scholarly journals The Problem of the Second Performer: Building a Community Around an Augmented Piano

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. McPherson ◽  
Youngmoo E. Kim

The design of a digital musical instrument is often informed by the needs of the first performance or composition. Following the initial performances, the designer frequently confronts the question of how to build a larger community of performers and composers around the instrument. Later musicians are likely to approach the instrument on different terms than those involved in the design process, so design decisions that promote a successful first performance will not necessarily translate to broader uptake. This article addresses the process of bringing an existing instrument to a wider musical community, including how musician feedback can be used to refine the instrument's design without compromising its identity. As a case study, the article presents the magnetic resonator piano, an electronically augmented acoustic grand piano that uses electromagnets to induce vibrations in the strings. After initial compositions and performances using the instrument, feedback from composers and performers guided refinements to the design, laying the groundwork for a collaborative project in which six composers wrote pieces for the instrument. The pieces exhibited a striking diversity of style and technique, including instrumental techniques never considered by the designer. The project, which culminated in two concert performances, demonstrates how a new instrument can acquire a community of musicians beyond those initially involved.

2010 ◽  
Vol 34-35 ◽  
pp. 988-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sui Ran Yu ◽  
Rui Bin Zhang

This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) method in different design process. This method can help product designers to make more environmental friendly design decisions in the design process. In this method, product’s LCA model is established in product conceptual design phase with the aid of decision matrix. Thereafter, the model is improved in the latter design phases, especially in product detail design phases. In this process, with the help of LCA software, designers can evaluate different design options and get LCA results when necessary to guide the design process. Finally, a case study of designing a coffee pot is provided in this paper to illustrate the efficiency and effectiveness of this method. The case study shows that the method performs very well in the design process. It can be used to help designers to make more environmental friendly design decisions.


Author(s):  
Ernst H. Petzold ◽  
Brian E. Carlson

The aesthetic design process is sometimes limited to dealing solely with personal likes and dislikes, creating a totally subjective situation that leads to significant design decisions made on the basis of the strength of individual personalities rather than on any fundamental aesthetic content. A bridge type selection case study is provided to illustrate and discuss a technique to develop a logical process and bring some objectivity into aesthetic decisions. The case study involves a major 10-lane bridge 815 m (2,670 ft) long through an urban park. Because of the controversial nature of the project, a citizens' design committee was established to provide design oversight. Broad underlying issues such as land use, form and circulation, and scale and proportion were presented to the committee to form a baseline for subsequent activities. Open discussions with the committee were used to focus on the relative importance of each issue. On the basis of these discussions, aesthetic design criteria were developed in order to rank various alternatives. Conceptual designs, which were developed after preliminary discussions with the committee, were ranked by the committee according to how well each satisfied the previously established aesthetic design criteria. The recommended alternative, from an aesthetic standpoint, was simply the one with the highest ranking. Although aesthetic considerations will always involve questions of individual taste and opinion, the technique described can be used to bring a degree of objectivity to decisions about aesthetics.


Author(s):  
Darshan P. Yadav ◽  
Deep N. Patel ◽  
Beshoy W. Morkos

Designing products for recyclability is driven by environmental and economic goals. Several design for assembly (DFA) rules and parameters can be used to gauge the recyclability index of product designs. These indices can be used for comparative analysis of the recyclability of different products. This assists the designer in making design choices related to the product's end of life. However, many of the existing recyclability indices are only available after design and manufacturing decisions are made. If such design decisions could be made earlier in the design process, when the design space is less bound, recyclability could be considered earlier. A case study is performed to determine if DFA parameters could be utilized to determine product recyclability. The parameters were obtained from existing DFA time estimate tables. The results of the study indicated that the recyclability of the product, as defined by established recyclability metrics, could be predicted through DFA measures. A negative correlation was realized between recyclability and insertion time. Components that required greater time to mate during assembly adversely affected the recyclability of the product. Conversely, handing time was found to have no predictive capability on product recyclability. These findings are used to develop a recyclability index that utilizes the DFA measures, allowing designers and engineers to determine recyclability earlier in the design process.


2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (12) ◽  
pp. 1206-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Poirson ◽  
Jean-François Petiot ◽  
Joël Gilbert

This paper describes a user-centered design method, which allows the integration of user’s perceptions in different stages of the design process, by taking into account his/her needs and preferences. It relies on two domains which remain generally distinct: the design with a scientific approach (generally math based) and the integration of users’ perceptions, preferences, tastes, inherently subjective. We apply this method to the design of musical instruments, products for which the feelings of the user are of prime importance, and remain so far difficult to integrate for the design/improvement of an instrument. The methodology is made of two main stages: (1) a subjective study, based on the sensory analysis techniques, during which a “product space” (a family of trumpets) is assessed by a panel of experts according to sensory attributes, and (2) an objective study of the instruments, based on the physical measurement of a specific characteristic of brasses: the acoustic input impedance. Then, data analysis is used to correlate perceptive and objective evaluations, in order to deduce design rules and to formulate the improvement of a perceptive characteristic of the product (the intonation) as a multicriteria optimization problem. The design of the inner shape (the bore) of a “new” instrument is finally made by solving the multicriteria optimization problem using genetic algorithms.


Author(s):  
W. P. Neumann ◽  
J. Winkel

A case study in Volvo Powertrain is conducted to examine the distribution of responsibility for human factors in the companies’ engineering design process. Design decisions with human factors impact, and hence system performance implications, are identified in the design of both the product and the production system in a chain of decisions, spread across multiple stakeholder groups. Thus the organisational structure of the engineering design process appears to influence the ability to handle human factors appropriately at each stage of design. Responsibility (although perhaps not accountability) appears to be distributed throughout the engineering design process. Thus human factors aspects require careful coordination throughout engineering design.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelin Gultekin ◽  
Chimay J. Anumba ◽  
Robert M. Leicht

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the decision-making process of integrated system design. Buildings can benefit from different system integration working toward the unified goal of providing the needed conditions and improving the comfort level of occupants. It is important to engage all system needs and priorities in the design by keeping goal into consideration. Even though there is vast potential in the coordination of system design decisions, there is a need to increase the transparency of the decision-making process by developing methods to incorporate multi-dimensional design attributes. Design/methodology/approach – This is achieved by considering all system design priorities with respect to decision attributes, as well as the inter-system inputs based on information and knowledge. Data were collected through interviews, collaboration meetings and design document reviews, which helped to facilitate triangulation. Findings – This paper presents the findings of a case study of deep retrofit design process that seeks to reduce energy consumption through integrated system decisions with several system combinations. In addition, such design decisions highlighted the fact that the values need to be flexible at the system level. Research limitations/implications – This paper presents an in-depth analysis of a single case study. Multiple case studies are being investigated for the future of this research. Practical implications – This paper presents the methods used for integrated design process priorities that will enable design teams to make decisions that lead to improved energy performance in retrofit projects. Originality/value – The case study building in this paper is a showcase building with cutting edge technologies and techniques, as well as a scalable and collaborative design process. It is an example of a best-in-class retrofit process designed through whole building design principles within the target budget. The paper demonstrates system design selection criteria that are embraced by value prioritization.


Author(s):  
Catarina LELIS

The brand is a powerful representational and identification-led asset that can be used to engage staff in creative, sustainable and developmental activities. Being a brand the result of, foremost, a design exercise, it is fair to suppose that it can be a relevant resource for the advancement of design literacy within organisational contexts. The main objective of this paper was to test and validate an interaction structure for an informed co-design process on visual brand artefacts. To carry on the empirical study, a university was chosen as case study as these contexts are generally rich in employee diversity. A non-functional prototype was designed, and walkthroughs were performed in five focus groups held with staff. The latter evidenced a need/wish to engage with basic design principles and high willingness to participate in the creation of brand design artefacts, mostly with the purposeof increasing its consistent use and innovate in its representation possibilities, whilst augmenting the brand’s socially responsible values.


Author(s):  
Camilo POTOCNJAK-OXMAN

Stir was a crowd-voted grants platform aimed at supporting creative youth in the early stages of an entrepreneurial journey. Developed through an in-depth, collaborative design process, between 2015 and 2018 it received close to two hundred projects and distributed over fifty grants to emerging creatives and became one of the most impactful programs aimed at increasing entrepreneurial activity in Canberra, Australia. The following case study will provide an overview of the methodology and process used by the design team in conceiving and developing this platform, highlighting how the community’s interests and competencies were embedded in the project itself. The case provides insights for people leading collaborative design processes, with specific emphasis on some of the characteristics on programs targeting creative youth


CounterText ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235
Author(s):  
Gordon Calleja

This paper gives an insight into the design process of a game adaptation of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980). It outlines the challenges faced in attempting to reconcile the diverging qualities of lyrical poetry and digital games. In so doing, the paper examines the design decisions made in every segment of the game with a particular focus on the tension between the core concerns of the lyrical work being adapted and established tenets of game design.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-178
Author(s):  
Urcun John Tanik

Cyberphysical system design automation utilizing knowledge based engineering techniques with globally networked knowledge bases can tremendously improve the design process for emerging systems. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive architectural framework to improve the design process for cyberphysical systems (CPS) and implement a case study with Axiomatic Design Solutions Inc. to develop next generation toolsets utilizing knowledge-based engineering (KBE) systems adapted to multiple domains in the field of CPS design automation. The Cyberphysical System Design Automation Framework (CPSDAF) will be based on advances in CPS design theory based on current research and knowledge collected from global sources automatically via Semantic Web Services. A case study utilizing STEM students is discussed.


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