Axiomatic Design: Making the Abstract Concrete

Abstract

Design broadly defined deals with mapping from societal wants or needs to means for satisfying these needs. Axiomatic design is a well-known approach to design that was initially proposed by Nam P. Suh in the late 1970s. Since that time, it has underpinned much academic research in engineering design; it has been taught internationally as part of engineering curricula; and it has been used across many industries. This paper presents a summary of axiomatic design and provides practical suggestions for best practices in implementation and education.