Reflecting on professional practice: Capturing an industrial designer's expertise to support the development of the sketching capabilities of novices

This paper reviews the importance of sketching to designers and clarifies the key techniques used at different stages of designing. The analysis of the author’s sketching expertise is described and a survey of undergraduate perceptions of sketching was carried out using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and a questionnaire. A revised strategy for the teaching and learning of sketching to first year industrial design and technology undergraduates is outlined and early observations of its implementation are reported

Using the continuum of design modelling techniques to aid the development of cad modelling skills in first year industrial design students

Loughborough Design School (LDS) used the Design Modelling Techniques to aid the development of CAD modelling skills in first year Industrial Design (DP1) students. All 130 students were asked to create an external product form around a given set of internal components. They were required to both sketch the form and translate it into a foam model. They were also given the option of using 3D CAD to complement their manual techniques. Iteration between the different media was encouraged. The expected outcome was that students would develop a competence in 3D shape analysis and the transformation into 2D profiles. It was found that the vast majorities of the students had grasped the concept of key cross-sections and were able to identify these on images of existing products. Virtually all of the students became very competent in iterating between 2D sketches and a 3D foam model, where they would derive the key sections from their model, re-sketch the shape they wanted and modify the foam accordingly

Using novel 2D image manipulation methods to aid initial concept generation with Postgraduate Industrial Design Students

The aim of this paper is to provide educators and Industrial Design professionals with an insight into the development of innovative design ideation images manipulation techniques and, highlight how these techniques could be used to not only improve student ideation skills, but also as design enablers for a broader range of professionals working both inside and outside the creative industries. The review of literature highlights the changing role of the Industrial Designer through influencing factors such as increased involvement in upstream design activities and the ‘maker movement’. The paper documents research conducted with postgraduate Industrial Design students in a specific year group within a Higher Education Institution (HEI). The study is a pilot project with a small cohort of 29 Industrial Design Postgraduate students which will form part of the ongoing pedagogic development of the skills required for the ever evolving discipline of Industrial Design. The study covers one academic semester, where postgraduate Industrial Design students were asked to use novel ideation methods to produce a range of aesthetic design directions for a communication device. The results of the research showed significant improvements in ideation workflow, the suitability and quality of the student’s form generation, as well as the perceived quality of the final design outcomes

Mash to the future - 2D image manipulation as a driver for ideation

Industrial Designers are renowned for their ability to work effectively with diverse and disparate individuals, disciplines and organisations during the creative process (Hurn, 2006). This is part of the makeup of the Industrial Designer that led to Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO coining the term ‘T-shape’ designer. The symbolic shape of the ‘T’ refers to the depth and breadth of the designers abilities; with the vertical stroke of the ‘T’ being the depth of skill that allows them to contribute to the creative process, and the horizontal stroke being the disposition for collaboration across disciplines (Hansen, 2010)

Reflecting on professional practice : capturing an industrial designer’s expertise to support the development of the sketching capabilities of novices

This paper reviews the importance of sketching to designers and clarifies the key techniques used at different stages of designing. The analysis of the author’s sketching expertise is described and a survey of undergraduate perceptions of sketching was carried out using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and a questionnaire. A revised strategy for the teaching and learning of sketching to first year industrial design and technology undergraduates is outlined and early observations of its implementation are reported

Communicating the value of design: Design considerations to assist practitioner rationale in FMCG packaging development

Product packaging design is often produced through the practical application of tacit knowledge, rule of thumb and professional connoisseurship. Stakeholders are becoming increasingly demanding that design practitioners provide clarity of reasoning and accountability for their design proposals. Therefore, a better framework for the design of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) is required. This paper proposes a comprehensive taxonomy of ‘design considerations’ to assist the development of low involvement FMCG packaging and aid in rationale communication for design solutions. 302 academic sources were reviewed, inductive content analysis performed to code topics and output validation with academic and industry experts (n=9) through a modified-Delphi card sorting method. The research provides movement towards a comprehensive framework and common dialogue between stakeholders, practitioners and managers to assist in more effectively communicating the value that design can offer to FMCGs. The constructed taxonomy provides a set of 156 ‘design considerations’ to support in objective and informed design decision-making

The value of design in UK FMCG packaging development: An industry case study exploring practitioner design practice rationale & decision-making

Recognising the value design offers has been of great importance for the effective development and launch of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Packaging design is acknowledged as a significant success factor in New Product Development (NPD) for the FMCG industry to help provide clear product differentiation and competitive advantage in saturated and complex markets. The search for approaches to maintain or improve market share has driven the field of consumer research over the last few decades. The potential to influence consumer perception of a product through visual design is well documented in the literature. Packaging design relies on effective management of symbolic, semantic, aesthetic and visual information elements. Stakeholders have been increasingly demanding that design practitioners provide a clear rationale and accountability for their design proposals in this risk-averse industry. However, limited research has been produced to address how packaging design and development is managed; and, how design practitioners rationalise and validate their design decision-making. The authors’ look to address this through the study of design practitioners in ‘real-world’ FMCG design practice. A case study is presented with a UK company involved in the design and manufacture of food and beverage packaging for suppliers, retailers and brands in the UK FMCG market. The research aims to identify preliminary insights and a narrative into the factors affecting practitioner rationale, decision-making and explore future research. The study triangulates evidence from interviews, participant observation, direct observation and document analysis to identify influences through a convergence of findings. Nine preliminary influences are recognised that appear to affect practitioner rationale and decision-making.<br

Responsibility modelling for civil emergency planning

This paper presents a new approach to analysing and understanding civil emergency planning based on the notion of responsibility modelling combined with HAZOPS-style analysis of information requirements. Our goal is to represent complex contingency plans so that they can be more readily understood, so that inconsistencies can be highlighted and vulnerabilities discovered. In this paper, we outline the framework for contingency planning in the United Kingdom and introduce the notion of responsibility models as a means of representing the key features of contingency plans. Using a case study of a flooding emergency, we illustrate our approach to responsibility modelling and suggest how it adds value to current textual contingency plans

Using Novel 2D Image Manipulation Methods to Aid Initial Concept Generation with Postgraduate Industrial Design Students

The aim of this paper is to provide educators and industrial design professionals with an insight into the development of innovative design ideation images manipulation techniques and, highlight how these techniques could be used to not only improve student ideation skills, but also as design enablers for a broader range of professionals working both inside and outside the creative industries. The review of literature highlights the changing role of the industrial designer through influencing factors such as increased involvement in upstream design activities and the &lsquo;maker movement&rsquo;. The paper documents research conducted with postgraduate industrial design students in a specific year group within Loughborough Design School. The study is a pilot project with a small cohort of 29 industrial design postgraduate students which will form part of the ongoing pedagogic development of the skills required for the ever evolving discipline of industrial design. The study covers one academic semester, where postgraduate industrial design students were asked to use novel ideation methods to produce a range of aesthetic design directions for a communication device. The results of the research showed significant improvements in ideation workflow, the suitability and quality of the student&rsquo;s form generation, as well as the perceived quality of the final design outcomes