Integrating Function- and Affordance-Based Design Representations

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin T. Ciavola ◽  
Chunlong Wu ◽  
John K. Gershenson
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Function Concept ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Traditional Function ◽  
Design Representations ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function

In this paper, we explore the possibility of reconciling and integrating practical affordance- and function-based design representations. We present a classic function-based design method and representation and argue for the benefits of augmenting it with affordance-based approaches. Building on existing function concept ontologies, we present an integrated approach to developing early-stage design representations. This approach combines the use of affordance and function representations to capture user needs across a device's life cycle. We demonstrate how affordances add rigor and expressiveness to the early stages of traditional design processes, and how traditional function-based tools provide affordance-based design (ABD) with structured methods for concept generation. The integrated approach is illustrated with an example, in which a use case is explicitly decomposed to demonstrate the structure of relationships between users, goals, actions, artifacts, functions, and affordances.

A Tablet Based Application for Teaching Function and Exploring Concept Alternatives During Early Design

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt R. Bohm ◽  
Robert L. Nagel ◽  
Melissa L. Shirley
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Fixation ◽  
Concept Exploration ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
Teaching Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Initial Concept

This paper describes the design, implementation, and usage of a tablet based application as a mechanism for concept exploration and function realization in early stage design. Specifically, this work reports on the transformation of a methodology, known as Form Follows Form, into an interactive, multi-touch iPad application that can be used to explore concept alternatives and as tool to increase student awareness and recognition of functionality. Users are able to specify an initial concept to an engineering problem by dragging, dropping, and connecting basic components that they envision as a potential solution. The application then leverages a database of reverse engineered products and algorithms to abstract the underlying functionality of the user specified solution. Students can use the abstracted functionality as a baseline for generating concept alternatives on their own, and also, explore concept and component alternatives suggested by the application. The goal of the application is to reduce design fixation and to provide multiple approaches for concept exploration activities.

The Role of Idea Fluency and Timing on Highly Innovative Design Concepts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yakira Mirabito ◽  
Kosa Goucher-Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Ongoing work within the engineering design research community seeks to develop automated design methods and tools that enhance the natural capabilities of designers in developing highly innovative concepts. Central to this vision is the ability to first obtain a deep understanding of the underlying behavior and process dynamics that predict successful performance in early-stage concept generation. The objective of this research is to better understand the predictive factors that lead to improved performance during concept generation. In particular, this work focuses on the impact of idea fluency and timing of early-stage design concepts, and their effect on overall measures of ideation session success. To accomplish this, we leverage an existing large-scale dataset containing hundreds of early-stage design concepts; each concept contains detailed ratings regarding its overall feasibility, usefulness, and novelty, as well as the completion time of each idea. Surprisingly, results indicate that there is no effect of idea fluency or timing on the quality of the output when using a holistic evaluation mechanism, such as the innovation measure, instead of a single measure such as novelty. Thus, exceptional concepts can be achieved by all generator segments independent of idea fluency. Furthermore, in early-stage concept generation sessions, highest-rated concepts have an equal probability of occurring early and late in a session. Taken together, these findings can be used to improve performance in ideation by effectively determining when and which types of design interventions future design tools might suggest.

scholarly journals Toward Automated Functional Modeling: An Association Rules Approach for Mining the Relationship between Product Components and Function

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1713-1722
Author(s):  
Melissa Tensa ◽  
Katherine Edmonds ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrero ◽  
Alex Mikes ◽  
Nicolas Soria Zurita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Product Performance ◽  
Design Knowledge ◽  
Product Modeling ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Early Phases

AbstractThe objective of this research is to support DfX considerations in the early phases of design. In order to do conduct DfX, designers need access to pertinent downstream knowledge that is keyed to early stage design activities and problem knowledge. Product functionality is one such “key” connection between early understanding of the design problem and component choices which dictate product performance and impact, and repositories of design knowledge are one way to archive such design knowledge. However, curation of design knowledge is often a time-consuming activity requiring expertise in product modeling. In this paper, we explore a method to automate the populating of design repositories to support the overall goal of having up-to-date repositories of product design knowledge. To do this, we mine information from an existing repository to better understand the relationships between the components, functions, and flows of products. The resulting knowledge can be applied to automate functional decompositions once a product's components have been entered and thus reliably provide that “key” between early design activities and the later, component dependent characteristics.

Factors Impacting Highly Innovative Designs: Idea Fluency, Timing, and Order

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Yakira Mirabito ◽  
Kosa Goucher-Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Ongoing work within the engineering design research community seeks to develop automated design methods and tools that enhance the natural capabilities of designers in developing highly innovative concepts. Central to this vision is the ability to first obtain a deep understanding of the underlying behavior and process dynamics that predict successful performance in early-stage concept generation. The objective of this research is to better understand the predictive factors that lead to improved performance during concept generation. In particular, this work focuses on the impact of idea fluency and timing of early-stage design concepts, and their effect on overall measures of ideation session success. To accomplish this, we leverage an existing large-scale dataset containing hundreds of early-stage design concepts; each concept contains detailed ratings regarding its overall feasibility, usefulness, and novelty, as well as when in the ideation session the idea was recorded. Surprisingly, results indicate that there is no effect of idea fluency or timing on the quality of the output when using a holistic evaluation mechanism, such as the innovation measure, instead of a single measure such as novelty. Thus, exceptional concepts can be achieved by all participant segments independent of idea fluency. Furthermore, in early-stage concept generation sessions, highest-rated concepts have an equal probability of occurring early and late in a session. Taken together, these findings can be used to improve performance in ideation by effectively determining when and which types of design interventions future design tools might suggest.

Hull Design Method Combining an Innovative Flow Solver Coupled With Efficient Multivariate Analysis and Optimization Strategies

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (04) ◽  
pp. 164-171
Author(s):  
Paolo Geremia ◽  
Kevin J. Maki ◽  
Gianpiero Lavini ◽  
Harpo Genuzio
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Flow Solver ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Optimization Study ◽  
Calm Water ◽  
Hull Design ◽  
Early Stage Design

An important application of optimization of a ship is the minimization of calm-water resistance for a given displacement. In this work, an innovative flow solver that combines free-surface effects with a viscous solution allows for an accurate drag prediction with fast turnaround times ideally suited for an optimization study. A large number of geometrical-design variables are considered in early-stage design; thus, in this article, different techniques are examined to reduce the curse of dimensionality. Different methods such as multivariate analysis are used to optimize the hull with respect to resistance over a range of different speeds for a given displacement.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Risk and Function Information in Early Stage Design

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Van Wie ◽  
Katie Grantham ◽  
Robert Stone ◽  
Francesca Barrientos ◽  
Irem Tumer
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Relevance Theory ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Common Thread ◽  
Concept Of Function ◽  
Early Stage Design ◽  
And Function ◽  
Function Information

The concept of function offers a high potential for thinking and reasoning about designs as well as providing a common thread for relating together other design information. This paper focuses specifically on risk data by examining how this information is addressed for a design team conducting early stage design for space missions. Sample risk information is decomposed into a set of key attributes which are then used to scrutinize the risk information using three approaches from the pragmatics sub-field of linguistics: i) Gricean, ii) Relevance Theory, and iii) Functional Analysis. Based on the deficiencies identified in this analysis, the concepts of functional templates and a risk worksheet are used to suggest corrective actions for improving treatment of risk data by explicitly accounting for five risk attributes developed in this work.

scholarly journals A COMPARISON OF STRUCTURED LIGHT SCANNING AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY FOR THE DIGITISATION OF PHYSICAL PROTOTYPES

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Owen Freeman Gebler ◽  
Mark Goudswaard ◽  
Ben Hicks ◽  
David Jones ◽  
Aydin Nassehi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Structured Light ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Model Quality ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Structured Light Scanning ◽  
Early Stage Design

AbstractPhysical prototyping during early stage design typically represents an iterative process. Commonly, a single prototype will be used throughout the process, with its form being modified as the design evolves. If the form of the prototype is not captured as each iteration occurs understanding how specific design changes impact upon the satisfaction of requirements is challenging, particularly retrospectively.In this paper two different systems for digitising physical artefacts, structured light scanning (SLS) and photogrammetry (PG), are investigated as means for capturing iterations of physical prototypes. First, a series of test artefacts are presented and procedures for operating each system are developed. Next, artefacts are digitised using both SLS and PG and resulting models are compared against a master model of each artefact. Results indicate that both systems are able to reconstruct the majority of each artefact's geometry within 0.1mm of the master, however, overall SLS demonstrated superior performance, both in terms of completion time and model quality. Additionally, the quality of PG models was far more influenced by the effort and expertise of the user compared to SLS.

scholarly journals Multi-objective Early-stage Design of Automotive Hybrid Assembly Lines

Procedia CIRP ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Colledani ◽  
L. Bolognese ◽  
D. Ceglarek ◽  
F. Franchini ◽  
C. Marine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Hybrid Assembly ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Early Stage Design
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