Reducing the "Information Gap" Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Co-operative Design Phases

This paper aims to describe a particular role of annotations as co-operative artefacts in engineering design. In co-operative processes, where achieving a shared understanding between the participants from different domains is crucial, sharing the decisions and argumentations which lead to a solution is as important as sharing the solution itself. In our case study, we describe what we call an "information gap" between the asynchronous phase, when individual decisions are made, and the design review, when the solution is evaluated, and collective thinking influences the decisions. Then, within a conceptual design scenario, we show how semantic annotations can create a shared environment to help to reduce this gap, where all actors are able to elicit domain-specific constraints and engage discussions on design solution during the asynchronous phase.semantic annotation; engineering design; design communication; collaborative tool

A participatory design approach based on the use of scenarios for improving local design methods in developing countries

Working paperOver the past few years, the use of scenarios in participatory design has proved its worth. It has resulted in some interesting tools for capturing the context of use. However, these approaches have been almost exclusively developed and used for software design. In this article, we shall describe the development of scenarios in the specific context of tropical food processing equipment design in developing countries. As well as exploring this original field of application, this article raises fundamental questions about scenario use, taking us beyond the limited framework of the proposed application. We shall outline a methodological framework for structuring the deployment of scenarios according to the different design phases: the COSU method. This method implements the scenario concept in an original way. It comprises four types of scenario whose aim is to create interaction between designers and users in order to foster a shared understanding of both the problem and the solutions. We shall also show that the scenarios are objects that mediate the user-designer dialogue that is of prior importance in the context of developing countries. The applicability of the method is presented through various case study examples

Intermediate concepts in the generative dance between knowledge and knowing

Nous nous proposons dans cet article de contribuer à éclairer l'interaction entre connaissance et savoir en action comme processus générateur de nouvelles connaissances. Ce processus que Cook et Brown (1999) ont appelé « la danse générative », est un point crucial de l'étude de la création de nouvelles connaissances, la reconnaître et l'assister dans des situations collectives d'action implique d'avoir une meilleure connaissances des processus en jeu. A travers la description de plusieurs cas d'action collective entre acteurs hétérogènes : en particulier la restauration écologique du lac de Grand-Lieu en Loire Atlantique, nous proposons de caractériser les situations de gestion collective de situations complexes comme des situations de conception. Nous proposons la notion de concepts intermédiaires qui permettent aux acteurs de s'articuler dans un processus de conception collective.connaissances;concept intermédiaire;objet intermédiaire;connaissances partagées;situations hétérogènes d'action collective;conception pour l'action collective

Diffract me! – using a skills-based approach in design practice

The potential of skills in design is intriguing; as skills open up new perceptions of the world they allow meaning to arise as we engage with the world. Several skills-based techniques that leverage this potential have been developed, and integrated into the Designing in Skills framework. The framework builds on personal engagement of designers in their practice, and promotes them to take a first-person perspective, enabling designs to be enriched with meaning. In this paper, we present the most recent workshop based on this approach, which specifically focuses on employing the Designing in Skills framework as a starting point and catalyst for design practice. We briefly introduce the Designing in Skills framework and present the DiffractMe! project in which we built on this approach to explore its potential for design practice. We conclude with reflections on the process and result by the involved designers. These reflections offer insights into the value of this approach for enriching interactive design with experiential qualities

Dynamics of design collaboration. BIM models as intermediary digital objects

Engineering and architectural design research has studied the uses of various kinds of artefacts and visual representations like sketches, drawings and design plans. The implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) creates a new constellation of instruments and calls for further reconceptualising of the collaborative design process. The paper presents analysis of BIM models as co-developed intermediary objects in the design. They function both as objects of joint problem solving and as a concrete but dynamic means for collaboration both virtually and in face-to-face meetings. We suggest that BIM models provide novel forms of 'virtual materiality': in design meetings BIM models provide a tangible means for designers' collaboration. Versatile indexical use of 3D BIM models dominates discussion and problem solving in design meetings.Peer reviewe

Reconceptualizing object construction : The dynamics of building information modelling in construction design

The article discusses the concepts of object and object construction through studying the collaborative use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in construction design. It suggests that a combined BIM model in design can be regarded as an ideal or special object, as suggested by Ilyenkov in his theory of the ideal. The concepts of intermediary object and artefact help in analysing the cycles of construction of such an object in design. BIM models as modifiable digital artefacts contribute to their capability of functioning as tools of individual design work and collaboration as well as means of objectifying the outcomes of design cycles into intermediary objects. We argue that the uses of combined BIM models give birth to a new modality of spatial thought, perception and collaborative problem solving in construction design.Peer reviewe