Paper or Tablet? The Impact of Digital Tools on Sketching During Engineering Design Concept Generation
Name
md_146_11_111401.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
838.76 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5ad1fa4b2d071b52e813c4d49365d7f4
Author(s)
Das, Madhurima
Huang, May
Yang, Maria C
Date Issued
May 21, 2024
Journal
Journal of Mechanical Design
Publisher
ASME International
Citation
Das, M., Huang, M., and Yang, M. C. (May 21, 2024). "Paper or Tablet? The Impact of Digital Tools on Sketching During Engineering Design Concept Generation." ASME. J. Mech. Des. November 2024; 146(11): 111401.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Sketching is an important tool for engineers during concept generation. Sketch quantity during this early stage of design has been linked with eventual design outcomes and sketch quality has been linked with design perceptions. As such, both are important metrics to track. Prior work has also found gender differences in some of these sketch attributes, and considering gender imbalances in the field, it is important to assess whether there are differences in performance by gender during concept generation and if the use of digital tools exacerbate or mitigate any of these potential differences in performance by gender. Given the increase in use of digital tablets for sketching, it is important to assess how tablet use affects early stage engineering design sketches. This is especially important as tablets can automatically smooth lines and help perfect sketch features, but these features may also take longer to use and may result in fewer sketches produced. This study investigates differences in sketch quality, quantity, and understandability (the effectiveness of the sketch as a communication tool) between sketching on a tablet and sketching with pen on paper during an engineering design concept generation exercise. Results indicate that there is no difference in sketch quantity or understandability between the two tools. However, sketch quality, smoothness, and proportion/accuracy are all higher for the pen and paper condition than for the tablet condition. Finally, no gender differences in performance for either sketch quantity or quality were found.
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4065458
