Key Factors in Engineering Design

🔥 NEW research: 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 + 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢 + 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 + 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐲𝐚 Tech meets Japanese art and Arabic design: "Dynamic origami solar eyes with tensegrity architecture for energy harvesting Mashrabiyas" - 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. Engineers from Italy used Wolfram language to study a dynamic, foldable Mashrabiya-inspired system combining origami and tensegrity with photovoltaic cells to enable sun-tracking, shading control, and energy harvesting in arid architectural contexts. 🔴 WOLFRAM code & article: https://lnkd.in/ezkP65qY A 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐲𝐚 is a traditional Middle Eastern oriel (projecting) window with wooden latticework for privacy, ventilation, and sun control. 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, a concept coined by Buckminster Fuller based on Kenneth Snelson’s sculptures, describes structures held together by a balance of tension and compression helping modern advances in engineering, robotics, and mathematical modeling. 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢, the Japanese art of paper folding, now informs modern science, engineering, and mathematics through its principles of geometric transformation and deployable structures. The system in this research uses dual folding motions to control both shading and panel orientation for solar gain throughout the day. Simulations show it can dynamically adjust to track the sun and optimize energy capture under varying light conditions. The modular design allows it to scale into full façades that combine visual screening with electricity generation. Location-specific modeling highlights both potential and seasonal limitations, such as midsummer shading in some regions. The folding geometry and control inputs can be optimized for different climates and building layouts using simulation tools. 

✅ Checkbox or 🔘 Radio Buttons? (https://lnkd.in/e4NM5sgk), a comprehensive form design decision tree to help designers choose the right selection control for a particular use case. Kindly put together by Runi Goswami and the wonderful Lyft team. 🚫 Don’t pre-select ☑️/🔘 to avoid wrong answers. 🚫 Never display radio buttons as chips (confusing!). ✅ Radio button always requires a deliberate choice. ✅ A checkbox always has an implicit default state. ✅ Use radio buttons when the label is a question. ✅ Use a checkbox when the label is a statement. – Use chips for short multi-select options. – Use tabs for filtering data with a single select option. – Use a dropdown only for single selection of a long list (5+ items). – Use segmented control for short options (2–5) and single select. – Use radios for longer options (2–5) and single select. – Use a checkbox for long multi-select and single confirmation. – Use a toggle when applying an option right away. – Prefer large sizes for ☑️/🔘 (40×40px), minimum: 26×26px. ✅ Checkboxes work better for optional input. ✅ Radio buttons work better for required input. ✅ Always sort options by most-to-least-common. ✅ Use radios when all options should have equal preference. ✅ Give an option to undo a selection ("None of the above"). ✅ Give a way out if neither option applies ("I don’t remember"). In usability testing, users consistently overlook pre-selected checkboxes and radio buttons. It might appear like a small oversight, but once it’s submitted, making changes can be adventurous and time-consuming. Personally, I can only recommend documenting your design decisions into decision trees. Turn them into posters. Place them in kitchen areas. Put them in design critique rooms. Make them visible where design work happens — it’s a fantastic way to resolve never-ending discussions about UI decisions for good. ✤ Useful resources: Decision Trees For UI Components https://lnkd.in/enz7ukis Doctolib Healthcare Design System 👍🏽 ↳ Form Components: https://lnkd.in/e9SG6hRv ↳ Error Messages: https://lnkd.in/eZ6q_2sv ↳ Buttons vs. Links: https://lnkd.in/eW8w-RkJ ↳ B2B Navigation: https://lnkd.in/eE88VQrH Hidden vs. Disabled vs. Read-Only (PDF) https://lnkd.in/eM48uh-D UI Components Decision Trees, by Workday ↳ Notifications: https://lnkd.in/eR9aua4W ↳ Errors and Alerts: https://lnkd.in/ePAeJ4Yv [continues in the comments ↓] #ux #design

Nature's Hacks for Success. Biomimicry might sound complex, but it's simply about learning from nature to enhance our designs. It's like learning from the best teacher, Mother Nature herself. Defined by the Biomimicry Institute, this approach guides us toward sustainable solutions by mimicking perfected patterns and strategies found in nature. Nature has already solved many of our challenges. So, why not apply its genius to our packaging designs? It offers patterns and relationships that inspire better, eco-friendly packaging designs. Whether in structure or materials, designers can draw from nature's beauty, texture, and flow. We discover materials that are waterproof, breathable, flexible, and more. It's as if nature has already completed the heavy lifting of innovation, evolution, and adaptation for us. Think of the honeycomb structure in beehives, not only sturdy but also space-efficient. A great example of biomimicry in packaging design is the SIS bottle by Backbone Branding. Their designers draw inspiration from a flower's pistil to shape a two-litre juice bottle. The design not only stands out with its natural juice colour but also resolves many stacking, storage, and merchandising challenges through its interlocking form. Rooted in geometry with equilateral triangles, these bottles fit snugly together, saving space. Every aspect of the bottle, from its size and proportions to its lines and curves, has been carefully considered. Even the label has been specially designed to adhere to the bottle's irregular surface, eliminating the need for glue. Consider adding nature's strategy into your design process. It will help you close the loop and build a solution that resonates with the ecosystem we breathe in. Biomimicry enables us to develop sustainable systems rather than short-lived, isolated solutions that may soon become outdated. One thing's for sure, we stand at a crucial juncture in human history. The challenges ahead demand designers and innovators capable of creating resilient, adaptable solutions. Our path forward must consider the well-being of future generations across the planet. We must continually draw inspiration from nature and reciprocate by nurturing and preserving it. In doing so, we'll not only enrich our designs but also contribute to the greater ecosystem. Let nature continue to inspire us, and in return, let's contribute to its well-being A cycle of respect and reciprocity where our designs and actions reflect a deep reverence for the natural world. Ready to take a cue from nature's playbook for your next packaging design? 📷Backbone Branding

Why Tilt Angle is Important for Bifacial Modules- The tilt angle is especially critical in bifacial solar modules because it influences not just the front-side energy capture (like monofacial modules), but also the rear-side (bifacial) energy gain, which depends on how much reflected light (albedo) reaches the back surface. Factors Affected by Tilt Angle in Bifacial Modules: 1. Front-Side Irradiance Capture- Optimal tilt ensures the panels are perpendicular to the sun’s rays at most times of the year. Poor tilt alignment reduces the efficiency of direct sunlight absorption. 2. Rear-Side (Bifacial) Gain- Higher tilt angles improve the view factor of the module to the ground. More ground-reflected sunlight reaches the rear side. Lower tilt angles reduce this view, cutting bifacial gain by 30–50%. 3. Ground Albedo Utilization- The effectiveness of ground reflectance depends on tilt. For a given ground type (e.g., white gravel or concrete), a steeper tilt better utilizes albedo. 4. Soiling Losses- Flat or near-flat panels (low tilt) accumulate more dust. Steeper tilt allows better natural cleaning by rain, reducing performance loss. 5. Shadowing and Row Spacing- Higher tilt can increase row-to-row shading. Requires more spacing (higher pitch), affecting land use and BOS costs. 6. Energy Balance Across Seasons- Proper tilt balances energy production across seasons. Low tilt = better summer performance but poor winter output. High tilt = better winter output and bifacial gain, possibly at the cost of summer clipping. 7. Structural and Wind Load- Higher tilt can increase wind load and mechanical stress. This affects mounting structure design and cost. Conclusion: In bifacial solar systems, tilt angle plays a dual role — maximizing front-side production and enhancing rear-side albedo capture. A suboptimal tilt results in underperformance on both sides. For optimal energy yield and return on investment, the tilt angle should be chosen based on latitude, albedo conditions, soiling patterns, and land availability.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. Everyone stops at the photograph — the iridescent terracotta tiles, the sweeping double-curved form, the sheer scale of it. But the section drawing on the left is where that building was truly designed. Every structural node, thermal layer, drainage plane, and facade bracket had to be resolved before a single tile was fixed. A free-form facade like this isn't just a cladding challenge — it's a structural, environmental, and construction sequencing problem solved simultaneously. The drawing reveals floors cantilevering into the curve, service zones tucked behind the skin, and a subframe system that allows each tile panel to follow a geometry that never repeats. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 ⬛ Double-curved facades require each cladding panel to be individually dimensioned — no two panels share the same geometry across the entire surface. ⬛ The subframe system must accommodate both the structural deflection of the building and the thermal movement of the facade independently. ⬛ Iridescent terracotta tiles shift colour with sun angle — the facade is not one material but a dynamic surface that changes through the day. ⬛ Section drawings for complex forms must resolve structure, envelope, services, and interior finish in a single coordinated cut. ⬛ Construction sequencing on a curved building is as complex as the design — panels must be installed in a precise order to maintain geometry. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Spectacular architecture is never just vision — it's technical resolution at every scale. The photograph shows what the world sees. The section drawing shows what made it possible. — 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗮 #FacadeDesign #ConstructionDocumentation #ParametricArchitecture #ArchitecturalDetail #BuildingTechnology #TerracottaFacade #SectionDrawing #AECIndustry #ArchitectureIndia #DetailingMatters

Japan’s bullet train once had a sound problem. Every time it exited a tunnel, it created a loud boom. The issue was air pressure. As the train entered a tunnel at high speed, it pushed compressed air ahead of it. When that pressure wave came out from the other side, it created a sudden explosive sound. The solution came from nature. Engineer Eiji Nakatsu, who loved bird watching, studied how the kingfisher dives into water at high speed with almost no splash. That observation inspired the JR West team to redesign the 500 Series Shinkansen’s nose into a longer, sharper, beak like shape. The new design allowed air pressure to build more gradually when the train entered tunnels. There was another sound problem too. The pantograph, the part that connects the train to overhead electric wires, created aerodynamic noise. For that, the team looked at owl wings and used serration like shapes to reduce sound. The result was a train that was quieter, faster, and more energy efficient. Sometimes innovation begins by observing the world more carefully. #innovation #technology

Spider's silk is 5x stronger than steel. Students just built a Camping House with it. Traditional programs graduate 89% of engineers who've never touched real materials. These students built 10 structures in 6 months using nature's blueprints. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: ↳ Theoretical calculations on whiteboards ↳ Computer simulations without context   ↳ Zero hands-on building experience ↳ Graduates who design what can't be built 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 Students design, budget, and physically construct functional camping structures. Every beam they place teaches load distribution. Every joint they weld reveals material behavior. Every budget overrun teaches project economics. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: ↳ Structural analysis through physical feedback ↳ Project management with real deadlines ↳ Cross-functional team collaboration ↳ Resource optimization under constraints ↳ Rapid prototyping and iteration cycles The wisdom flows both ways. When students build in harmony with the landscape, they absorb lessons no simulation can teach. Companies report these graduates solve problems 60% faster - they've learned to think like nature's master builders. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵: Each camping house becomes a living laboratory. Students learn to read the land's story - how wind shapes design, how water flows direct foundation work, how sunlight transforms spaces. They're not just building structures - they're crafting relationships between humans and habitat. 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 1 hands-on project = 3 semesters of theory come alive 10 structures built = a new generation of earth-conscious innovators 100 programs blooming = an engineering revolution rooted in nature's wisdom The result? Graduates who don't just design buildings - they craft spaces that honor both human needs and natural systems. Follow me for stories where innovation grows from the ground up, not just from theory. Share if you believe the best engineering solutions are written in the language of nature.

𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 ‘𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐱’ Your Engineers Are Burning $4.5 Million. And You Can't See It. 🔥 Your VP mentioned "documentation issues." Translation: Knowledge workers spend 30% of their workday, 2.5 hours daily, searching for information. That's a $4.5M productivity tax hidden in the "Engineering Black Box." 💰 But here's the Real Kicker: 70-80% of a product's total cost is locked in during design, yet only 5-10% is spent there. The other 90+%? Incurred downstream in manufacturing, procurement, and field service. Every bad engineering decision, a missing revision, an outdated BOM, a misaligned configuration, doesn't blow up your engineering budget. It explodes downstream, where you've lost control. The Problem? You Can't See Inside the Box 📦 Your board sees: Engineering delivered. ✅ They don't see: 30% of time spent hunting for information; 20% spent on rework. While your CFO tracks every penny in ERP, engineering's "invisible costs" detonate downstream. Bad data doesn't show up on the Profit & Loss statement until manufacturing produces parts that don't match their design, procurement buys obsolete components, or warranty claims spike. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐱" 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 💸 When engineers can't find the right component, they recreate it. When manufacturing is not involved in the change, costs can increase significantly due to production-line disruptions or costly rework. When procurement orders from outdated outlooks: $2M in wrong components. For 100 engineers at $150K, the search process wastes $4.5M annually. Add rework (20% of project value), and margins drop 5+ points. 𝐂𝐌𝟐: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 🔍 Configuration Management prevents engineering decisions from becoming downstream disasters. Traceable information from cradle to grave supported by closed-loop change management, enabling accurate “as-designed,” “as-built,” and “as-maintained” baselines at all times. When CM2 is applied: → CFO sees accurate cost-to-complete (prevents downstream explosions) → COO scales globally (validated configurations prevent chaos) → CEO decides faster (traceable from design to field) 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 🎯 Does your leadership understand that engineering "saves" 10% but locks in 80% of costs? How do you make engineering's downstream impact visible? #CM2 #CM #ConfigurationManagement #PLM #Quality

The ultimate end game in technical decision making is making decisions that are best for the business. You may have spent a good part of your career just focused on technical solutions. As you become more senior in your career and take on leadership roles, you’ll begin to see technical decisions through the eyes of business outcomes. I’m not just talking about “this product has to go live on x date”, it’s way more complex than that. You may have a delivery schedule, dependent teams, politics, a lack of cooperation from other teams, a lack of buy in from people, leaders pushing for competing business outcomes with bonuses attached, maybe also a lack of trust between departments of hundreds of people. That’s just the short term hurdles you’ll need to overcome. The longer term perspective could include technical debt, defects that take time away from future feature delivery, a system that doesn’t scale well with customer growth, a product that doesn’t scale as anticipated and now you’re stuck with additional technical complexity or a tech stack that turns out being the flavor of the month that ends up causing major problems in the future. Sometimes a senior engineering leader will make a call that you don’t understand. It may not make sense from a technical perspective. Sometimes though, there are constraints and decisions that need to be considered with the bigger picture in mind. Both technical and business outcomes and constraints need to be considered, and the business side might not immediately obvious or visible to your team. When these decisions are made around you, use them as an opportunity to learn. Ask questions and seek to understand. The more you can include a business perspective in your technical decision making, it's likely that your career will take an upward trajectory!

Diatoms as designers? Diatoms are fascinating single-celled algae featuring intricate silica exoskeletons called frustules, made of amorphous silica & play key roles in photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, and oxygen production in aquatic ecosystems. Their intriguing structure has intrigued scientists & engineers for a long time, but it has remained difficult to quantify design principles for translation to real-world engineering. In a fruitful collaboration with Flavia Libonati and her lab, we show in paper in Advanced Functional Materials how these microscopic marvels can inspire breakthrough in multifunctional materials design. With applications ranging from lightweight filters to drug delivery and robotics, we show how nature-inspired engineering cannot only yield fundamental insights into biological materials but also provides real-world engineering solutions. We investigate mechanical properties like bending stiffness and buckling strength, alongside fluid dynamic efficiency and flow optimization, use additive manufacturing to create prototypes, and thereby reveal how diatoms’ hierarchical designs achieve remarkable multifunctionality. A unique feature of this work is the combination of in-situ experimental testing of 3D-printed diatom-inspired structures with advanced finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics. Key findings: 1️⃣ Strength through hierarchy: The honeycomb-like layers (areolae) dramatically boost the stiffness-to-density ratio, achieving lightweight designs with high structural integrity through sophisticated scaling. 2️⃣ Fluid optimization: Reinforced pore geometries improve flow distribution and reduce stress peaks, showcasing how nature balances efficiency and resilience. 3️⃣ Multifunctionality: The diatom-inspired model outperforms other geometries, offering insights for diverse applications like heat exchangers and robotic actuators. Great work led by graduate student Ludovico Musenich! Thank you MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI) for the support of this long-standing collaboration.