3D Creativity: Real & Virtual Justin Magee, Snr. Lecturer, School of Creative Arts

A Matrix Chart can be created to help decision making and also to clarify concepts after a brainstorming session.

It is very similar to a Morphological chart, however more casual in its structure.

It can also be used as a starting point for creating ideas.

Several Matrices may be used together to create a plan for different design directions.

The design of a chair for an office could be the initial brief. For this a general matrix could be generated

Triz method

Attribute Listing could work well with the SCAMPER method, where destruction methods are used to brainstorm. It needs an ideas generation method to compliment it.

It comprises of the breaking down of a problem into smaller and smaller pieces and then seeing what is discovered as this is done. It is related to Morphology. It is a method that seems to be best for quality improvement for complex problems.

It allows the designer to discover if all elements have been investigated.

A simple example is that of a torch re design:

The options graph illustrates the various ideas and their working combinations. The solutions. Rather than outlining the solutions, lines are used to connect the ideas that are most unlikely, due to cost, functionality, weight, surface finish etc. This is because there are normally a greater number of possible solutions than impossibilities to any problem.At a glance the designer can see the potential designs that must be presented to give the client a full range of choices.

When creating a chart of options, a form of brainstorming will occur for each decission area, maximising the optioins. These options are, at this stage, independant to each other. To create solutions they must be illustrated as interconnected ideas. A decission on the quality and feasibility of these options will take place next to create an option graph.

This is a list of the main factors that will have an important influence or impact on the development of the design.

For Products these may include the following

1. Its function or functions
2. The packaging of components
3. The operation Principles
4. The form (of individual parts)
5. The Materials used (for individual parts)
6. The Manufacturing Techniques
7. Ergonomic issues

From this list a series of options will be created. The next step is to chart options

When analysing a problem a number of different decisions may have to be taken. These decisions are interconnected to each other and will have influence over their feasibility. This method, which is similar to Morphology, can be used at any stage of the design process. Its aim is to quickly eliminate unlikely solutions and propose combinations of interconnected ideas to create feasible solutions.

Three steps are required

This method was created by Fritz Zwicky.

This method comprises of many variations, but in design only the Morphological chart is used. This is a chart of many dimensions which results in a solutions matrix.

This method relies on four steps

This type of analysis helps to determine the skeleton of the product or system in question. It does not deal with the form elements such as aesthetics, dimensions or materials. Its place is particularly relevant with a product that is radical and new in its invention. The designer must distance themselves from the problem The key question to ask when using this system is :

What is the new product to do and how could it do this?