Participatory simulation in hospital work system design

When ergonomic considerations are integrated into the design of work systems, both overall system performance and employee well-being improve. A central part of integrating ergonomics in work system design is to benefit from emplo y-ees’ knowledge of existing work systems. Participatory simulation (PS) is a method to access employee knowledge; namely employees are involved in the simulation and design of their own future work systems through the exploration of models representing work system designs. However, only a few studies have investigated PS and the elements of the method. Yet understanding the elements is essential when analyzing and planning PS in research and practice.This PhD study investigates PS and the method elements in the context of the Danish hospital sector, where PS is applied in the renewal and design of public hospitals and the work systems within the hospitals. The investigation was guided by three research questions focusing on: 1) the influence of simulation media on ergonomic evaluation in PS, 2) the creation of ergonomic knowledge in PS, and 3) the transfer and integration of the ergonomic knowledge into work system design.The investigation was based on three PS cases in the Danish hospital sector. The cases were analyzed from an ergonomics system perspective combined with theories on knowledge creation, transfer, and integration. The results are presented in six scientific papers from which three core findings are extracted: 1) simulation media attributes influence the type of ergonomic conditions that can be evaluated in PS, 2) sequences and overlaps of knowledge creation activities are sources of ergonomic knowledge creation in PS, and 3) intermediaries are means of knowledge transfer, and interpretation and transformation are means of knowledge integration

Use of Qualitative Research in Architectural Design and Evaluation of the Built Environment

AbstractErgonomics is everywhere design. Aim of each architect should be the optimization and efficiency of the proposed design solutions, the correct diagnosis and meet the needs of users, the implementation of priority investment objectives as a business, future thinking in terms of sensitivity to changes in object and to anticipate all the consequences of their decisions. In today's world, the basis of all activities is knowledge. Development of the Internet led easy access and transfer of knowledge. At the same time excess and information overload can cause confusion. It is essential to proper diagnosis, which knowledge is valuable and useful. The built environment and its users are a direct source of knowledge for design. In order to acquire this knowledge be used qualitative research (quality: technical, functional, organizational, behavioral, economic), observation, surveys, interviews, way-finding, participations, etc. On the basis of 15 years of experience in the field of qualitative research conducted in many places, their own projects and in the classroom with students of architecture, the authors have developed their own methods of knowledge acquisition from the built environment. These methods are mainly based on a simplified POE (Post Occupancy Evaluation) adapted to Polish conditions. The paper presents selected research projects in the field of architecture conducted at the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology. The Faculty has been involved in quality analyses of the built environment since the nineties of the twentieth century

The Function of Gesture in an Architectural Design Meeting

This text presents a cognitive-psychology analysis of spontaneous, co-speech gestures in a face-to-face architectural design meeting (A1 in DTRS7). The long-term objective is to formulate specifications for remote collaborative-design systems, especially for supporting the use of different semiotic modalities (multi-modal interaction). According to their function for design, interaction, and collaboration, we distinguish different gesture families: representational (entity designating or specifying), organisational (management of discourse, interaction, or functional design actions), focalising, discourse and interaction modulating, and disambiguating gestures. Discussion and conclusion concern the following points. It is impossible to attribute fixed functions to particular gesture forms. "Designating" gestures may also have a design function. The gestures identified in A1 possess a certain generic character. The gestures identified are neither systematically irreplaceable, nor optional accessories to speech or drawing. We discuss the possibilities for gesture in computer-supported collaborative software systems. The paper closes on our contribution to gesture studies and cognitive design research

Explaining drug-resistant infection in community pharmacies through effective information design

This paper describes a research project in which information design, human factors, architecture and pharmacy academics worked with pharmacy professionals and pharmacy users to consider how to present information about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a community pharmacy setting. Project outcomes – as a result of an innovative design competition – included five different design solutions that explain aspects of AMR within the context of a community pharmacy. The project raised awareness in pharmacy professionals of how design can be used to challenge ideas and encourage new ways of thinking to communicate public health messages. Two winning prototype solutions were installed in a Day Lewis pharmacy in Reading and evaluated by pharmacists and pharmacy users. We make preliminary recommendations for effective health communication in community pharmacies

Skills-knowledge-attitude-training-experience (SKATE) in ‘designing for occupational health of construction workers’

This research was funded by B&CE (a non-profit organisation offering products and benefits to working people in the construction sector). The research was supported by the Design for Health Task Group (DfHTG) of the Health in Construction Leadership Group (HCLG). While construction workers’ health has long been neglected at the expense of safety, it is now an important focus of the industry. Aligned to this, there is a growing recognition that design decisions have a major influence on the occurrence of health hazards in construction (e.g. noise, dust) that can lead to work-related or work-exacerbated conditions such as hearing loss and respiratory illnesses. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires that those designing “should eliminate foreseeable health and safety risks to anyone affected by the work (if possible) and take steps to reduce or control risks that cannot be eliminated” (HSE 2019). The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM 2015), an important mechanism for addressing health (and safety) hazards in design, requires individuals working on projects to have relevant skills, knowledge and experience to enable them to design for health. Additionally, clients recognise the importance of designers’ abilities in understanding how and why to incorporate more healthy products and processes into projects. However, to date the industry continues to struggle with the make-up of these attributes, that are essential for designers to be able to design safe and healthy projects. This is particularly the case in respect of ‘Design for Health’ given the long neglect of health issues in construction. This project, designed to be a collaboration between key experts in the industry, allowed for further discussion on the key attributes required of designers to enable them to Design for Health in the construction industry (reviewing skills, knowledge, attitude, training, experience - SKATE). Workshops were the main data collection method. However, in order to engage a broader participant sample, these were supplemented by interviews and questionnaires. Although all workshops and interviews commenced with a brief introduction to the concept of ‘Designing for Health’ of construction workers, many participants appeared to fail to grasp the concept specifically, as they had a tendency during discussions to keep highlighting safety examples. Comments made by respondents strongly suggest that many design teams are still struggling to apply the principles of the CDM Regulations to construction safety challenges, let alone occupational health challenges of construction workers. This may be due to the focus of information and training being more towards safety rather than health. Most designers were aware of the risks of falls from height and asbestos, but were less likely to be aware of other risks such as dust or noise. The findings suggest that company size and project size were relevant with regards to an individual’s levels of competence in the SKATE qualities and ease of access to other individuals with the required SKATE within teams. However, project type did not appear relevant to SKATE: there was no clear view that a particular type of project required particular SKATE. While different projects may require different solutions, the key is that designers have general health awareness to identify where and how their design decisions can make a difference. While participants highlighted positive suggestions that could help achieve better Design for Health in the future, many also raised various limitations. Responses from a number of participants highlighted the concern about the ‘unregulated’, smaller residential, Do-it-yourself (DIY) self-build market. Participants also discussed concerns about challenges of Designing for Health due to competing priorities, cost constraints, design time pressures, fragmentation of the role, lack of ownership, lack of health awareness, lack of site experience and limited available guidance. It would appear that the term ‘Design for Health’ could be misleading, as there was a tendency to focus only on the end user and not the construction worker. Taking into account the findings of this research, the research team suggest that greater use of the term ‘Prevention through Design’ (which is commonly used in the United States of America (USA)), rather than the terms usually used in the United Kingdom (UK), ‘Designing for Safety’, ‘Designing for Health’ may increase the chance that occupational health is taken as seriously as safety. First, this report describes limiting factors in designing for occupational safety and health (i.e. mainly ‘safety’ and the requirements of CDM) and secondly, focuses on opportunities for designing specifically for the occupational health of construction workers

Information technology as boundary object for transformational learning

Collaborative work is considered as a way to improve productivity and value generation in construction. However, recent research demonstrates that socio-cognitive factors related to fragmentation of specialized knowledge may hinder team performance. New methods based on theories of practice are emerging in Computer Supported Collaborative Work and organisational learning to break these knowledge boundaries, facilitating knowledge sharing and the generation of new knowledge through transformational learning. According to these theories, objects used in professional practice play a key role in mediating interactions. Rules and methods related to these practices are also embedded in these objects. Therefore changing collaborative patterns demand reconfiguring objects that are at the boundary between specialized practices, namely boundary objects. This research is unique in presenting an IT strategy in which technology is used as a boundary object to facilitate transformational learning in collaborative design work

Enabling a consumer headset in product development

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of System Design & Management, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-161).Manufacturing-intensive companies like Ford Motor Company have come to the realization that they need to have a strong consumer focus to survive in today's competitive world. Ford has just recently announced steps to further align its program team centers more strongly with their consumers, yet the lower levels of the teams will still remain aligned around a standard part decomposition that finds its roots back to Henry Ford's vertical integration methodology. In today's information age, with the growing expectations of the consumer, as well as product complexity, it has become essential for product teams to share and communicate efficiently. It is no longer adequate for the program manager to be the sole focal point, where the voice of the consumer meets the voice of part engineering. As complex as it sounds, the consumer voice must be decomposed for delivery throughout the program team as the driving force by which the parts are engineered. Herein outlines an approach which has been called 'enabling a consumer headset in product development,' that illustrates the possibility of handle this complexity using today's tools. Bottom line: Industry is ready to take this one on. Needs analysis has established a focal point at the program team decompositional structure, product development process, and the driving management metrics and engineering specifications. Suggested are concepts that lead to a more natural and efficient way of delivering that consumer headset and these concepts are applied on three implementation projects: 1) a MIT course exercise; 2) a new Docu-Center architecture program at Xerox; and 3) a forward model 200X Mustang program. Findings are summarize into a final recommendation for future Ford program applications. The conclusion of this thesis recommends three items: 1) Introduces the Role of Architects, 2) Aligns the Organization Around the Consumer, 3) Transitions Engineering Focus to Interface Specifications.by James L. Goran, Michael L. Shashlo [and] Francis J. Wickenheiser.S.M

Design research in the Netherlands 2010 : proceedings of the symposium held on 20-21 May 2010, Eindhoven University of Technology

Design Research in the Netherlands occurs every five years to take stock of the state-of-the-art in design research that takes place in all design disciplines in the Netherlands. How has our understanding of design developed through research on this phenomenon? What are the research and development methodologies used to acquire insight in design? What have we achieved in the past period, and what are out expectations for the coming period? Researchers and research groups outline their development over the past five years in position papers, addressing insights, methods, results, and problems. Design Research in the Netherlands 2010 is the fourth edition, following three symposia held in 1995, 2000, and 2005. The five-year cycle allows to take conceptual distance from everyday problems that are often project-specific, and to assess how the field is developing. The proceedings form a valuable cross-disciplinary overview of research on design