Wayfinding in Complex Multi-storey Buildings: A vision-simulation-augmented wayfinding protocol study

Wayfinding in complex multi-storey buildings often brings newcomers and even some frequent visitors uncertainty and stress. However, there is little understanding on wayfinding in 3D structure which contains inter-storey and inter-building travelling. This paper presents the method of vision-simulation-augmented wayfinding protocol for the study of such 3D structure to find its application from investigating pedestrians’ wayfinding behaviour in general-purpose complex multi-storey buildings. Based on Passini’s studies as a starting point, an exploratory quasi-experiment was developed during the study and then conducted in a daily wayfinding context, adopting wayfinding protocol method with augmentation by the real-time vision simulation. The purpose is to identify people’s natural wayfinding strategies in natural settings, for both frequent visitors and newcomers. It is envisioned that the findings of the study can inspire potential design solutions for supporting pedestrian’s wayfinding in 3D indoor spaces. From the new method developed and new analytic framework, several findings were identified which differ from other wayfinding literature, such as (1) people seem to directly “make sense” of wayfinding settings, (2) people could translate recurring actions into unconscious operational behaviours, and (3) physical rotation and constrained views, instead of vertical travelling itself, should be problems for wayfinding process, etc. Keywords: Wayfinding Protocol; Real-time Vision Simulation; 3D Indoor Space; Activity Theory; Structure of Wayfinding process</p

Introducing a Female-Focused Design Strategy (FDS) for Future Healthcare Design

This paper introduces a Female-focused Design Strategy (FDS) for the design of female- focused healthcare devices targeted at women within the self-care context. Literature review and a mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative survey studies were conducted and analysed to gather primary information about women’s needs, perception and acceptance level towards the design, use, and interaction of such products. The FDS comprises of attributes to convey a personal and special meaning over and above the product’s utilitarian meaning with the aim of stimulating prolong product attachment. It should create different unique product characters which may encourage medical adherence of users and can be applied in any phase of a new product development (NPD) process. It is hypothesized that a designer who can define such areas for future healthcare interfaces can use them to ‘get a grip’ on the commercial success and viability of his or her healthcare product design

A Systematic Review of Weight Perception in Virtual Reality: Techniques, Challenges, and Road Ahead

Weight is perceived through the combination of multiple sensory systems, and a wide range of factors – including touch, visual, and force senses – can influence the perception of heaviness. There have been remarkable advancements in the development of haptic interfaces throughout the years. However, a number of challenges limit the progression to enable humans to sense the weight in virtual reality (VR). This article presents an overview of the factors that influence how weight is perceived and the phenomenon that contributes to various types of weight illusions. A systematic review has been undertaken to assess the development of weight perception in VR, underlying haptic technology that renders the mass of a virtual object, and the creation of weight perception through pseudo-haptic. We summarize the approaches from the perspective of haptic and pseudo-haptic cues that exhibit the sense of weight such as force, skin deformation, vibration, inertia, control–display ratio, velocity, body gestures, and audio–visual representation. The design challenges are underlined, and research gaps are discussed, including accuracy and precision, weight discrimination, heavyweight rendering, and absolute weight simulation. This article is anticipated to aid in the development of more realistic weight perception in VR and stimulated new research interest in this topic

Factors associated with mobile health information seeking among Singaporean women

This study examined effects of age and social psychological factors on women’s willingness to be mobile health information seekers. A national survey of 1,878 Singaporean women was conducted to obtain information on women’s mobile phone usage, experiences of health information seeking, and appraisals of using mobile phones to seek health information. Results showed that young, middle-aged, and older women exhibited distinct mobile phone usage behaviors, health information-seeking patterns, and assessments of mobile health information seeking. Factors that accounted for their mobile information-seeking intention also varied. Data reported in this study provide insights into mobile health interventions in the future

Virtual breast oncoplastic surgery simulator (VBOSS): A novel training tool in breast surgery

10.1016/j.ejso.2018.07.062European Journal of Surgical Oncology44111750-175

Designing “Forest” into Daily Lives for Sustainability: A Case Study of Taiwanese Wooden Furniture Design

Taiwan’s forest resources are abundant, diverse, and of high quality. However, Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate for timber is only 1.2%. How to build Taiwan’s local wooden furniture brand to improve quality of life and achieve sustainable development is worth considering. This study adopted a qualitative research method using Taiwan’s local carbon-negative furniture brand “Forest in Living” as a case study. We used communication theory to construct a conceptual model that was then used to analyze the design and promotion of furniture. Carbon-negative furniture makes people feel like they are living and breathing deep in the forest, which is one of the best ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint. The Forest in Living furniture is full of Taiwanese characteristics and firmly captures the country’s foundation and soul. The designers have great respect for wood and strong control over the characteristics of the material, and the furniture has unique characteristics and rich content. In the future, we will further study the findings of this paper by inviting consumers to express their views on the design concepts and finished products of this type of furniture, which will be used to examine whether the design concepts can be recognized by consumers

Mapping Design Capability of Governments: A Tool for Government Employees’ Collective Reflection

10.57698/v17i1.02International Journal of Design17117-35Taiwa