Formulation of an Agile Office Product: An Application of Axiomatic Design in Engineering

University of New South Wales, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Randwick, Sydney, Australia

^* Corresponding author: z5160509@ad.unsw.edu.au

Abstract

Axiomatic Design was applied in an undergraduate student-led project which culminated in the creation of an agile ergonomic monitor stand, a solution designed to optimise the productivity and working conditions of the office environment. The customer domain was determined using a Mendelow’s Stakeholder Analysis followed by contextual inquiries and lead user interviews. These customer needs were organised into different levels via Maslow’s Hierarchy and redefined in terms of functional requirements. The functional requirements were decomposed and classified using the Kano Customer Satisfaction and Long Tail Models, and ultimately organised into a functional requirement tree. Design constraints were considered and listed, and the customer and functional domains were compared using a House of Quality. This allowed potential design paths to be devised with respect to the chosen functional requirements. The path involving the smart ergonomic stand was chosen from a number of potential products assessed against the functional requirements by listing the potential design parameters in a morphologicalmatrix. Concepts were designed by creating combinations of these design parameters, with their suitability being judged using the Independence Axiom. The physical form of the solution was inspired using biological sources. The final details of the design were chosen using the Information Axiom to determine their suitability in practical implementation allowing the final concept to be produced in a 3D CAD model.