Overview for Define Custom Response Surface Design

Use Define Custom Response Surface Design to create a design from data you already have in the worksheet. You can specify which columns contain your factors and other design characteristics, such as blocks or point type.

Response surface designs allow you to model curvature in your data and identify factor settings that optimize the response. For more information, go to What are response surface designs, central composite designs, and Box-Behnken designs?.

Usually, you define a custom design for one of the following reasons:

You created a design in Minitab and modified the worksheet so that Minitab could no longer analyze the design. For example, Minitab cannot analyze the design if you move or delete the column that contains the standard order of the design.
You typed the design information directly into the worksheet.
You imported the design from a non-Minitab file.
You created the design using Minitab Session commands.
You created the design with a version of Minitab older than version 13.

Once you define your design, you can use Analyze Response Surface Design to analyze your data.

For example, an analyst has a response surface design in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and wants to use Minitab to analyze the data. The analyst opens the worksheet in Minitab and defines the design as a custom response surface design. Then, the analyst uses Analyze Response Surface Design to analyze the data in Minitab.

Where to find this analysis

Stat > DOE > Response Surface > Define Custom Response Surface Design