🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge in axiomatic design of accurately translating customer needs and constraints into a minimal and independent set of primary functional requirements (FRs). Focusing on the problem definition phase, it systematically elucidates the nature, invariance, and formulation principles of primary FRs. Building upon Nam P. Suh’s theoretical framework and integrating insights from complexity theory and requirements engineering, the work establishes—for the first time—the objectivity and uniqueness of primary FRs, clarifies common misconceptions, and critically examines the applicability boundaries of large language models in this context. The research provides designers with a clear, actionable methodology for constructing primary FRs, thereby significantly enhancing the rigor of problem definition and the likelihood of successful design outcomes.
📝 Abstract
Problem formulation translating customer needs and constraints into a minimum set of independent first-level functional requirements, is arguably the most critical step in every design framework, including axiomatic design yet it is frequently misunderstood or underestimated in practice. This paper focuses exclusively on problem formulation in axiomatic design it clarifies what first-level FRs are (and are not), explains why they should not legitimately vary across designers given the same needs and constraints, and highlights intrinsic difficulties and recurring pitfalls that lead to design failure. The discussion is grounded primarily in Nam P.Suh's three books. The Principles of Design, Axiomatic Design Advances and Applications, and Complexity Theory, and it offers practical guidance to help designers formulate well-posed first-level FRs. Finally, the paper briefly revisits problem formulation in the era of large language models and discusses what such tools can (and cannot) contribute at the first level.