended values.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This section draws on Van de Poel and Royakkers (2011), Chap. 2.

  2. 2.

    Not all design methods conceptualize the design process as a linear process. Most methods contain possibilities for iteration. Moreover, especially design models from architecture stress that the design problem cannot be formulated completely independent from possible solutions (Roozenburg and Cross 1991, p. 188).

  3. 3.

    The figure is largely based on Eekels and Roozenburg (1991).

  4. 4.

    Customer satisfaction may, depending on one’s theory of human well-being, be seen as a value that contributes to the value of human well-being (see chapter on “Design for the Value of Human Well-Being”).

  5. 5.

    This section draws on Van de Poel (2007).

  6. 6.

    It might be argued, however, that since both the company plan and the current company score are measured on an ordinal scale (expressed in the integers 1,2,3,4,5), this division is not allowed because ordinal scales do not allow for this arithmetical operation.

  7. 7.

    However, a more qualitative approach to QFD might be possible that at least is likely to increase customer satisfaction compared with the current situation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Ibo van de Poel

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  1. Ibo van de Poel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Jeroen van den Hoven

  2. Department of Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Pieter E. Vermaas

  3. Department of Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Ibo van de Poel

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van de Poel, I. (2015). Design for Values in Engineering. In: van den Hoven, J., Vermaas, P., van de Poel, I. (eds) Handbook of Ethics, Values, and Technological Design. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6970-0_25

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