Concurrent engineering with suggestion-making CAD systems: Results of initial user tests

CAD systems that make suggestions to designers are investigated as an aid to preliminary design and as a computational tool for concurrent engineering. A system-user test was performed with such a system configured to provide suggestions in three ways: during preliminary design, after preliminary design, and not at all. Five users were tested with each mode. All were given the same design assignment, and all were allowed to refer to the standard book-form concurrent engineering information. The two user groups that received suggestions produced more good designs that did the unaided group. There was little distinction in quality, however, between the two aided groups. Additionally, users that received suggestions stopped using the book-form information very early in the design process and relied solely on the system's assistance. These results demonstrate that suggestion-making systems can integrate concurrent engineering information into the preliminary design process. (A)