Mediating Cognitive Transformation with VR 3D Sketching during Conceptual Architectural Design Process

Communications for information synchronization during the conceptual design phase require designers to employ more intuitive digital design tools. This paper presents findings of a feasibility study for using VR 3D sketching interface in order to replace current non-intuitive CAD tools. We used a sequential mixed method research methodology including a qualitative case study and a cognitive-based quantitative protocol analysis experiment. Foremost, the case study research was conducted in order to understand how novice designers make intuitive decisions. The case study documented the failure of conventional sketching methods in articulating complicated design ideas and shortcomings of current CAD tools in intuitive ideation. The case study’s findings then became the theoretical foundations for testing the feasibility of using VR 3D sketching interface during design. The latter phase of study evaluated the designers’ spatial cognition and collaboration at six different levels: “physical-actions”, “perceptualac ons”, “functional-actions”, “conceptual-actions”, “cognitive synchronizations”, and “gestures”. The results and confirmed hypotheses showed that the utilized tangible 3D sketching interface improved novice designers’ cognitive and collaborative design activities. In summary this paper presents the influences of current external representation tools on designers’ cognition and collaboration as well as providing the necessary theoretical foundations for implementing VR 3D sketching interface. It contributes towards transforming conceptual architectural design phase from analogue to digital by proposing a new VR design interface. The paper proposes this transformation to fill in the existing gap between analogue conceptual architectural design process and remaining digital engineering parts of building design process hence expediting digital design process

Methods and tools for supporting industrial design innovation

The introduction of information technology (IT) systems to support designers’ activities and data management have profoundly affected company structure and design organization. This evolution has brought the introduction of systematic methods, close to information tools skills and prerogatives, using computer management and data recovery skills as main design support. The use of the IT also improved information exchange among different work figures involved during product development process. In this direction authors have intended to analyze the role and the implementation of systematic methods and tools within industrial designer area of the design process and their impact on the conceptual design phase in particular. Consequently, the research has been developed primarily in reference to design methods able to support the strict ideation stage of the Conceptual Design, that can be referred to two typologies: knowledge based and functional approaches. Subsequently authors have analyzed the information tools currently used during design process, as CAD systems, and some innovative, as Virtual and Augmented Reality tools, that can be used within industrial design area. The result of the study has been a formalization of the course followed during idea conceptual phase in order to include and to arrange the design methods and tools analysed. The research proposes a structured view of a process of product conceptualization, usually considered as mainly heuristic, focusing on the integration of methods and tools to support project and its communication. In this area the research has highlighted industrial designer role characteristics during design process, changeable in reference of project development level, and also some important new questions have been identified about the interaction between industrial designers and the other design areas involved in the process. In this direction the study has highlighted the need to support knowledge exchange and recovery, introducing the possibility to extend the research to the whole process and integrate industrial design and engineering collaboration in a more effective way. Keywords: Conceptual design process, Systematic innovation, Knowledge management, Integration</p

Cognitive Transformation Mediated By Digital 3D Sketching During Conceptual Architectural Design Process

To optimize the level of cognition and collaboration during conceptual architectural design phase, novice designers need to employ more flexible and intuitive digital media. This thesis studied the feasibility of using VR 3D sketching interface in order to replace current non-intuitive Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools. For this purpose a sequential mixed method research methodology including a qualitative case study research and a cognitive-based quantitative protocol analysis experiment was conducted. Foremost, it was pertinent to understand how novice designers make intuitive decisions. Hence, a case study research comprising of ethnography for data collection and artifact and protocol analysis for data analysis was employed. The purpose was to understand knowledge flow characteristics among mentors and apprentices in real-life architectural conception in studio projects. The ethnography study documented the failure of conventional sketching methods in articulating complicated design ideas. Whereas, it found that current conventional CAD tools do hinder novice designers’ creativity due to their limitation in intuitive ideation. Moreover, the subsequent artifact analysis affirmed established constructs about advantages and disadvantages of each medium in providing “solution quality” and also “certainty about correctness of solution”. The case study’s findings then became the theoretical foundations for the development of a VR 3D sketching interface for enhancing novice designers’ cognition and collaboration during the conceptual design process. This phase of study evaluated the designers’ spatial cognition at four different cognitive levels: “physical-actions”, “perceptual-actions”, “functional-actions”, and “conceptual-actions”. It also evaluated the designers’ spatial cognition in two different collaborative levels: “cognitive synchronizations” and “gestures”. The results and confirmed hypotheses showed that compared to traditional design interfaces, the utilized VR-based simple and tangible 3D sketching interface improved novice designers’ cognitive and collaborative design activities during conceptual architectural phase. In summary the thesis has evaluated inherent characteristics of the conceptual architectural design process and documented influences of current external representation tools on designers’ cognition and collaboration. It has developed the necessary theoretical foundations for cognitive and collaborative aspects of implementing VR 3D sketching interface for future implementation. Results of this thesis are limited to implementation of VR 3D sketching interface to improve cognition and collaboration during conceptual architectural design process at the novice level.In conclusion, this thesis contributes towards transforming conceptual architectural design phase from analogue to digital by proposing a new VR design interface. The author claims that this transformation can fill in the existing gap between analogue conceptual architectural design process and the remaining digital engineering parts of building design process hence enhancing the streamlining of digital design process. Finally, the author claims that the identification and documentation data on designers’ cognitive and collaborative conceptual design behaviors in the Malaysian context can be used as reference in future design studies. It is envisioned that the findings of this study can help the development of cutting-edge information technologies for design or education in the architectural field. Moreover, they will guide in the creation of future professional training programs to enhance capacity and capability of multidisciplinary professionals in using digital interfaces due to increasing global practice

Collaborative concept design as socio-construction

This research addresses the problem of lack of integration on decision-making caused by misunderstandings between team members during collaborative concept design. Previous research on collaborative design indicated relevant empirical evidence that current concepts of collaboration in design and construction focus on changing the context and the media, and have not properly addressed the socio-constructive nature of collaboration, failing to allow the development of particular abilities required to engage in collective creative situations. In this research it is argued that while the development of such new context and new media can contribute for integrating organizations, process, communication and coordination, they have limited capacity to support collective reasoning on decision-making, especially during concept design. The research approach is a synthesis of the literature, presenting a new model to study collaboration in concept design. The paper discusses the concept of collaboration in conceptual design, and explains collaboration as a socio-constructive act. Collaboration in design should be considered as dependent on the group ability to engage in self-reflective actions, allowing the group to conduct collective decision-making. Further development will provide ways of measuring this and investigating how a multidisciplinary design team can improve collaboration. Keywords: Collaboration, Multidisciplinary Team, Concept Design, Shared Understanding and Social-Constructive Interactions

Artificial Intelligence and Statistics

Artificial intelligence (AI) is intrinsically data-driven. It calls for the application of statistical concepts through human-machine collaboration during generation of data, development of algorithms, and evaluation of results. This paper discusses how such human-machine collaboration can be approached through the statistical concepts of population, question of interest, representativeness of training data, and scrutiny of results (PQRS). The PQRS workflow provides a conceptual framework for integrating statistical ideas with human input into AI products and research. These ideas include experimental design principles of randomization and local control as well as the principle of stability to gain reproducibility and interpretability of algorithms and data results. We discuss the use of these principles in the contexts of self-driving cars, automated medical diagnoses, and examples from the authors' collaborative research

Horizontal collaboration between international and local non-governmental organisations : a cross-sectional study regarding the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Supply Chain Management at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

Purpose-This thesis seeks to explore supply chain collaboration within a humanitarian context, and to appraise relationships between international non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations during disaster relief. It also aims to identify challenges facing such collaboration in the humanitarian supply chain, and to discover whether effective partnerships contain a set of identifiable facilitators, drivers and mechanisms which promote relationships between local and international NGOs. Design/Methodology/Approach-Literature from both commercial and humanitarian sectors is discussed in the context of horizontal partnerships. A Jordanian cross- sectional study spanning a network of NGOs is explored via semi-structured interviews. Insights are synthesised into a conceptual model of how NGOs can form partnerships during a humanitarian response. Findings-The research provides valuable insights into the challenges facing local and international NGOs when developing partnerships. Four types of challenge are identified: organisational, inter-organisational, external, and donor-related. The conceptual model highlights the essential elements required for effective partnerships. Research limitations/Future research-The research is built on a single cross-sectional study from one country during an extended humanitarian crisis. The majority of the empirical data is only from one actor’s perspective, thus further research into dyadic and network relationships is required. Further investigation is required into approaches to addressing the diverse cultural and decision-making perspectives of local and international NGOs. Practical Implications-Recognising the challenges and major elements to horizontal partnerships between local and international NGOs will assist managers, both at strategic and operational levels, to find solutions and evolve strategies to build effective partnerships. Compromise and consideration for partner’s drivers and cultural views are essential for effective humanitarian relief. Originality/Value- The research extends supply chain collaboration to a humanitarian context. Overcoming the challenges facing collaborative efforts and the complementary nature of the facilitators, drivers, and mechanisms provides a means to achieve effective partnerships. Despite the uniqueness of the humanitarian context, such as the secondary nature of cost and dynamic demand, the core principles of collaboration still hold. Keywords-Humanitarian, supply chain collaboration, partnerships, community-based organisations (CBOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), international NGOs (INGOs)

Application of a conceptual stages design protocol for early collaborative design through computer based mediation.

Effective conceptual and collaborative design process in architecture is a prerequisite for efficient overall project development. This can be facilitated by computer mediation methods, including emerging augmented reality technologies and tactile and tangible interfaces. With the current paradigm of conceptual design process being disorganised and quite often overpowered by communication gaps between the different design professionals, collaborative conceptual design is essential to be understood and most importantly effectively managed. Bridging the conceptual design stage with the later detailed design ones by using digital technologies can effectively assist transferring the information and initial ideas between the different design stages and bridge the communication gap between the different stakeholders, like the design professionals i.e. architects, engineers, design managers, etc., as early as possible. This paper is focused on reviewing different design processes and on presenting a predefined Conceptual Design Protocol (CDP) as a descriptive model that illustrates the steps of the design process as sequences of actions that occur during design and eventually manages the conceptual design process. Two studies illustrate the evolution from the current paradigm to the proposed design process and are both briefly presented in the paper. The preliminary study showcases a multidisciplinary conceptual design approach. During the second study, the design process is managed to follow the CPD and the participants utilise a design application developed specifically for the particular study and installed on a tangible user interface (TUI). The nature of design progression and collaboration is recorded and analysed, allowing for a number of conclusions to be drawn regarding the conceptual design process, the role of digital technologies and the application of the CPD

A feasibility study for developing 3D sketching concept in virtual reality (VR) environment

There is limited digital media available to encompass conceptual design which requires spontaneous and flexible design tools. The constraint is causing less digital integration during the architectural conceptual and engineering design stages. This paper presents the results of an ethnography research on understanding how design collaboration, design transactions and knowledge flow characteristics between studio masters and their students are supported by available technologies in a studio project in Malaysia. The study found three types of external representation modes used by designers: Full Manual, Mixed and Full Digital. The study revealed the inflexibility of traditional geometric modeling tools within intuitive ideations. On the other hand, it also observed the shortcomings of conventional manual sketching tools for articulating design ideas and translating tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in complex design problems. Results from this study support further studies towards implementing 3D sketching in Virtual Reality (VR) environment to digitally integrate the conceptual architectural-engineering design process

A Conceptual Model for User-system Collaboration: Enhancing Usability of Complex Information Systems

A variety of organizations around the world use complex information systems (e.g., enterprise resource planning and supply chain management systems). However, poor usability caused by system complexity continues to frustrate users and damage the reputation of these systems. In this study, we address usability issues with complex information systems from the human-computer collaboration perspective by modeling user-system interaction as a joint activity between the system and its users. We propose a conceptual model for user-system collaboration, elaborate on the components in the model and the relationships between the components, derive the required capabilities for collaborative information systems, and establish conceptual relationships between system collaborative behaviors and usability. We use empirical evidence gathered from a qualitative field study on ERP systems to illustrate the model and the possible impact of system collaborativeness (i.e., the presence or absence of collaborative capabilities) on usability. We do so to provide a strong conceptual foundation for modeling user-system collaboration and to encourage designers to employ the collaboration metaphor during system design and, thus, help them develop future complex information systems with better usability

Designing for Science Center Exhibitions - A Classification Framework for the Interaction.

While designing and discussing exhibitions in science centers, common conceptual framework is needed. This paper provides a framework based on participation, virtuality, and collaboration, and two models - a Rubik’s cube model and a Scatter plot space. They are suitable tools for analysis and overview of existing and planned exhibitions, as well as for conceptual analysis during the design process. The classification and the models for the interaction have been developed in a research by design process, where 45 prototypes have been designed, exhibited and tested. The contribution of this paper is to provide designers and planners of science centers with a framework that can support design work and evaluation. I am the single author also of this paper