Final answer:
Criteria and constraints guide designers in evaluating if their product design is effective. Criteria are standards like efficiency, while constraints are limitations like budget or materials.
Step-by-step explanation:
Engineers and designers identify criteria and constraints to ensure that their design solutions are viable and effective. Criteria represent the desired features and performance metrics a product must exhibit, such as efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and durability. These are the standards used to evaluate and compare different designs. Constraints, on the other hand, are the limitations or conditions imposed on a design, which could include budget, materials, safety regulations, and environmental impact.
For example, when designing a bridge, a criterion might be the weight it should support, while a constraint could be the budget which limits the materials that can be used. These factors affect the design process because if the cheapest materials are not strong enough to meet the weight requirement, the design must be adjusted to either find materials that are both inexpensive and strong or revise the funding expectations. Another common constraint is the environmental regulation that requires the design to minimize its carbon footprint, potentially ruling out certain materials or manufacturing processes.
The step of selecting a design concept involves evaluating potential designs against the criteria and constraints and choosing the best fit. If during the refine the design stage, a chosen design does not fulfill all criteria and constraints upon testing, the design team must either improve the design or start the selection process again with a different concept.