Introduction to Engineering Design: A Conceptual Overview provides a basic overview of the process of engineering design – the "heart" of engineering – in a broadly accessible manner that assumes no specialized knowledge. The focus is on breadth over depth, for a contextual framework that can in turn facilitate more detailed or focused learning later on. Relevant for a wide range of engineering disciplines, it outlines core design process fundamentals while also introducing various related points along the way.
 
Engineering design courses are often project-oriented, and rightly so, given that the process is best understood through some amount of experience. But a conceptual foundation is likewise critical for this subject. It helps enable experiential learning to relate the broad context of design process elements to the specific context of a given project. Further, engineering students tend to start out more acquainted with thinking about math and science subjects, where there is often one way – or at least a clear best way – to a “right” answer. The design process, by marked contrast, is largely qualitative and open-ended. Relatedly, it can (perhaps ironically) aid early learners to point out how varied and inconsistent the usage can be for some terminology – so the book does so at times, to help preempt confusion down the road.
 
In addition to being a text for an introductory college course, the book can also serve as a supplemental or reference text for later courses or on the job, or simply a general overview for those curious about the subject.