Investigating the relationship between digital prototyping tool use and student designers' perceptions of design processes

Abstract

With the rise of the "maker"culture, the prevalence of affordable and rapid "maker"tools has increased dramatically, and the mass proliferation of 3D printers has become a staple of engineering design and engineering design education. The increased use of digital prototyping tools, such as Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, is fundamentally transforming the way students and educators approach engineering design courses and hands-on projects. This work investigates the effect of AM prototyping efforts on student perceptions of design processes through an in-situ study conducted across two project-based design courses. Results suggest that students' perceptions of prototype value, time spent prototyping, and the development of designer knowledge is significantly affected due to AM use during prototyping activities.