Axiomatic Design Problem Formulation Clarified

A new paper on arXiv revisits problem formulation in axiomatic design, emphasizing the translation of customer needs into independent first-level functional requirements (FRs). It argues that FRs should not vary across designers given identical needs and constraints, and identifies common pitfalls leading to design failure. Grounded in Nam P. Suh's three books—The Principles of Design, Axiomatic Design: Advances and Applications, and Complexity Theory—the paper offers practical guidance for formulating well-posed FRs. It briefly touches on implications for large language models.