The goal of this paper is to present observations of the different approaches taken by multidisciplinary teams in identifying and solving a design problem within a class project.   The aim is to identify possible approaches for improving multidisciplinary instruction.

Product designers in particular will tend to face multi-functional environments and the challenge to solve complex problems with many dimensions.  They are faced with the need to mix engineering approaches to generate technical solutions with creative and user focused approaches more commonly associated with industrial design (Grasso and Martinelli 2010).