This article describes a case study with respect to the establishment of a so-called classification scheme in order to use it for the generation of ideas and concepts to redesign and improve an existing product. Besides, the application of specific TRIZ techniques is presented. These approaches are an essential part of the engineering design education within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), Germany. The described techniques aim at providing undergraduate students with examples and guidelines for systematic product development and fostering and stimulating student’s creativity. It serves also as recommended practices for conducting engineering design projects embedded within the curriculum of their studies. The described procedures are based on existing design methodology and long term experience of the authors in giving respective design lectures and in conducting engineering projects with students and enterprises as well. The described case study focuses on the redesign and development of the installation process for a wall socket outlet.

Keywords

Engineering Design Education; Design Methodology; Classification Scheme; TRIZ; Creativity and Innovation.