A Deep Dive into Axiomatic Design -- Part I: Problem Formulation
2026-05-25 • Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
AI summaryⓘ
The authors focus on an important step in design called problem formulation, specifically within axiomatic design. They explain how the first-level functional requirements (FRs) should be clearly defined and consistent among different designers when given the same customer needs. The paper points out common difficulties and mistakes that can cause designs to fail and offers practical advice to avoid these issues. It also briefly looks at how new tools like large language models might help or fall short in this early design stage.
axiomatic designproblem formulationfunctional requirementsfirst-level FRsdesign frameworkNam P. Suhcustomer needsdesign failurelarge language models
Authors
Aydin Homay
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.