Application of Exposure-based Layperson Knowledge in Genre-specific Animation Production

Laypeople are increasingly motivated to participate in design processes, but what knowledge do they actually possess that enables such participation? Some studies show that laypeople have gained detailed product knowledge from exposure. This knowledge can be applied to accurately recognize product categories, and to manage emotional expectations. In the experiment presented here, we test if laypeople can apply product category knowledge to production tasks using an animation production toolkit designed by the authors. In a betweensubjects experiment, participants with and without production training produced 3D animations for four distinct genres—comedy, drama, action, and non-fiction. Their task was to deliver versions of a basic animation film by adapting the motion of the film’s central figure by using an interactive test device. This device allowed participants to control four parameters of figure motion: velocity, efficiency, fluency, and deformation. As predicted, the animations produced by laypeople and experts were highly similar. We argue that in comparable cases it is important to not underestimate laypeople’s product knowledge, as toolkits could be designed to align to this implicit production knowledge in order to increase the motivation of laypeople to participate in the design.Industrial DesignIndustrial Design Engineerin

Narrative versus Style: Effect of Genre Typical Events versus Genre Typical Filmic Realizations on Film Viewers' Genre Recognition

This study investigated whether film viewers recognize four basic genres (comic, drama, action and nonfiction) on the basis of genre-typical event cues or of genretypical filmic realization cues of events. Event cues are similar to the narrative content of a film sequence, while filmic realization cues are similar to stylistic surface cues of a film sequence. It was predicted that genre recognition of short film fragments is cued more by filmic realization cues than by event cues. The results showed that: (a) filmic realization was the stronger cue in viewers’ genre recognition, except for drama recognition; (b) the influence of a genre-typical event on genre recognition decreased stepwise from drama to action to comic to nonfiction. The latter result is explained in terms of specific genre characteristics. The former result is consistent with a conception of memory for film that acknowledges the role of media-specific mental representations. It is suggested viewers possess a specific genre knowledge embodied in visual simulators that in most cases is dominant over genre knowledge embodied in event simulators, at least in a task requiring genre classification of film fragments lasting up to 24 seconds.Industrial DesignIndustrial Design Engineerin

Source selection in product metaphor generation: The effects of salience and relatedness

To generate a product metaphor, designers must select a source, discern a property (or properties) of this source, and transfer this property to the product they design. The selection of any source in particular is affected by the extent to which it represents the meaning the designer intends to convey (i.e., its salience), and the strength of its association with the product (i.e., relatedness). In this paper, we tested how different levels of salience and relatedness influenced source selection in a study conducted with design students. The results indicate that a source was chosen only when it had the intended meaning as a highly salient property, and was highly related to the target product. It was also found that being novel yet understandable, having application potential, and creating a complete, functional product were also considered as source selection criteria by designers. This study aims to relate linguistic theories on metaphors to the domain of product design, and help to clarify how designers create comprehensible and aesthetic metaphors.Industrial Design Engineerin

Play Experiences for People with Alzheimer’s Disease

Little is known about the experience of people with dementia while playing games. This might be a reason why hardly any games are specifically designed for this group. We aimed to determine which play experiences can be expected to be suitable for persons in different stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Twenty-two play experiences were related to the neuropathology that is characteristic of the different stages of dementia: earliest, mild-to-moderate, and severe. This literature overview is based on euroimaging, neuropathological, and clinical studies. We found that for all older persons with AD, egardless of disease severity, the play experiences sensation, relaxation, and reminiscence are likely to be suitable. The play experiences nurture, sympathy, fellowship, expression, humour, eroticism, subversion, and challenge may be appropriate only for those in the earliest and mild-to-moderate stages of AD. The play experience exploration is most likely not suitable, irrespective of the stage of AD. For the remaining play experiences we did not find sufficient evidence to draw conclusions. We conclude that the choice of play experiences in game design for older persons with AD is dependent on disease stage. Current recommendations may contribute to tailor-made games that are suitable for different persons with AD.Industrial DesignIndustrial Design Engineerin