Three studio critiquing cultures: Fun follows function or function follows fun?

For the longest time, design was an activity with no distinction among disciplines. Over time, separate design disciplines had formed their own cultures and their own educational practices. In this paper, we use data from a limited set of design reviews along with a literature survey to conduct a comparative analysis of contemporary reviewing and critiquing cultures in architecture, industrial design and mechanical engineering. We point out differences and communalities, and conclude with a list of the lessons the three disciplines can learn from one another regarding reviewing in the classroom. We dwell especially on one issue that currently differentiates the three cultures: the stress they lay on excitement and fun. We believe that a world in which products of all sorts – from buildings through machines to consumer products – are fun, is a better world to live in

The design thinking approaches of three different groups of designers based on self-reports

This paper compares the design thinking approaches of three groups of student-designers: industrial design and architecture undergraduates, and design PhD candidates. Participants responded to an open-ended design brief, working individually. Upon submission of their designs they were debriefed about their design processes. We compare the groups based on their submissions and self-reported design activities, especially the sequence of their design activities and the time allotted to them. There were some commonalities and differences between the two undergraduate groups but the main differences were between the two undergraduates and the PhD students. On the basis of the findings we pose questions regarding design methods in the era of 'design thinking' wherein designers are required to adopt an entrepreneurial frame of mind

Incorporation of SCBA in Red Ceramics and Sintering in Microwave Oven

The present study investigated the incorporation of sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) in red ceramics, sintered in conventional oven and microwave oven, aiming to provide an alternative product, and a sintering process with higher energy efficiency in the production of red ceramics. The raw materials were characterized by XRF, XRD, thermogravimetry, particle size distribution and specific mass analyses. The specimens were shaped by extrusion in two different compositions, red clay and red clay with addition of 20 % SCBA and sintered at temperatures from 700 to 1100 ºC. The conventional sintering occurred for 60 min with heating rate of 10 ºC/min. In the microwave oven the sintering occurred in a hybrid way, with heating rate of 50 ºC/min for 5, 10 and 15 mins. After sintering the tests of linear shrinkage, compressive strength, water absorption, apparent porosity and apparent specific mass were performed. The addition of SCBA causes an increase in the values of water absorption and decreases the compressive strength and specific mass of the red ceramic. This occurs due to the creation of pores inside the material from the volatilization of organic matter present in the ashes. The sintering in microwave oven, when compared to conventional sintering, promotes an increase in the values of compressive strength and specific mass and reduction of water absorption values of ceramics, probably due to the refinement of the microstructure and the higher densification. Thus the incorporation of ashes can be partially compensated by a more efficient sintering. The use of SCBA and the sintering in microwave oven, showed to be viable alternatives in the development of a more sustainable and light material, promoting the management of waste, reduction in the consumption of raw materials and energy saving

Research journeys:Making the invisible, visual

We argue for a new way of using pictorial publications to communicate the social, cultural, and material contexts in which "in the wild" research is carried out. Such research often allows for partial researcher perspectives, as the researchers travel to, encounter, and leave those places. However, in HCI research, the journeys and interactions in and around those places are rarely reported directly in archival papers. We argue that those journeys and interactions directly inform how we make sense of the project, and thus should be recorded and shared appropriately. We argue that pictorials can be a format that breaks the boundary between "supplementary materials" and archival publications, and allows us to do that sharing function. We illustrate this argument through reporting of our Research Journey to a number of islands off the west coast of Ireland as part of a project that is developing technology to support rural community radio

Reframing gene essentiality in terms of adaptive flexibility

Abstract Background Essentiality assays are important tools commonly utilized for the discovery of gene functions. Growth/no growth screens of single gene knockout strain collections are also often utilized to test the predictive power of genome-scale models. False positive predictions occur when computational analysis predicts a gene to be non-essential, however experimental screens deem the gene to be essential. One explanation for this inconsistency is that the model contains the wrong information, possibly an incorrectly annotated alternative pathway or isozyme reaction. Inconsistencies could also be attributed to experimental limitations, such as growth tests with arbitrary time cut-offs. The focus of this study was to resolve such inconsistencies to better understand isozyme activities and gene essentiality. Results In this study, we explored the definition of conditional essentiality from a phenotypic and genomic perspective. Gene-deletion strains associated with false positive predictions of gene essentiality on defined minimal medium for Escherichia coli were targeted for extended growth tests followed by population sequencing and transcriptome analysis. Of the twenty false positive strains available and confirmed from the Keio single gene knock-out collection, 11 strains were shown to grow with longer incubation periods making these actual true positives. These strains grew reproducibly with a diverse range of growth phenotypes. The lag phase observed for these strains ranged from less than one day to more than 7 days. It was found that 9 out of 11 of the false positive strains that grew acquired mutations in at least one replicate experiment and the types of mutations ranged from SNPs and small indels associated with regulatory or metabolic elements to large regions of genome duplication. Comparison of the detected adaptive mutations, modeling predictions of alternate pathways and isozymes, and transcriptome analysis of KO strains suggested agreement for the observed growth phenotype for 6 out of the 9 cases where mutations were observed. Conclusions Longer-term growth experiments followed by whole genome sequencing and transcriptome analysis can provide a better understanding of conditional gene essentiality and mechanisms of adaptation to such perturbations. Compensatory mutations are largely reproducible mechanisms and are in agreement with genome-scale modeling predictions to loss of function gene deletion events

Sketching sustainability in computing

We investigate engaging a computer science conference audience in sketching responses to the event as it occurs. In particular, we explore the response to inviting those present to engage in what is essentially an off-line, co-located, attendee-sourcing experience. Sketchnoting is a popular practice for documenting events, but these sketched records can be limited in scope at multi-track conferences, and paid professionals can be unaffordable at smaller events. Our challenges included: working with an audience with little or no experience of sketching or working with imagery; who were unaware of the possible benefits; and whose attendee engagement was variable - with individuals often working on laptops rather than actively listening during sessions. In order encourage engagement we hosted a pre-conference workshop, developed a conference-specific set of visual icons, and created prompt materials. This resulted in a remarkable visual record of the event, and also an increase in active listening and engagement

Chapter 9 Visual Analogy- a Strategy for Design Reasoning and Learning

This paper proposes that the use of visual analogy in problem solving is an example of similarity-based reasoning, cognitively facilitated by imagistic operations. We show that in designing, which is an example of ill-structured problem solving, this type of reasoning is most valuable. We offer evidence that novices, in particular, benefit from guidance to use analogy, which helps them to better understand abstract concepts and to fully exploit their capacity to retrieve and implement previously acquired knowledge. 1 Two Systems of Reasoning Four decades ago the design research community in its entirety, more or less, subscribed to the notion that design practices should be made to follow exacting methods, the development of which became the single most important concern on design research agendas. Members of the so-called "design methods movement " worked hard to help develop a design science: it was seen as an important step forward in the evolution of the design disciplines and their standing among the professions. (The professions, in turn, struggled to gain an academic status that would put them on an equal footing with th