Think in a modularize way!
Altair EmployeeThe necessary condition of a modular product, one of the highest symbols of good and efficient design, is for it to have the capacity to interchange components or add new ones. We have multiple examples of such objects, from bicycles to electronic components.
Let us think for a moment about the huge number of processes which we execute every day. By processes, I mean anything that consists of a beginning and an end. For example, preparing breakfast or lunch, getting dressed, or even going to work. For any of those day-to-day processes, we can think of the components that constitute them. At the same time, we are conscious that those components are not going to be part of a single process, instead they can serve multiple purposes.
I have lived my entire life in the great Mexico City, where chilaquiles are a very typical breakfast. This morning while preparing some spicy ones I was thinking of all the components that I would need: tortillas, tomatillos, shredded chicken and of course green chile, but also a stove, a pan, and cutlery. When I bought the cooking utensils and ingredients (most importantly, tortillas) I knew that I was not going to use them only for breakfast. I can indeed prepare chilaquiles, but also enchiladas for dinner or lunch, using the same components.
I know it might seem I am exploiting the definition of modular by adapting it to day-to-day activities but, what happens if we compare them to an engineering simulation process? It is very difficult to think of them as modular because, normally one just needs to follow the instructions, a rigid chain of commands to fulfill an objective. My point here is for you to realize that unlike engineering simulation processes, in our everyday life, we think in a modularized way; we have all these components or modules at our disposal, and we use them accordingly to construct different kinds of processes.
What then is preventing us to think this way about an engineering or simulation process? It is my perception that engineers focus more on the specific objective of the processes rather than the components that constitute them. This is not by any means wrong, but I believe that if we as engineers are more conscious of the components that are needed for multiple types of processes and focus on developing them in a robust way, our problem-solving capability and efficiency will grow stronger.
Altair Pulse offers a platform where this way of thinking can be exploited; your creativity, wit and experience can be used to create all different kinds of useful components. You just need to start thinking in a modularized way.
