Are we nearing an AI winter? Learn about the Gartner Hype Cycle's Trough of Disillusionment, the stage after the peak of inflated expectations where reality tempers the utopian promises of Artificial Intelligence.

Harness the power of AI to transform your study habits. Learn how to use artificial intelligence ethically for brainstorming, outlining, summarizing, and editing to achieve academic success.

Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.

BYU's Capstone Program reveals how thoughtful design transforms ideas into impactful realities. Learn 14 principles for product designers to create solutions that exceed expectations, from decoding customer needs and embracing systems thinking to iterating early, guarding against scope creep, and designing for manufacturability.

Imagine a world where designers and AI work hand in hand, pushing creative boundaries and optimizing workflows. That future is already here. AI is not a replacement for human ingenuity—it’s a tool that amplifies it, and those who master it will shape the next era of design.

In a spurt of spontaneity, I found myself at BYU’s Cougar Skate event a few weeks back. I’d never been rink skating before, but my previous experiences with inline and ice skating left me with enough confidence that I didn’t look up any tutorials before heading for the Wilkinson Student Center. Though, I think my tailbone would’ve thanked me if I had.

On January 24th, 2023 we asked ChatGPT to be a guest author of the BYU Design Review. This week we discuss the experiment and how ChatGPT performed. If you’ve somehow missed hearing about ChatGPT, here is another chance to learn about a new technology that might become a part of our everyday lives.

A Christmas Carol expertly uses contrast — Scrooge and Tiny Tim, three Ghosts, inside and outside— to convey moral meaning, a powerful design principle for impact and attraction.

Discover good design lessons from A Christmas Story. Analyze movie features like the leg lamp and practical effects for better product design.

Unsure of what to purchase this holiday season for the design engineer in your life? Here are some excellent ideas to get you started!

Don't suffer through dry turkey this Thanksgiving! Learn clever design solutions—like spatchcocking, brining, and deep frying—to cook a perfectly moist and juicy bird every time.

Unlock the surprising design history of trick-or-treating. From ancient rituals to suburban planning and trunk-or-treat, discover how design shapes America's favorite Halloween tradition and its future evolution.

Learn how to design and craft your own piñata—a vibrant centerpiece for any gathering. Discover the rich history of this tradition, from its symbolic 7-point star to modern, fun designs. Follow this step-by-step guide to create a stunning piñata that’s sure to bring joy to your next celebration!

It’s Christmas Season! Read about The Nightmare Before Christmas and why it’s a great movie with some unique and impressive design elements.

If you’re gift shopping for someone you know who is a designer or an engineer, this article is for you. (And if you are that designer or engineer, this article is definitely for you!)

Happy Halloween! Take a look at this year’s Halloween article where Emelia Sunday shares some thoughts on how the engineering design process can help you create your own Halloween costume.

I learned the hard way that carving a jack-o-lantern takes dedication and planning. I’ve learned a few more lessons from pumpkin carving since then and, in the spirit of Halloween, I’ll share those with you today.

Have you seen the movie Elf? If not, you’re missing out on a good story with some neat applications of forced perspective. The designers of the film did some good design.

Welcome to the holidays! As exciting and festive a time of year this is, this time of year also heralds end of year reports, final exams and projects, and unforgiving deadlines. We hope this list inspires you to give the gift of creativity to a friend, associate, or family member.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic. Fun for kids. Fun for Engineers. Fun for Designers.

Explore the social science of engineering memes. From sleep deprivation to coding struggles, we analyze what truly makes engineers laugh.

We raided the engineering first aid kit to help one of our editorial board members deal with the stress of work and finals, but all we found were these memes. Happy April Fools Day from the BYU Design Review!

Engineering can be hard… but it’s harder when you aren’t laughing. Happy April Fool’s Day!

This is NOT an April Fools’ Day meme article. Nothing could be further from the truth. Also, ignore the cat.

We don’t always publish memes, but when we do, it’s on April Fool’s day. Celebrate April Fool’s Day with some of our favorite engineering memes!

Take a break from all the bad news (and jokes today) and read…. more jokes! Happy April Fools Day!

Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.

In this second part on optimization, the basics of the genetic algorithm are explored and explained, with an introduction to selection, cross-over, and mutation.

I see optimization all around. But while spending time in nature, I find its expression most beautiful and abundant. Let’s go on a hike together and talk about optimization.

Should I optimize my choices or satisfice them? What is satisficing? Find out more about these choices in design and find out how you can become the best in the world at something.

Dr. Nathan Usevitch and his team of students have entered NASA's BIG Idea Challenge competition! Learn about their extraordinary robot and principles of design from this dedicated group of engineers in this article.

I am often inspired by design triumphs in history, but there is one design that has particularly influenced me. It is a humble design: an odometer made from wood for covered wagons that was never put into mass production. Part of what makes it interesting is that it was done under harsh conditions with the goal to help other people and it would become a legendary part of an epic exodus and the settlement of the Western United States.

Anyone who has designed anything -- whether that be a new medicine, a design method, or even a new recipe -- has faced the question: “Is this better than what I had before?” If you’re just deciding whether or not you like a new recipe, getting an answer is straightforward. If you are in an academic or industrial setting you must also answer an even more important question: “Can I prove that this is better?”

Discover why Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary is the ultimate sci-fi novel for engineers. This spoiler-free review explores its scientific accuracy, engineering puzzles, and cinematic pacing.

Discover how Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto revolutionizes complex tasks. Learn to design simple, effective checklists that reduce errors, improve team collaboration, and ensure precision in engineering and professional workflows.

Discover how reading fuels innovation by expanding your mental toolkit. Learn why diverse books are essential for engineers, designers, and creative thinkers.

Explore how Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow optimizes engineering design by balancing intuitive expertise with methodical, conscious processes to reduce errors and improve objectivity.

Explore Don Norman’s classic The Design of Everyday Things with Dalton White, uncovering how human-centered design and seven core principles transform our interaction with the world.

Rick Rubin's philosophy from The Creative Act offers a mindful approach to engineering design, seeing awareness, listening, and constraint as keys to clarity in product development.

Published in 2015, Ashlee Vance's biography of Elon Musk offers a fascinating look at the tech mogul’s early successes. Rereading it today reveals how his methods, from maniacal attention to detail to an unwavering worldview, continue to drive his companies forward.

Walter Isaacson’s Albert Einstein: His Life and Universe presents a nuanced portrait of Einstein, blending his scientific achievements with personal struggles and insights. Dr. John Salmon offers his insights to this must-read for those seeking inspiration from one of history’s greatest minds.

The recently published book “Product Development: Principles and Tools for Creating Desirable and Transferable Designs” is a unique addition to design resources available to students and engineering professionals interested in evolving their design ideas from the early stages of opportunity development all the way through to production.

One career that is open to designers and engineers lies in academia. Becoming a professor is no easy task, but Chris Mabey (a past BDR editor) has successfully taken this route. Read on to learn his path and some insights to how you can emulate this journey.

Even though the world is moving fast and perhaps even accelerating, it doesn’t mean we can’t be slow in certain ways. Becoming a slow student may be exactly what we need to do to stay at our peak performance in this fast paced world we live in.

I am often inspired by design triumphs in history, but there is one design that has particularly influenced me. It is a humble design: an odometer made from wood for covered wagons that was never put into mass production. Part of what makes it interesting is that it was done under harsh conditions with the goal to help other people and it would become a legendary part of an epic exodus and the settlement of the Western United States.