Understanding user requirements in context: A case study of developing a visualisation tool to map skills in an engineering organisation

We provide a case study of understanding the environment and work context of a visualisation tool used in a collaborative engineering organisation, in order to inform the design, development and evaluation of a software network tool that uses a novel algorithm to search knowledge topics in a document corpus. We utilise focus group and qualitative interview data to understand the dynamics of existing knowledge searches and the visual analytics process of collaborative working environments in an engineering domain. We discuss the enablers and functionality needed in the network tool, and the envisaged challenges in its implementation. These challenges and enablers of a knowledge management visualisation software are then discussed in relation to evaluating the tool in a way that is grounded in the contextual working environment in which it will be used

Wild networks : the articulation of feedback and evaluation in a creative inter-disciplinary design studio

It is argued that design exists within a collective social network of negotiation, feedback sharing and reflection that is integral to the design process. To encourage this, requires a technological solution that enables designers to access, be aware of, and evaluate the work of others, and crucially, reflect upon how they are socially influenced. However in order to develop software that accurately reveals peer valuation, an understanding is required of the sociality at work in an interdisciplinary design studio. This necessitates an acknowledgement of the complexities of the feedback sharing process that is not only socially intricate in nature but is also potentially unacknowledged. In order to develop software that addresses these issues and makes explicit the dynamics of social interaction at play in a design studio, a ‘wild networks' methodological approach is applied to two case studies, one in an educational setting, the other in a professional practice. The ‘wild networks' approach uses social network analysis, through and in conjunction with, contextual observation and is used to map the network of numerous stakeholders, actors, views and perceptions at work. This methodological technique has resulted in an understanding of social networks within a design studio, how they are shaped and formed and has facilitated the development of prototype network visualisation software based upon the needs and characteristics of real design studios. The findings from this thesis can be interpreted in various ways. Firstly the findings from the case studies and from prototype technological representations enhance previous research surrounding the idea of a social model of design. The research identifies and highlights the importance of evolving peer-to-peer feedback, and the role of visual evaluation within social networks of feedback sharing. The results can also be interpreted from a methodological viewpoint. The thesis demonstrates the use of network analysis and contextual observation in providing an effective way of understanding the interactions of designers in a studio, and as an appropriate way to inform the software design process to support creativity. Finally the results can be interpreted from a software design perspective. The research, through the application of a ‘wild networks' methodological process, identifies key features (roles, location, levels, graphics and time), for inclusion within a socially translucent, network visualisation prototype that is based upon real world research.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Wild networks: the articulation of feedback and evaluation in a creative inter-disciplinary design studio

It is argued that design exists within a collective social network of negotiation, feedback sharing and reflection that is integral to the design process. To encourage this, requires a technological solution that enables designers to access, be aware of, and evaluate the work of others, and crucially, reflect upon how they are socially influenced. However in order to develop software that accurately reveals peer valuation, an understanding is required of the sociality at work in an interdisciplinary design studio. This necessitates an acknowledgement of the complexities of the feedback sharing process that is not only socially intricate in nature but is also potentially unacknowledged. In order to develop software that addresses these issues and makes explicit the dynamics of social interaction at play in a design studio, a ‘wild networks’ methodological approach is applied to two case studies, one in an educational setting, the other in a professional practice. The ‘wild networks’ approach uses social network analysis, through and in conjunction with, contextual observation and is used to map the network of numerous stakeholders, actors, views and perceptions at work. This methodological technique has resulted in an understanding of social networks within a design studio, how they are shaped and formed and has facilitated the development of prototype network visualisation software based upon the needs and characteristics of real design studios. The findings from this thesis can be interpreted in various ways. Firstly the findings from the case studies and from prototype technological representations enhance previous research surrounding the idea of a social model of design. The research identifies and highlights the importance of evolving peer-to-peer feedback, and the role of visual evaluation within social networks of feedback sharing. The results can also be interpreted from a methodological viewpoint. The thesis demonstrates the use of network analysis and contextual observation in providing an effective way of understanding the interactions of designers in a studio, and as an appropriate way to inform the software design process to support creativity. Finally the results can be interpreted from a software design perspective. The research, through the application of a ‘wild networks’ methodological process, identifies key features (roles, location, levels, graphics and time), for inclusion within a socially translucent, network visualisation prototype that is based upon real world research

Are you in or not? A study into student intention to use immersive metaverse for learning

Learning and teaching have been transformed by technologies in the last few decades. The rise of immersive technologies, such as the metaverse, has started gaining educators’. This phenomenon brings the need for a thorough understanding of how the metaverse could be adopted effectively for learning purposes. This study applied the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DoI) to investigate the variables affecting student intention of using immersive metaverse for learning purposes. An online survey was conducted to collect student responses from a US university. A sample of 81 responses was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results indicate that compatibility and perceived risk influence perceived ease of use and usefulness. Perceived usefulness influences attitudes which consequently influence the intention to use. However, personal innovativeness was not found to influence perceived ease of use and usefulness. The perceived ease of use was not found to impact attitudes

A Report on the Design Sub-Sector in London

Housed in the School of Creative Enterprise at the London College of Communication (University of the Arts), the Creative Industries Observatory (CIO) is a leading contributor to academic research and analysis within the creative industries, and a source of information for the increasingly influential group of sub-sectors that characterise the modern knowledge economy. The CIO was set up in conjunction with ‘Creative Capital World City’ (CCWC) – a project funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) aimed at supporting the creative industries in key world markets, including THE UK, India and China. The CIO is an international and multi-disciplinary team with a range of expertise and experience across academic disciplines and industry sub-sectors. We focus on strategic, structural and definitional issues relevant to the creative industries. This report is one in a series designed to give policy makers, business leaders, practitioners and researchers a comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of the core activities and key characteristics across thirteen creative sub-sectors in developed and emerging global cities. The report is designed to allow you to identify information that is relevant to your needs quickly and effectively, as well as cross-reference between topics and creative sub-sectors. CIO reports are designed to provide a snapshot of each sub-sector in each city. This report focuses on the design sub-sector in London

Automatic design structure matrices: A comparison of two formula student projects

Design Structure Matrices have become a fundamental tool to support engineers in their handling and management of interactions across product & organisational architectures. Recent work in the field has exploited the opportunity afforded by Product Lifecycle Management systems, which capture the digital footprint of engineering projects to generate Design Structure Matrices in real-time through the co-occurrence of edits to product models. Given the systematic and more objective nature of the generation of these DSMs as well as being able to monitor their evolution throughout engineering projects, there now lies an opportunity in comparing projects/products using DSMs. To investigate this and the potential insights that could be generated, this paper presents the automatic generation of DSMs for two Formula Student projects. These have then been compared with respect to the end-of-project, change propagation characteristics and evolution of the DSMs. From this analysis, six insights have been generated that map the characteristics of the DSMs to the performance of the project/product and highlights the potential of automatic DSMs to further support engineering project management

Identifying the influences on performance of engineering design and development projects

Performance of engineering design and development projects depends on myriad factors, creating challenges in implementation and management. These are compounded by potential for high variation across contexts. This work investigates influencers upon performance and contextual variation through relationship between real industry issues and factors that influence project performance. Through survey, interview, and network analysis, issue-causing groups of features in each specific case are identified and compared. The results find a majority of issues arising from person-centric sources. They also identify both discrete groups of issues with narrow source and influence, and with broad ties across the project context; forms which may stem from conditions of the scenario. Finally, they show similarity in the influences on performance across contexts with a caveat that, while the influential area remains, the structure to be taken within may vary. General analysis clarifies performance in engineering and highlights those areas in which support-system development is of most use, and specific analysis gives areas in which industry managers should focus for best benefit to the project

Virtual visiting in intensive care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative descriptive study with ICU clinicians and non-ICU family team liaison members

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Objective: To understand the experiences and perceived benefits of virtual visiting from the perspectives of intensive care unit (ICU)-experienced clinicians and non-ICU-experienced family liaison team members. Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Setting: Adult intensive care setting across 14 hospitals within the UK National Health Service. Participants: ICU-experienced clinicians and non-ICU-experienced family liaison team members deployed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Semistructured telephone/video interviews were conducted with ICU clinicians. Analytical themes were developed inductively following a standard thematic approach, using ‘family-centred care’ and ‘sensemaking’ as sensitising concepts. Results: We completed 36 interviews, with 17 ICU-experienced clinicians and 19 non-ICU-experienced family liaison team members. In the context of inperson visiting restrictions, virtual visiting offered an alternative conduit to (1) restoring the family unit, (2) facilitating family involvement, and (3) enabling sensemaking for the family. Virtual visits with multiple family members concurrently and with those living in distant geographical locations restored a sense of family unit. Family involvement in rehabilitation, communication and orientation activities, as well as presence at the end of life, highlighted how virtual visiting could contribute to family-centred care. Virtual visits were emotionally challenging for many family members, but also cathartic in helping make sense of their own emotions and experience by visualising their relatives in the ICU. Being able to see and interact with loved ones and their immediate care providers afforded important cues to enable family sensemaking of the ICU experience. Conclusions: In this UK qualitative study of clinicians using virtual ICU visiting, in the absence of inperson visiting, virtual visiting was perceived positively as an alternative that promoted family-centred care through virtual presence. We anticipate the perceived benefits of virtual visiting may extend to non-pandemic conditions through improved equity and timeliness of family access to the ICU by offering an alternative option alongside inperson visiting.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio