Engineering practice and textbook design

In this paper we discuss the use of engineering design procedures in the development of engineering textbooks. The applicability of design techniques such as Quality Function Deployment (QFD), ethnography, interviews, surveys and video interaction analysis in capturing the "voice of the customer" and actively engaging the customer in textbook design and development are outlined. Qualitative and quantitative data on the learning styles of engineering faculty and students form the basis for alternative models for engineering textbook development. It is hoped that this paper will serve as a catalyst for discussion by the broader engineering community on expectations for textbooks, how textbook are used in combination with lectures and homework assignments, and how instructors see their students using textbooks. The paper also asks the question, "isn\´t the design and development of an engineering textbook just another engineering project? ".