Keeping pace with technology: How engineers use media

A dozen years after the first Web pages invaded US computer screens, engineers are still discovering the Internet's seemingly limitless benefits—from search engines and downloads of vital specs to e-commerce and online technical forums.

But just as television did not displace radio, the many attractions of the World Wide Web have by no means kept engineers from using more traditional sources of technical information, including engineering magazines, trade shows, and technical societies. That's evident from recent interviews with T&MW readers, as well as from the results of two new surveys by our magazine on how engineers view the Web and other information media.

"Engineering magazines give me the big picture of what is happening in technology," says Gary Montress, a Massachusetts Raytheon engineer. "But if I have to solve a specific problem, I'll go to a familiar Web site, like Agilent's. I wouldn't want to give up the Web—or my hard copy."

Montress' view jibes with our magazine's new research findings: More than 70.4% of respondents in T&MW's recent "The Value of Engineering Magazines" survey agreed that engineering publications were their "most valuable ongoing source for keeping up with new technology." Search engines followed at 17%, with vendor Web sites at 15.9%. On the other hand, when asked which information source was the "most valuable in solving an immediate engineering problem," search engines scored highest, with 46.4% of survey respondents choosing that vehicle. Vendor Web sites came next at 30.9%, followed by engineering magazines at 17.3%.

How do these various media compare when it comes to the credibility of the information they present? Engineering magazines ranked first, with 33.1% of survey respondents choosing this medium. Information from professional societies placed second, at 28.1%, followed by vendor Web sites (24.8%) and search engines (9%).

With the twin pressures of downsized technical staffs and tighter product development cycles, it's no surprise that engineers view the Web as an essential time saver. Almost 90% of respondents in T&MW's 2004 "Test Engineers and the Web" survey cited "decreased product/vendor search time" as the No. 1 benefit of the Internet in their work.

"The Web just makes everything faster," notes Jeffrey Jones, who tests avionics systems at New Jersey's McGuire Air Force Base. "Almost instantly, you can pull up data on parts, find a manufacturer, or get operating information on test equipment. In the old days, this kind of information was in technical manuals, which we stored in our offices. If someone checked a manual out, you could be out of luck."

Adds Carl Moberly of Kyocera Wireless in California: "The Web has definitely streamlined the engineering process. Almost every vendor offers online simulation tools, circuit drawings, and SPICE models." Moberly, who builds base-station simulators, says that he still needs to talk to vendor application engineers from time to time for further explanations of online technical information, "but the Web still makes design, test, and troubleshooting a whole lot easier."

Others praise the Web as a prime tool for exchanging technical files and drawings with colleagues and customers, as well as for tracking the progress of projects via e-mail. "I coordinate my work teams, schedule projects, and get feedback from colleagues—all over the computer," notes Frank Gilmore, a northern California engineering consultant who designs audio and video systems for conventions and other events.

Don Boyd, a South Carolina engineering consultant who previously spent many years with Siemens, cites the role the Web played in developing an important instruction manual on circuit breakers used in nuclear power plants. "We worked closely with the power companies in exchanging drawings and other information over the Web," he recalls.

The T&MW Web survey shows that test engineers use the Internet most during the planning phase of a product cycle, with 62% of respondents turning to the Web to gather ideas, collect reference material, establish specs, and investigate test tools. About 30% say they tend to go online most often during the development phase, when they initiate design for test, establish test protocols, test prototypes, and do debug and failure analysis.

"If I am testing a PLL [phase lock loop] and encounter an anomaly, I'll go to a site like Analog Devices and use their simulator model," notes Moberly of Kyocera. Other sites he often uses for application notes needed for his development work include National Instruments, Agilent, Keithley, and Rohde & Schwarz.

Among the types of content test engineers seek on the Web, product specifications tops the list, with 84% of respondents citing that type of information as their most vital need, according to the Web study. Product/technology information, application notes, supplier information, and technical papers follow in order of importance.

Clinton Winchester, who develops battery and other fuel-cell power systems for the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, Maryland, sees pros and cons to these Web-based benefits. "Today, you can download a PDF of a research article that it might have taken you hours to find in a library ten years ago," he points out, "and vendor searches are a lot easier." Even so, he misses the "fun" he used to have browsing leisurely through a Thomas Register directory. And while he says it's great to be able to download a spec, he observes that some vendors rely too much on the Web to present their technical information and have cut down on application support staff.

All the engineers contacted for this story say that the Web has made it much easier to narrow their options for components and test equipment. A spate of technical online buyer's guides allow engineers to quickly access thousands of vendors for data and specs on tens of thousands of products. These reference tools range from those maintained by engineering magazines, such as T&MW, to specialized searched engines such as GlobalSpec (www.globalspec.com) and Kellysearch (www.kellysearch.com), both of which are partners of Test & Measurement World . The general search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, also play a big role in tracking down the right vendor or part.

"I've used Google to find a vendor just by typing in a part number in the search area," notes Moberly of Kyocera Wireless.

Engineers also are helping to stimulate business-to-business e-commerce spending, which this year is expected to hit $2.7 trillion, according to Forrester Research (Cambridge, Massachusetts). The T&MW Web survey found that nearly 75% of respondents bought job-related equipment or software via the Web in 2003. The average purchase was $11,000.

For example, Web-based comparison shopping allowed Jones of McGuire Air Force Base to buy a control head for a test station to troubleshoot navigation systems for $3000, which he says was thousands less than he might have paid at a local supply depot.

In Philadelphia, Ronald Kolodziej says his company, Tobias, has bought products online ranging from components to oscilloscopes used to develop control systems for printing presses. "I personally have bought a $2000 digital camera over the Web, so I have no problem at all with e-commerce," says Kolodziej, who spends about four hours a week gathering job-related information on the Web. That's a typical time commitment, T&MW surveys show.

The Web also aids engineers when they go shopping for continuing education. Not only are more and more companies offering online courses for their own engineers, but many vendors in the test field offer "Webcasts" on leading-edge test, measurement, and inspection topics.

Derek Pearson of CTI, a subcontractor that tests electronic components for defense systems at New Mexico's White Sands missile range, says that several of the engineers at his site have participated in Webcasts offered by vendors, including one on communications measurements from Agilent. Another helpful one from Tektronix dealt with the operation of real-time spectrum analyzers. "Webcasts are growing by leaps and bounds," says Pearson.

"Web-based education is really a great tool, and we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg," adds Moberly of Kyocera. "Onsite education is expensive, and they always try to cram so much down your throat. With Web-based training, you can proceed at your own pace."

Overall, the T&MW Web study shows that more than 60% of engineers surveyed participate in Web-based training, seminars, and "virtual trade shows." A quarter of respondents say they engage in online training at least once a month. Nearly 20% are currently paying for online seminars, and 50% would be willing to pay for such content if it met their needs.

Despite these many attractions of the Web, engineers still value the printed word—both for editorial reports and for the technical information found in vendor advertising. That's clear in their reading habits. Engineers surveyed in "The Value of Engineering Magazines" study said they spend just over a half hour reading the typical issue of their favorite engineering magazine. Half of the respondents say that the time spent reading that magazine is about the same as it was three years ago—despite their growing use of the Web. More than 27% said they were actually spending more time with that publication, while 22.9% said they were spending less time. When asked about their agreement with several statements about their favorite engineering magazine, respondents gave these replies:

• 91.4% agree that reading their favorite engineering magazine is "time well spent,"
• 91.1% believe that the publication "updates me about things I try to keep up with,"
• 90.6% view their favorite engineering journal as "educational,"
• 85.9% "expect to be reading this magazine for a long time,"
• 85.1% "get ideas from the magazine," and
• 82.1% agree that the publication "analyzes important technical trends."

And far from seeing ads in engineering magazines as intrusive commercials, engineers in this survey show the following level of agreement with these statements:

• 88.4% agree that ads in engineering magazines "help me develop an awareness for a company or a brand,"
• 84.3% concur that advertisements "help me learn about products and technologies relevant to my job," and
• 76% agree that they are "more likely to contact or investigate a company I have seen advertised in an engineering magazine."

The portability of magazines is a big plus, engineers say. "If I have some time to spare at an airport, it is much easier to pick up an engineering magazine than to boot up my computer," notes Winchester of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Raytheon's Montress agrees: "In a few minutes, I can leaf through a magazine and get technical information on 80 vendors. How long would it take to call up the Web sites of 80 companies?"

What is clear from the results of the new T&MW research, then, is that engineers are mixing and matching media to get the job done. They may start their technical research using one information source, only to move to another for more data. For example, asked to cite the major influences driving them to supplier Web sites, two thirds of the respondents in the T&MW Web survey cited articles in engineering magazines as the No. 1 influence, followed by search engines (61%), reputation of suppliers (56%), and ads in engineering magazines (54%).

Still, there is no question that the influence the Web is having on engineers will only grow stronger. Looking at time spent on the Web each week, the T&MW Web study showed that the average engineer is already spending:

• 1 hour and 41 minutes visiting supplier Web sites,
• 1 hour and 29 minutes visiting the Web sites of engineering magazines,
• 1 hour and 17 minutes consulting online product directories, and
• 33 minutes on trade association Web sites.

"The Web is just getting bigger and better all the time," says Pearson of CTI in New Mexico. "It's amazing how much information is out there."