A taxonomic classification of visual design representations used by industrial designers and engineering designers

In the context of new product development (NPD), research has shown that not having a common understanding of visual design representations (VDRs) has affected collaboration between industrial designers and engineering designers. The aim of the research presented in this paper was two-fold. Firstly, to identify the representations employed by industrial designers and engineering designers during NPD from a literature survey. Secondly, to define and categorize these representations in the form of a taxonomy that is a systematic organization of VDRs that are presently dispersed in the literature. For the development of the taxonomy, four measures encompassing orthogonality, spanning, completeness and usability were employed. It resulted in four groups consisting of sketches, drawings, models and prototypes. Validation was undertaken by means of an interview survey and further, presenting the taxonomy at an international conference. The results showed that no issues were raised by the respondents concerning the structure of the taxonomy or its components

Fra feltarbejde til fremvisning - trafiksikkerhed gennem brugerdreven innovation

Med workshoppen ”Brugerdreven Innovation i praksis – fra observation til prototype på 5 dage” har Arkitektskolen Aarhus, Ingeniørhøjskolen Århus og Designit A/S arbejdet på at tænke i nye og meget alternativ baner for at sikre trafiksikkerheden for cyklende børn. Deltagerne har gennem opgaven ”hvordan kan vi øge trafiksikkerheden for cyklende børn i alderen 7-14 år” gennemgået et næsten komplet brugerdreven designforløb indeholdende følgende elementer: Feltarbejde Behandling af empiri Idéskabelse Rapid prototyping De studerendes vidt forskellige indgangsvinkler resulterede i 10 konkrete innovative produkter, der aldrig er set før. Workshoppen havde yderligere det formål at sætte fokus på tværfagligt samarbejde, og hvordan arkitekter og ingeniører kan få indsigt i og udnytte hinandens kompetencer.I dette paper præsenteres workshoppens proces og resultaterne af de studerendes arbejde

An Investigation into Footwear Materials Choices and Design for people Suffering with Diabetes

Use of appropriate footwear among diabetics and those with diabetic foot problems has been well documented to play a vital role in the prevention and treatment of established foot disease. The incidence and prevalence rates of diabetes in Africa are increasing and foot complications are rising parallel. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation which also has the highest number of people (up to 3 million) suffering with diabetes in the continent. This is related to the lifestyle of the people which is changing including diet. Many urbanites are embracing Western way of living. There is however lack of adequate knowledge about the role of footwear in the management of foot related problems among diabetic patients in the country. This study is the first of its kind to be done in Nigeria with an aim to develop a framework that would help to identify appropriate footwear materials and designs for people suffering with diabetes. To achieve this, data were collected through questionnaire and interview surveys, shoe upper materials analysis and foot measurements. In addition, Product Design Specification (PDS) and design framework were formulated. And functional footwear prototypes were designed, constructed and assessed. The data from the questionnaire survey indicate that up to 75% of the diabetic subjects have not received information about the type of footwear they should wear most often. The study revealed that the patients have very poor knowledge about diabetes and its complications, foot care, and the use of appropriate footwear. It was discovered that up to 53% female and 37% male of the patients were wearing slippers most often. Similarly, the findings from the medical doctors interviewed show that up to 66% of the patients were wearing slippers or slip-on (with no fastening mechanism) most often. The research revealed that financial constraint was a key factor to use of appropriate footwear by the patients. Many use cheap footwear regardless whether they provide the required protection and comfort to their feet or not. It was found out that specialist knowledge among medical doctors regarding foot care and provision of special footwear like orthopaedic and diabetic footwear to patients was very low. The shoe upper materials analyses demonstrated that leather has good physical properties required for making diabetic footwear. Data from the measurement of feet indicated that no individual’s feet are exactly the same even as people wearing the same shoe size might not have the same foot dimensions. It was concluded that these differences could have considerable effects on the shoe wearer. From the measured values, the tolerable allowance was found to be 3.4mm and 3.5mm for male and female subjects respectively. The fitting and comfort assessment of the prototypes have shown that some parts of the last used to make the prototypes would require amendments in order to accommodate minor foot deformities properly. The findings from the research were used to develop PDS and a research framework which could be used as a guide for diabetic footwear design and construction. Finally, the contributions of this research to knowledge and critical areas that would require further investigations were outlined

The influence of social identity when digitally sharing location

By enabling users to self-report their whereabouts and share it with a vast and diverse audience, location sharing systems can be useful means of projecting the self and expressing one’s social identity (an individual’s personal self-conception). Through three research studies, this thesis investigates how social identity influences the digital sharing of location. It does so by first exploring how people socially interact offline and then investigates how facets of this behaviour are enacted in location sharing systems. Thus, it offers insights into how offline social behaviour extends to digital spaces and how it impacts social interaction in the digital realm. This thesis finds that social identity not only influences digital location sharing, but in systems that enable social networking, is the very driving force behind the phenomenon. Users actively exhibit their identity through their location, using it as a means of communicating moods, emotions, activities, and experiences. Social identity impacts the places likely to be shared and those places, in turn, reflect one’s identity by revealing much about an individual’s personality and lifestyle. This research also discovers that aspects of offline social behaviour have not been replicated particularly well in the online world. Conventional location sharing systems often require users to broadcast their content to one homogenous ‘friends’ list. This model overlooks some of the key components of offline social behaviour such as multi-faceted identities, context-specific behaviour and the heterogeneity of human relationships. This can result in challenges when attempting to manage different facets of identity and can heighten anxieties about sharing as a whole. Recommendations are made on how such issues can be mitigated in future platforms. This thesis has implications for the design of future location sharing systems. By studying human interaction in digital environments, it also contributes to the Human Factors and HCI disciplines

The influence of social identity when digitally sharing location

By enabling users to self-report their whereabouts and share it with a vast and diverse audience, location sharing systems can be useful means of projecting the self and expressing one’s social identity (an individual’s personal self-conception). Through three research studies, this thesis investigates how social identity influences the digital sharing of location. It does so by first exploring how people socially interact offline and then investigates how facets of this behaviour are enacted in location sharing systems. Thus, it offers insights into how offline social behaviour extends to digital spaces and how it impacts social interaction in the digital realm. This thesis finds that social identity not only influences digital location sharing, but in systems that enable social networking, is the very driving force behind the phenomenon. Users actively exhibit their identity through their location, using it as a means of communicating moods, emotions, activities, and experiences. Social identity impacts the places likely to be shared and those places, in turn, reflect one’s identity by revealing much about an individual’s personality and lifestyle. This research also discovers that aspects of offline social behaviour have not been replicated particularly well in the online world. Conventional location sharing systems often require users to broadcast their content to one homogenous ‘friends’ list. This model overlooks some of the key components of offline social behaviour such as multi-faceted identities, context-specific behaviour and the heterogeneity of human relationships. This can result in challenges when attempting to manage different facets of identity and can heighten anxieties about sharing as a whole. Recommendations are made on how such issues can be mitigated in future platforms. This thesis has implications for the design of future location sharing systems. By studying human interaction in digital environments, it also contributes to the Human Factors and HCI disciplines