Some people are good at certain things, others not so much. That’s as true in mechanical engineering as in any other field that requires specialized skills and knowledge. But what distinguishes an average proficient person from a true expert in, for example, the essential engineering skill of computer-aided design (CAD)? Is it simply a matter of experience, or are other factors such as an individual’s particular approach to a certain task involved? How can we speed up the process of turning the merely competent into CAD superstars?

Alison Olechowski, assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, decided to find out. Working with graduate students James Chen and Yuanzhe Deng, she designed a study to characterize the differences and similarities in CAD modeling approaches, patterns, and strategies between proficient and expert users. The work was published in the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design.