Research in engineering design: the role of mathematical theory and empirical evidence

My method is better!

“…Hazelrigg's letter to the editor and the reply letter by Frey et al (2010) that appear following this editorial are just opening remarks. Design researchers or others are invited to submit papers on related subjects including:…”

Building the tower without climbing it: Progress in engineering systems

“…Furthermore, according to the axioms of social choice theory it is, in general, not possible to generate a rational aggregate preference ordering for a group when at least three team members must select between at least three options . Thus, adherents of the axiomatic approach contend that systems engineers must act as “dictators.” In contrast, some scholars associated with ES have argued that empirical support for axiomatic approaches is lacking when compared to participative and heuristic approaches ,…”

“…This distinction has relevance to engineers, as demonstrated by its traction within the product design community: coherence privileges consistency with design axioms (e.g., Refs. ) independent of design outcome, whereas correspondence privileges outcomes independent of logical consistency . These approaches are typically portrayed as in conflict; however, there is evidence they need not be .…”

What is a reference?

“…Let's consider an example of two such schools: decision theory and pragmatic engineering methods. They are epitomized in a debate that took place in Research in Engineering Design in 2010 (Frey et al 2009(Frey et al , 2010Hazelrigg 2010;Reich 2010a) 11 but could be found elsewhere. 12 The point of the debate is not necessarily to determine who is right but to maintain consistency in reasoning.…”