Engineering is all about applying science in order to
improve people’s lives. In fact the word engineer is formed from the latin word meaning genius or clever device. Therefore
designing new electronic product is
surely core aspect of the discipline. Yet as engineers we are often guilty of focusing on a small,possibly intellectually very stimulating, technical part of the product. We are more comfortable with calculations that give right, or wrong, answers. Unfortunately real electronic products involve a variety of aspects which are less amenable to rigorous calculation, such as what does the user actually want; or, can the product be made at a price the customer will pay. The history of engineering is littered with examples of excellent ideas and real ingenuity, which have failed in the marketplace because they have failed to address the needs of the customer or production. Even more galling is the fact that many of these products have subsequently been re-engineered by others who then go on to make a lot of money because they have addressed the needs of the customer and the production process.
surely core aspect of the discipline. Yet as engineers we are often guilty of focusing on a small,possibly intellectually very stimulating, technical part of the product. We are more comfortable with calculations that give right, or wrong, answers. Unfortunately real electronic products involve a variety of aspects which are less amenable to rigorous calculation, such as what does the user actually want; or, can the product be made at a price the customer will pay. The history of engineering is littered with examples of excellent ideas and real ingenuity, which have failed in the marketplace because they have failed to address the needs of the customer or production. Even more galling is the fact that many of these products have subsequently been re-engineered by others who then go on to make a lot of money because they have addressed the needs of the customer and the production process.
Perhaps the problem is one of education. By and large our
engineering courses, quite rightly, focus on rigorous,often
mathematical,methods of analysis and modeling of electronic devices,techniques
and systems. These are essential to the understanding and detailed detailed
design of electronic products and also are amenable to the production of
examination questions with correct answers
