Do Student Trials Predict What Professionals Value in Sustainable Design Practices?

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Felix Yiu ◽  
Ola Srour ◽  
Rami Kamareddine ◽  
Omar Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Value Innovation ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Real Change ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
System Mapping

When teaching sustainable design in industry or academia, we should teach design methods, activities, and mindsets that are most effective at driving real change in a industry. However, most studies of design practices are performed on students, not on professionals. How strongly do student perceptions of value predict those of industry teams designing real products? This study provided workshops on three sustainable design methods (The Natural Step, Whole System Mapping, and Biomimicry) for 172 professionals and 204 students, applying the methods to their actual products being developed. It surveyed both populations about which activities or mindsets within each design method provided sustainability value, innovation value, and overall value. Quantitatively, student results did not strongly predict professional opinions; professionals chose clearer favorites and valued more things. However, qualitatively, student results did predict the reasons why professionals would value the design activities and mindsets. Therefore, care should be taken to choose appropriate participants for the questions being asked in sustainable design research.

scholarly journals Where do professionals find sustainability and innovation value? Empirical tests of three sustainable design methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Felix Yiu ◽  
Alice Agogino
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Green Design ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
System Mapping ◽  
Complementary Value

Abstract Recommendations of sustainable design methods are usually based on theory, not empirical industry tests. Furthermore, since professionals often mix components of different design methods, recommending whole methods may not be relevant. It may be better to recommend component activities or mindsets. To provide empirical grounding for recommendations, this study performed 23 workshops on three sustainable design methods involving over 172 professionals from 27 companies, including consultancies and manufacturers in three industries (consumer electronics, furniture and clothing). The design methods tested were The Natural Step, Whole System Mapping and Biomimicry. Participants were surveyed about what components in each design method drove perceived innovation, sustainability or other value, and why. The most valued components only partially supported theoretical predictions. Thus, recommendations should be more empirically based. Results also found unique and complementary value in components of each method, which suggests recommending mixed methods for sustainable design. This may help design professionals find more value in green design practices, and thus integrate sustainability more into their practice.

scholarly journals A logical critique of the expert position in design research: beyond expert justification of design methods and towards empirical validation

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Vermaas
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Logical Analysis ◽  
Empirical Validation ◽  
Empirical Testing ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Expert Status ◽  
The Way

This paper gives a general and logical analysis of theexpert positionin design research by which methods for innovative design can be derived from expert design practices. It first gives a framework for characterising accounts of design by the way in which they define and relategeneral,descriptiveandprescribedtypes of design practices. Second, it analyses with this framework the expert position’s conservatism of prescribing existing expert design practices to non-expert designers. Third, it argues that the expert status of expert designers does not provide sufficient justification for prescribing expert design practices to non-expert designers; it is shown that this justification needs support by empirical testing. Fourth, it discusses validation of design methods for presenting an approach to this testing. One consequence of the need to empirically test the expert position is that its prescription has to be formulated in more detail. Another consequence is that it undermines the expert position since expert design practices are not anymore certain sources for deriving design methods with. Yet it also opens the expert position to other sources for developing design methods for innovation, such as the practices of contemporary designers and the insights of design researchers.

scholarly journals A Research Roadmap for Sustainable Design Methods and Tools

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8174
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Steven Hoffenson ◽  
Sze Yin Kwok ◽  
Michael Saidani ◽  
Sophie I. Hallstedt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Tool Development ◽  
Current State ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
Professional Practitioners

Sustainable design methods and tools abound, but their implementation in practice remains marginal. This article brings together results from previous literature reviews and analyses of sustainable design methods and tools, as well as input from design researchers and professional practitioners to identify the needs and gaps in the area. It results in a shared vision of how sustainable design methods and tools can be more tightly integrated into mainstream product design and development, as well as the current state of practice and research in relation to four central questions: What are the needs and values of industry regarding sustainable design? What improvements in sustainable design methods and tools would most drive industry forward? How should researchers move forward with developing more useful sustainable design methods and tools? How can sustainable design be more effectively integrated into industry? A roadmap for the international sustainable design research community is proposed with descriptions of short-, medium-, and long-term tasks for addressing each question. The purpose is to support collective progress and discussions on method and tool development and adoption, and to enable more tangible success in mainstreaming sustainable design practices in industry.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Providing Structured DfE Design Strategies During Conceptual Design

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donovan Ross ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrero ◽  
Bryony DuPont
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
Design For The Environment

Abstract The fuzzy front end of engineering design can present a difficult challenge, and as such, recent engineering design research has focused on guiding and influencing the way a designer ideates. Early ideation can be especially difficult when attempting to integrate specific design objectives in product design, called Design for X (DfX). Some examples of DfX are Design for Manufacturing (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA), Design for Function (DfF), and Design for Safety (DfS). This paper will present two experiments exploring the efficacy of a structured Design for the Environment (DfE) design method called the GREEn Quiz (Guidelines and Regulations for Early design for the Environment) that provides designers with sustainable design knowledge during the conceptual design phase. The GREEn Quiz operates on a web-based platform and queries the designer about their design concepts; an end-of-quiz report provides abstract DfE knowledge to designers. While this abstract knowledge was able to be applied by designers in a former study, we hypothesize that providing targeted, specific design strategies during conceptual design may enable better integration in concept generation by novice designers. In this study, we created these DfE strategies, embedded these in the GREEn Quiz, and studied the efficacy of these strategies when presented to designers at both the expert and novice levels. Experimental results suggest that respondents with access to the strategy-based GREEn Quiz produced concepts with evidence of more sustainable design decisions and higher solution quality scores when compared to previous respondents and the control groups. This research encourages the consideration of downstream environmental impact knowledge during conceptual design, resulting in lower-impact products regardless of the previous DfE expertise of the designer.

scholarly journals Preliminary Results Testing What Different Design Solutions Arise from Different Sustainable Design Methods

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3351-3360
Author(s):  
Jeremy Faludi ◽  
Omar Ali ◽  
Ola Srour ◽  
Selim Mecanna ◽  
Rami Kamareddine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Material Choice ◽  
Design Solutions ◽  
Natural Step ◽  
System Mapping ◽  
Design Ideas

AbstractDo different sustainable design methods generate different sustainable design ideas? Do they also drive different product innovation ideas? This project empirically tested three design methods: The Natural Step, Whole System Mapping, and Biomimicry. Testing involved qualitatively categorizing 1,115 design ideas from 23 workshops for over 30 companies, including consultancies and manufacturers in consumer electronics, furniture, and apparel. The categorized ideas were then counted to determine if the different design methods caused different kinds of ideas. They did. For example, The Natural Step drove more ideas on green material choice, circular end of life, and social impacts, while Biomimicry drove more durability ideas and Whole System Mapping drove more cost reduction ideas, among other differences. Overall, The Natural Step generated the highest percentage of sustainability ideas, Biomimicry generated the most innovation ideas, and Whole System Mapping generated a balance of both. These preliminary results should help designers and engineers choose design methods suited to the types of design solutions they desire.

Assessment of the Relationships Among Design Methods, Design Activities, and Creativity

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Chulvi ◽  
Águeda Sonseca ◽  
Elena Mulet ◽  
Amaresh Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Design Processes ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Design Activities

This paper presents an experimental study that was conducted to compare the results obtained from using different design methods (brainstorming (BR), functional analysis (FA), and SCAMPER) in design processes. The objectives of this work are twofold. The first was to determine whether there are any differences in the length of time devoted to the different types of activities that are carried out in the design process, depending on the method that is employed; in other words, whether the design methods that are used make a difference in the profile of time spent across the design activities. The second objective was to analyze whether there is any kind of relationship between the time spent on design process activities and the degree of creativity in the solutions that are obtained. Creativity evaluation has been done by means of the degree of novelty and the level of resolution of the designed solutions using creative product semantic scale (CPSS) questionnaire. The results show that there are significant differences between the amounts of time devoted to activities related to understanding the problem and the typology of the design method, intuitive or logical, that are used. While the amount of time spent on analyzing the problem is very small in intuitive methods, such as brainstorming and SCAMPER (around 8–9% of the time), with logical methods like functional analysis practically half the time is devoted to analyzing the problem. Also, it has been found that the amount of time spent in each design phase has an influence on the results in terms of creativity, but results are not enough strong to define in which measure are they affected. This paper offers new data and results on the distinct benefits to be obtained from applying design methods.

A study protocol: co-designing a mobile application to enhance communication, safety and wellbeing for people living at home with early stage dementia (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Davies ◽  
Bie Nio Ong ◽  
Sudeh Cheraghi-Sohi ◽  
Katherine Perryman ◽  
Caroline Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Application ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Normalisation Process Theory ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
At Home

BACKGROUND Background: There is a growing interest in using mobile applications in supporting health and wellbeing. Evidence directly from people with dementia regarding the acceptability, usability and usefulness of mobile apps is limited. It builds on ‘My Health Guide’ which was co-designed with people with cognitive disabilities. . OBJECTIVE Objective This paper describes the protocol of a study evaluating an app designed for supporting wellbeing with people living with dementia, specifically focusing on enhanced safety through improved communication METHODS Method: The study will employ design research, using participatory qualitative research methods over three cycles of evaluation with service users, their families and practitioners. The study will be developed in partnership with a specialist home care service in England. A purposive case selection will be used to ensure that the cases exemplify differences in experiences. The app will be evaluated in a ‘walkthrough’ workshop by people living with early stage dementia and then trialled at home by up to 12 families in a ‘try-out’ cycle. An amended version will be evaluated in a final ‘walkthrough’ workshop in cycle 3. Data will be collected from at least four data sources during the try-out phase and analysed thematically (people with dementia, carers, practitioners and app usage). An explanatory, multiple-case study design will be used to synthesise and present the evidence from the three cycles drawing on Normalisation Process Theory to support interpretation of the findings. RESULTS Results: The study is ready to be implemented but has been paused to protect vulnerable individuals during the Coronavirus in 2020. The findings will be particularly relevant for understanding how to support vulnerable people living in the community during social distancing and the period following the pandemic, as well as providing insight into the challenges of social isolation arising from living with dementia CONCLUSIONS Discussion: Evaluating a mobile application for enhancing communication, safety and wellbeing for people living with dementia contributes to key ambitions enshrined in policy and practice, championing the use of digital technology and supporting people with dementia to live safely in their own homes. The study uses a co-design method to enable the voice of users with dementia to highlight the benefits and challenges of technology and shape future development of apps that potentially enhances safety through improved communication.

An Update on Improved Flange Design Methods

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren Brown
Keyword(s):  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Project Development ◽  
Design Improvement ◽  
Panel Session ◽  
Improved Methods ◽  
Made In

This paper details further progress made in the PVRC project “Development of Improved Flange Design Method for the ASME VIII, Div.2 Rewrite Project” presented during the panel session on flange design at the 2006 PVP conference in Vancouver. The major areas of flange design improvement indicated by that project are examined and the suggested solutions for implementing the improved methods into the Code are discussed. Further analysis on aspects such as gasket creep and the use of leakage-based design has been conducted. Shortcomings in the proposed ASME flange design method (ASME BFJ) and current CEN flange design methods (EN-1591) are highlighted and methods for resolution of these issues are suggested.

Impact of Secondary Flow on the Accuracy of Simplified Design Methods for Steam Turbine Stages

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Schumann ◽  
Ulrich Harbecke ◽  
Daniel Sahnen ◽  
Thomas Polklas ◽  
Peter Jeschke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Flow ◽  
Steam Turbine ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Computing Time ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
Line Design ◽  
Radial Equilibrium

The subject of the presented paper is the validation of a design method for HP and IP steam turbine stages. Common design processes have been operating with simplified design methods in order to quickly obtain feasible stage designs. Therefore, inaccuracies due to assumptions in the underlying methods have to be accepted. The focus of this work is to quantify the inaccuracy of a simplified design method compared to 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Short computing time is very convenient in preliminary design; therefore, common design methods work with a large degree of simplification. The origin of the presented analysis is a mean line design process, dealing with repeating stage conditions. Two features of the preliminary design are the stage efficiency, based on loss correlations, and the mechanical strength, obtained by using the beam theory. Due to these simplifications, only a few input parameters are necessary to define the primal stage geometry and hence, the optimal design can easily be found. In addition, by using an implemented law to take the radial equilibrium into account, the appropriate twist of the blading can be defined. However, in comparison to the real radial distribution of flow angles, this method implies inaccuracies, especially in regions of secondary flow. In these regions, twisted blades, developed by using the simplified radial equilibrium, will be exposed to a three-dimensional flow, which is not considered in the design process. The analyzed design cases show that discrepancies at the hub and shroud section do exist, but have minor effects. Even the shroud section, with its thinner leading-edge, is not vulnerable to these unanticipated flow angles.

Design of Cooling Towers by the Effectiveness-NTU Method

1989 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 837-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jaber ◽  
R. L. Webb
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Cooling Tower ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Parallel Flow ◽  
Basic Method ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Flow Configuration ◽  
Heat Exchanger Design

This paper develops the effectiveness-NTU design method for cooling towers. The definitions for effectiveness and NTU are totally consistent with the fundamental definitions used in heat exchanger design. Sample calculations are presented for counter and crossflow cooling towers. Using the proper definitions, a person competent in heat exchanger design can easily use the same basic method to design a cooling tower of counter, cross, or parallel flow configuration. The problems associated with the curvature of the saturated air enthalpy line are also treated. A “one-increment” design ignores the effect of this curvature. Increased precision can be obtained by dividing the cooling range into two or more increments. The standard effectiveness-NTU method is then used for each of the increments. Calculations are presented to define the error associated with different numbers of increments. This defines the number of increments required to attain a desired degree of precision. The authors also summarize the LMED method introduced by Berman, and show that this is totally consistent with the effectiveness-NTU method. Hence, using proper and consistent terms, heat exchanger designers are shown how to use either the standard LMED or effectiveness-NTU design methods to design cooling towers.

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