Investigando la percepción de las ventajas medioambientales de un producto adaptable

The aim of adaptable design is to create products that can easily adapt to different needs. The objective if this study is to analyze the effectivenes in communication to promote an adaptable baby stroller, in order to know the user perception of the advantages derived from its adaptability, as well as the environmental ones, and if there is correlation between them. It is also intended to determine whether age or previous experience with this type of product can influence this perception. To this effect, a study with 54 participants has been conducted. Results show that users percieve the advantages and find the adaptable design interesting. Valuation of the advantages of the product is affected by previous user experience with the need for adaptability. Valuation of the environmental benefits is independent from the degree of experiense, as well as from the age of the participants (between 30 and 45 years old).El diseño adaptable tiene como objetivo crear productos que puedan adaptarse fácilmente a diferentes necesidades. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la efectividad en la comunicación realizada para promover un cochecito de bebé adaptable, en aras de conocer la percepción que tienen los usuarios tanto de las ventajas derivadas de su adaptabilidad como de las medioambientales y si existe una correlación entre ambas. También se pretende determinar si la edad o experiencia previa con este tipo de productos influyen en esta percepción. Para ello, se ha realizado un estudio con 54 participantes. Los resultados muestran que los usuarios perciben las ventajas y consideran interesante el diseño adaptable. La estimación de las ventajas del producto se ve afectada por la experiencia previa del usuario con la necesidad de adaptabilidad. La estimación de los beneficios ambientales es independiente tanto del grado de experiencia como de la edad de los participantes (entre 30 y 45 años)

Sculpture Development as an Informal Activity for Learning Engineering Abilities in K-12 Student

The social changes that have taken place in recent decades have determined the evolution of the educational system. Society nowadays demands new learning methods, focused on an appropriate selection and processing of information instead of memorization. The rise of the Information Technologies has led to different ‘‘Emergent Pedagogies’’. One of them is Informal Learning, which proposes shifting the generation and acquisition of knowledge from the individual to the collective plane. The present research expects to raise K-12 students’ interest in engineering by adopting some methods that are typical of informal learning in the field of formal learning. The objective is to stimulate the group learning processes for the generation of collective knowledge through multidisciplinary team interaction and dialogue. For this purpose, a group of 25 K-12 students organized in subgroups carried out a co-creative project. This project consists in the development of a sculptural assembly made of glazed ceramics over a steel structure, which will be installed in the educational centre. A concurrent project methodology was used to create the sculptural assembly. Here, each student must perform different tasks related to design engineering. An educational model based on Blended Learning was used, which proposes the combination of in-person sessions with virtual work by means of social networks as a group communication medium. Thus, each creative team member contributed with their own Personal Learning Environment in order to enrich the group learning process and provide it with their own personal singularities, thereby turning it into a Personal Learning Network. The experience allowed K-12 students to discover the working process typical of design engineering through a recreational methodology based on Informal Learning. The students were able to make up for their shortcomings in terms of technical and creative skill, while becoming aware of their chances within the field of engineering. The project has been shown to be an incentive for K-12 students regarding their interest in starting engineering studies once they finish their K-12 stageAuthors want to acknowledge the Universitat Jaume I, and its P1.1B2015-30 funds that have enabled the successful development of this work. This work has been conducted as part of the research project ‘‘El arte y el disen˜o en la nueva sociedad digital’’ (code P1.1B2015-30) funded by the Jaume I University (Spain), which focuses on how synergies between several disciplines enable new ways of enrich the process of creating new products

Analysing observer preferences when presenting a product in a rendered scene: 2D vs. autostereoscopic 3D displays

This research compares the way the image of a product included within a rendered scene shown on an autostereoscopic 3D display is rated versus the same image shown in a 2D display. The purpose is to understand the observer's preferences and to determine the features that a composition should have to highlight the product and to make its presentation more attractive to observers, thereby helping designers and advertisers who use both displays to prepare images to make them more effective when visually presenting a product. The results show that observers like the images on autostereoscopic 3D displays slightly more than those presented by means of 2D displays. On both displays the product is perceived more quickly when it is larger than the other elements and is shown with greater chromatic contrast, but a composition is seen as more attractive when the chromatic relationship between all the elements is more harmonious

Relación entre el grado de creatividad y la calidad de los resultados de diseño

This work analyses the relationship between the degree of creativity, measured through the level of novelty and the level of usefulness, and the quality of the design outcomes. To do so, a total of twelve conceptual designs obtained in a design experiment were measured and compared. In this experiment, four teams of three designers solved different design problems, applying brainstorming, SCAMPER and functional analysis as design methods. The quality of the design solutions have been evaluated in terms of feasibility and effectiveness by experts through a questionnaire. Feasibility and effectiveness were then compared with the novelty, usefulness and creativity, the results showing that as novelty increases, feasibility tends to be lower, and the more usefulness the design offers, the more effective it isEste trabajo analiza la relación entre el grado de creatividad, medido a través del nivel de novedad y el nivel de utilidad, con la calidad de las soluciones del diseño. Para ello, un total de doce soluciones conceptuales obtenidas en un experimento de diseño han sido medidas y comparadas. En el experimento cuatro equipos de tres diseñadores cada uno, resolvieron distintos problemas de diseño aplicando el brainstorming, el SCAMPER y el análisis funcional como métodos de diseño. La calidad de las soluciones de diseño se ha evaluado por expertos en términos de factibilidad y efectividad usando un cuestionario. La factibilidad y la efectividad se comparado con la novedad, la utilidad y la creatividad, observando que cuando aumenta la novedad, la factibilidad tiende a reducirse y que, cuando mayor es la utilidad mayor es el grado de efectividad también.This study has been possible thanks to the research projects P1·1B2010-51 “Estimulación y evaluación de la creatividad en el diseño de productos en equipos de diseño distribuidos” and P11A2008-04 “Determinación de la influencia de métodos creativos en el proceso de diseño y del grado de novedad y utilidad de las soluciones”, funded by the Universitat Jaume

Influence of presentation means on industrial product evaluations with potential users: a first study by comparing Tangible Virtual Reality and presenting a product in a real setting

Nowadays Virtual Reality allows products to be presented to potential users, but as they cannot feel them physically, their perception of some product attributes can be distorted. Conversely, the mixture of visual and touch feelings that Tangible Virtual Reality (TVR) offers could act as a similar approach to knowing products in real settings. This is a first study to compare the evaluation of product attributes presented in a real setting and by Tangible Virtual Reality to verify the possible equivalence of both means. The Semantic Differential Method was used to evaluate product attributes by creating a semantic scale with 16 bipolar pairs. Seventy-seven people (mean age of 21.7) evaluated one product by both means in an alternate viewing order. The results revealed that the product that was chosen was rated with more positive attributes in some bipolar pairs when experienced via TVR, while it was better rated in others when experienced in a real environment. The Wilcoxon test (α=0.05) corroborated that the presentation means used to evaluate the product influenced the evaluation of 15 of 16 attributes

Integration of social and solidarity economy principles in the sustainable design of consumer goods

Desde un enfoque sostenible del diseño, es inevitable el cuestionamiento del actual sistema económico, así como de la propia práctica de la disciplina enfocada a la producción de objetos de consumo. En los últimos años, son muchos los sectores sociales que apuntan a la emergencia de un cambio en los modelos productivos y de consumo, y también a la necesidad de desarrollar nuevos modelos económicos que prioricen la supervivencia del ser humano. Este artículo establece un marco de reflexión sobre la integración de los principios de la economía social y solidaria en los procesos de diseño como portadores de una cultura de la solidaridad y de la sostenibilidad, con el fin de promover la generación de bienes de consumo destinados al mercado social. La estructura del artículo responde a una orientación teórica, puesto que tratamos de definir, en primer lugar, el concepto de economía social y solidaria, para después vincular este modelo transformador al concepto de diseño para el desarrollo humano sostenible. El principal objetivo es asentar unas bases conceptuales que nos permitan continuar con el estudio de herramientas y estrategias que promocionen el diseño como factor de culturización sostenible, de innovación y de bienestar social.A partir de um enfoque sustentável do desenho, o questionamento do atual sistema econômico é inevitável, assim como a prática da disciplina voltada para a produção de objetos de consumo. Nos últimos anos, são muitos os setores sociais que apontam para a emergência de uma mudança nos modelos de produção e consumo, e também para a necessidade de se desenvolver novos modelos econômicos que priorizem a sobrevivência do ser humano. Este artigo estabelece um marco para a reflexão sobre a integração dos princípios da economia social e solidária nos processos de desenho como portadores de uma cultura de solidariedade e sustentabilidade, a fim de promover a geração de bens de consumo destinados ao mercado social. A estrutura do artigo responde a uma orientação teórica, uma vez que tentamos definir, em primeiro lugar, o conceito de economia social e solidária, e então vincular esse modelo transformador ao conceito de desenho para o desenvolvimento humano sustentável. O objetivo principal é estabelecer bases conceituais que nos permitam continuar com o estudo de ferramentas e estratégias que promovam o desenho como um fator de culturalização sustentável, da inovação e do bem-estar social.From a sustainable design approach, it is inevitable to question the current economic system and its practice focused on the production of consumer goods. In recent years, many social sectors have stated the urgent need to change production and consumption models and develop new economic models that would prioritize human survival. This paper establishes a framework to reflect on the integration of social and solidarity economy principles in the design processes as bearers of a solidarity and sustainability culture in order to promote the generation of consumer goods for the social market. The paper is structured with a theoretical approach since the authors first try to define the concept of social and solidarity economy and then link this transforming model to the concept of sustainable human development design. The paper’s main objective is to establish conceptual bases that allow us to continue studying tools and strategies to promote the design as a factor of sustainable culture, innovation, and social welfare

Design, product and user: the role of the consumer in the co-creation process

Este trabajo propone un nuevo modelo para el di - seño y desarrollo de nuevos productos y establece un marco de reflexión sobre la relación que debe establecer el diseñador con los consumidores per - tenecientes a colectivos especiales al integrarlos en el proceso de Co-Creación, tratando de responder a sus necesidades reales independientemente del po - tencial comercial del producto. Desde el punto de vista de un diseño de producto que no vela únicamente por los meros intereses eco - nómicos de las empresas, parece posible aprovechar la inercia actual de otros movimientos sociales para trasladar estos cambios de poder también al sistema de consumo. Este planteamiento retoma en parte los principios del Diseño Universal como camino hacia un diseño que atiende a las diversidades, capaz tanto de llegar a todos los ciudadanos para dar solución a sus necesidades como de minimizar la brecha social que ha ido ampliándose en las últimas décadas.CThis work proposes a new model for the design and development of new products and establishes a framework for reflection on the relationship that the designer must establish with consumers belon - ging to special collectives when integrating them into the Co-Creation process, trying to answer to their real needs regardless of the commercial poten - tial of the product. From the point of view of a product design that does not only watch over the mere economic interests of the companies, it seems possible to take advantage of the current inertia of other social movements to transfer these role changes also to the consumption system. This approach takes up part of the Universal Design principles as a way towards a design that meets the diversities, capable of reaching all citizens to solve their needs and minimizing the social gap that has been widening in recent decades

Cuaderno de prácticas de dibujo para la presentación de diseños de producto

Departament d'Enginyeria de Sistemes Industrials i Disseny. Codi assignatura: DI 100

Gamification as a tool for acquisition soft skills in the design field

Comunicació presentada a INTED2018, 12th International Technology, Education and Development Conference. (March 5-7 2018, Valencia, Spain).The current labour context is increasingly changing, driven by the continuous blooming of technological changes. So, the integration of recent graduates to the labour market, as new professionals, demand the acquisition of not only each field’s specific Hard Skills, but also generic, transversal Soft Skills which might facilitate the adaptation of these professionals to future contexts, while enabling them to develop their work career in a responsible way, as well as increasing their entrepreneurial spirit. These abilities are especially relevant in the field of design engineering, as the idiosyncrasy of the discipline leads their practitioners to offering solutions to diverse problems society and users have. So their professional development is inextricably linked to social changes and society evolution. In this way, in the “Sustainable Development Goal 4, Education 2030” (SDG4-Education 2030), regarding targets and commitments, the UNESCO defines the needs to emphasize the development of high-level cognitive and non-cognitive/transferable skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, communication skills or conflicts resolution, which can be applied across a wide range of occupational fields. Therefore, the acquisition of these Soft Skills by design professionals can ease their adaptation to a novel future scenario and guarantee a prolonged professional development over time. So, not only learners should be provided with opportunities to update their skills continuously through lifelong learning, but it is also necessary to give the chance for active professionals to adapt to new contexts in the future. This work presents an action proposal aimed to enhance the acquisition of Soft Skills by design professionals, in a playful way. So, a conceptual proposal of a methodology, based on the concept of Gamification, is suggested, where the degree of acquisition of some Soft Skills by the designer would be assessed. To do so, a platform where sharing and assessing evidences is to be developed. And the incentive for the participation of both new graduates and professionals lies in the detection of their professional weaknesses (from the evidences’ assessment) and the possibility of having a feedback consisting of professional recycling actions. The use of Smartphones becomes the vehicular platform for acquiring and assessing these transversal abilities, as these devices offer different technological possibilities for generating the designers’ own evidences, by means of actions such as voice recording, video recording, image capturing, text recognition, etc. Once generated, the evidences would be assessed by using a co-evaluation system, based on a peer review process, where the evaluation of colleagues’ work is presented as a part of a collaborative game and where the assessment process of peers’ work can contribute ideas for improving personal Soft Skills. Furthermore, all this may end up in the generation of a community with common interests. As a result, the suggested methodology can offer a useful tool for designers for continuously assessing the state of their Soft Skills, thus facilitating their progressive adaptation to the changes to their future professional contexts