Natural media workshop

This workshop will examine what our current imaging and sensing technologies do to our perception. We will examine, using practical examples, the potential to develop more 'Natural Media’ and technologies by broadening the focus of attention to the whole visual, auditory, tactile and sensual field. The aim is to re-incorporate peripheral awareness into our experience using these multiple sense inputs

Simulated Environments for Food Packaging Design Assessment

Using applied retail research, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the viability of using a simulated environment to conduct packaging design validation tests in order to gain deep insights into the ways in which shoppers make buying decisions. The resultant knowledge will provide empirical data on packaging design for Welsh food Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Geometry vs Realism: an exploration of visual immersion in a synthetic reality space

With the broader aim of using a synthetic reality environment to improve and develop packaging designs for Welsh food Small-Medium Enterprises (SME), two studies were undertaken in a simulated environment to explore the geometry and realism of visual content of supermarket shelves, in relation to psychological variables that correlate with sense of presence. The first experiment compared two types of visual geometry: Linear perspective and ‘Natural’ perspective (using non-linear projection techniques) as well as the realism of the depicted supermarket scene (by comparing a Computer Aided Design (CAD) image versus a photograph). Results from the first experiment showed that the type of image geometry had more of an impact on the sense of presence than the realism of the depicted supermarket scene. A second study was then conducted to test whether a hybrid image of CAD components and a photograph could create a similar sense of presence compared with a photograph alone (because the use of a hybrid image can reduce costs). The results showed that there were no significant differences between the hybrid image and the photograph in terms of creating a sense of presence

Design revolutions: IASDR 2019 Conference Proceedings. Volume 4: Learning, Technology, Thinking

In September 2019 Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University was honoured to host the bi-annual conference of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) under the unifying theme of DESIGN REVOLUTIONS. This was the first time the conference had been held in the UK. Through key research themes across nine conference tracks – Change, Learning, Living, Making, People, Technology, Thinking, Value and Voices – the conference opened up compelling, meaningful and radical dialogue of the role of design in addressing societal and organisational challenges. This Volume 4 includes papers from Learning, Technology and Thinking tracks of the conference