IED Value Engineering Past Calculation Questions Creativity Phase

1 Imagine you own a picture framing business and want to develop new product variations to attract new customers. Assume there are four features in a picture frame: frame material, front piece, backing piece and shape of frame. (i) Draw a table with the features as column headings and brainstorm 2 to 4 attributes under each feature listed. (ii) List 3 practical novel ideas that you may use as new products to attract new customers. [1/08, Dec 08 / M, Q5b] 2 You are part of a high-level VEA team formed to consider the development of a new concept in personal transportation. The problem may be decomposed into three different functions: (1) passenger support; (2) power source; and (3) medium. (i) Draw a table with the functions as column headings and brainstorm 3 ideas under each function listed. (ii) State 3 practical combinations that may be considered as alternative proposals for further consideration. [ 2/08, Apr 09 / M, Q5b] 3 An artist, looking for new ways of creating artwork, identifies two features 'materials' and 'canvas', and then lists the attributes these can take (e.g., 'ink' is an attribute of 'materials' and paper is an attribute of canvas.). (i) (ii) Explore the possible combinations that she may attempt in creating her art pieces by brainstorming three more attributes for each feature. Copy the matrix given below and use it to help her come up with three creative types of artwork. [3/09, Apr 10 / M, Q5b]

Materials Paper Ink

Canvas

IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

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Imagine that you want to create a new lamp. Assume that there are four features in a lamp: power supply, bulb type, light intensity and material. (i) Draw a table with the features as column headings and brainstorm two attributes under each feature listed. (ii) List three practical, novel ideas for a lighting manufacturer who is trying to make a breakthrough in a highly competitive market. [2/10, Aug 10 / M, Q5b]

A design team is attempting to develop a door chime for HDB flats. The features of a door chime include: a bell-push, power supply, chime and indicator light. (i) (ii) Draw a table with the features as column headers and brainstorm at least two attributes under each feature listed. List three practical combinations for the team as novel ideas to begin their design. [2/10, Nov 10 / R, Q5b]

As a member of a VEA team in charge of developing a packaging for a new fragrance product, you suggested the use of the morphological method. The attributes of the packaging are: material, shape, volume, colour, finish and top (or cover). (i) Using the six attributes as column headings, brainstorm at least two alternatives for each of the attributes. (ii) State three different combinations that could become the packaging for the new fragrance product. [3/10 / Feb 11 / M, Q5b]

Suppose you want to open a new upscale coffee establishment and you think that it is important to make your business stand out from the competition. There are many parameters to deal with, but for the moment, you want to consider the following six: container type, container material, coffee flavours, price, environmental consideration and promotional plan. (i) Using the six attributes as column headings, brainstorm at least two alternatives for each of the attributes. (ii) Combining the various ideas which you brainstormed above, give two different ways your new coffee establishment may stand out from the rest of the competition. [1/11, Aug 11 /M, Q5b]

IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

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You are part of a design team looking at making an affordable wheelchair for the elderly as a means of transportation for them. The features of a wheelchair would be: body support, ground support, speed control, direction control, stability and power supply.
(i) Draw a table with the six features as column headings. Brainstorm at

least two ideas under each feature listed.

(ii) Combining the various ideas which you brainstormed above, list two

practical combinations that would be of use to your target market. [2/11, Nov 11 /M, Q5b] 9 You have been tasked with the project of designing a new bottle for a energy drink manufacturer that wants to give its consumers value for money when drinking its energy drink. Six features are being considered: shape, colour, volume, material, top and environmental consideration.
(i) Using the six features as column headings, brainstorm at least two

alternatives for each of the attributes.

(ii) Using the various ideas which you brainstormed above, give two

different combinations that may be used for the new bottles. [3/11, Feb 12 /M, Q5b]
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You are the creative director of an advertising agency and you want to create a new concept in flyer advertisement. You are thinking of a layout that will attract people to at least look at the content of the flyer. The features of the flyer include: material, size, shape, colour, print fonts and others.
(i) Draw a table with the six features as column headings. Brainstorm at

least two ideas under each feature listed.

(ii) Combining the various ideas which you brainstormed above, list two

practical, novel designs that will catch the eye.

[3/11, May 12 /R, Q5b]

IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

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IED Value Engineering Answers to Past Calculation Questions Creativity Phase

1 (i) Frame material Wood Aluminum Bronze Brass Plywood Cardboard Plastic (ii) 1 2 3 4 2 (i) Trapezoidal frame made of aluminium with no front piece and Perspex as backing piece. Heart-shaped frame made of brass with a Perspex front piece and cardboard as backing piece. Oval frame made of cardboard with transparency film as front piece and cardboard as backing piece. Aluminium frame the shape of which is changeable, with transparency film as front piece and cardboard backing. Power source Gravity Electric motor Magnetic fields Flywheel Spring Gasoline engine Pneumatic Steam Medium Belt Cable Rails Water Hard surface Rollers Air Tube Front piece Glass No glass Perspex Transparency film Backing piece Cardboard Plywood Perspex Fibre Shape of frame Circle Square Rectangular Oval Triangular Trapezium Heart-shaped

Passenger support Hanging Standing Sitting Sling Bed Chair

(ii)

Some practical combinations are: - steam driven, runs on rails and has passengers in chairs or standing (train); - electric driven, runs on a cable and has passengers in chairs (ski lift); - gasoline driven, runs on water and has passengers sitting (river transport); - electric driven, runs on a belt and has passengers standing (conveyor belt).

3 (i)
IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12] Page 4

Materials Canvas

Oil, dye, clay, leaves, paint. Wall, window, wood, cloth, tiles, bricks.

(ii)

Creative artwork ideas include: Wood & clay sculptures; Translucent coloured leasves; Stained glass; Murals; Graffiti; Leaves glued to wall; Live grafted plants.

4 (i)

Power supply Battery Mains Solar Generator Gas Oil Flame Crank -

Bulb type Halogen Daylight Coloured Long bulb Screw-type Arc-type

Light intensity Low Medium High Variable

Material Ceramic Concrete Metal Bone Glass Wood Stone Plastic

(ii)

Solar powered/battery, medium intensity, daylight bulb, possibly used in clothes shops to allow customers to see the true color of clothes. Large hand cranked arc lights, used in developing countries, or far from a mains power supply. A ceramic oil lamp in Roman style, used in themed restaurants, resurrecting the olive oil lamps of 2000 years ago. A normal table lamp designed to be painted, wallpapered or covered in fabric so that it matches the style of a room perfectly.

5 (i)

Power supply

Bell-push

Chime

Indicator
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IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

Battery - AA Battery AAA Battery button Solar Mains - wired (ii) -

Push-button Pull-string Lever

Music Nature sounds Noise Song

Light Flashing Bright Dim Nil

Wired to mains, push-button, chime with music and bright indicator light. Wireless, push-button, chime with nature sounds and flashing indicator light. Mechanical, pull-lever, chime with clanging noise, without indicator light. Battery-operated, push-button, chime with songs and dim indicator light.

6 (i)

Material Clay Glass Ceramics Crystal Steel -

Shape Tall Short Curved Squared Miniature

Volume 3 oz 6 oz 9 oz 12 oz 250 ml

Colour Black Clear White Blue Metallic

Finish Smooth Etched Rough Pebbled

Top Cap Cork Pull-top Glass

(ii)

A crystal, clear and etched curved-shaped configuration to hold 6 oz, with a pull top; A squared, ceramic blue, pebbled container, holding 20 oz, and with a special cap; A green glass streamlined bottle, holding 12 oz, with a glass top; A short steel cylinder that can contain 6 oz, with a screw steel cap.

7 (i)

Container Type

Container Material

Coffee Flavours

Price

Environmental Promotional Consideration Plan

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IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

Mug Cup Bottle Bag (ii) -

Metal Plastic Glass Styrofoam

All flavours Fruit flavours Plain

Equal to Disposable competitors Higher Recyclable than competitors Lower than Collectible competitors Bring own container

Frequent buyer plan Buy one get one free Proceeds to a charity Customer decides price

Selling all flavours, with recyclable mugs made of plastic and offering a frequent buyer option; Selling special fruit flavours, with metal collectible mugs and part of proceeds to a charity; Selling plain coffee in glass disposable bottles, with a buy one free one promotion.

8 (i)

Body Support Armchair Hanging basket Leg support Underarm Sofa

Ground Support Wheels Rollers Castors Tracks

Speed Control Automatic Manual On-off

Direction Control Steering One-side lock Reverse Side-thrust

Stability Automatic balance Wheel base Low centre of gravity

Power Supply Battery Human Compressed air Solar Fly-wheel

(ii)

An arm-chair type on wheels, with low centre of gravity, pushed by people manually and no steering; A sofa with leg support, on castors, with automatic balance, again pushed by people with no steering; Special chair with under-arm on wheels, coupled with steering and automatic speed control, powered by battery.

9 (i)

Shape

Colour

Volume Material 6 Glass

Top Pull tab

Cylindrical Clear

Environmental Consideration Disposable

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IED VE Past Calc Qs & As Creativity Phase [WCH/Sep 12]

Curved Square

White Black Brown

ounces 12 ounces 250 ml 500 ml

Plastic Tin

Twist Cork

Recyclable Collectible

Aluminum Cap

(ii)

Some practical combinations are: Square cross-sectional brown bottles of 250 ml with cap and can be kept as collectible; Cylindrical clear 12 ounces bottles with cork for normal consumption and disposal; Curved white 500 ml bottles with pull tab for recycling.

10 (i) Material Paper Cardboard Foam Plastic Size A4 A3 Poster Post card Shape Square Colour Print Fonts All in bold Italics Mixture Cryptic Others Jig-saw format In envelope In plastic wrapper Magnetic

Black and white Rectangular Two other colours Circular Multicolours Triangular

Some practical combinations are: - A jig-saw style, cardboard pieces for people to put together (unique triangular shape); - A magnetic piece in plastic, reusable and can be stuck on the fridge (can be multi-coloured and any shape); - A circular postcard with space for personal particulars that can be returned for a lucky draw).

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