Morpheus: The Development and Evaluation of a Software Tool for Morphological Matrices

The Morphological Matrix is a well-known and established method for synthesising concepts in engineering design. With the aim to improve its applicability, the method has been implemented into a software tool, which then has been introduced in engineering courses at Chalmers University of Technology. In this paper, the tool and its most important functions are presented and discussed, along with experiences from its use in design projects. It was demonstrated that the tool can ease the process of creating and modifying morphological matrices. Furthermore, the tool demonstrated the ability to generate and keep track of large quantities of solutions, which has previously been difficult as morphological matrices are typically hand drawn or created using an Excel sheet. However, less desired effects were encountered as the tool was perceived by some students as more of a screening and down-selection method, rather than as a tool for synthesising concepts. The learnings and the way forward in education and the industrial context are discussed.