DESIGN THINKING: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, ADVANTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS

The need to develop competitive innovative products and services encourages modern organizations to search for new ways to enhance the creative abilities of their personnel. Design thinking is one of the promising tools to elaborate organi-zational potential in generating ideas and developing new products which satisfy customer requirements to the most extent. Over last years design thinking has been developed as a practically­oriented approach aimed at solving customer problems. Within the frame of design thinking, deep understanding of their values, reactions, experience in interaction with the company and behavioral habits serves as a basis for focused ideation, fast prototyping and testing. Although the key characteristics, main stages, tools and techniques of design thinking are well established in the literature, far less attention has been paid to the restrictions and conditions of design thinking application within organizational environment. These issues determined the purpose of the study. First, the paper considered the evolution of the term design thinking, as well as portfolio of its tools and techniques applied at different stages of design thinking process. Further, the advantages, restrictions and conditions of design thinking application were specified. Design thinking allows to achieve 1) externally oriented organizational goals: development of innovations, improvement of products and services in accordance with customer needs, better interaction with customers; 2) internally oriented organizational goals: development of staff experience and creative abilities, team building and enchancing a creative corporate culture. The restrictions of design thinking implementation related to its key features (focus on customer experience, fast ideation, prototyping and testing) were established. Important conditions for design thinking implementation are as follows: understanding and taking into account its restrictions, introduction of a flexible format for design sessions, and formation of design teams in accordance with the experience, competencies and thinking style of their participants. Thus, design thinking is a useful approach for development of customer­oriented innovative solutions, although it should not be considered as a universal tool for solving all organizational problems.Keywords: design, design thinking, creativity, customer experience, Stanford model, «wicked» problems, design thinking techniques. Дизайн­мислення є перспективним напрямом дослідження для науковців і фахівців із менеджменту, ураховуючи позитивний досвід його використання і зростаючу популярність серед провідних компаній світу. Нині відомі характерні риси, етапи, інструменти та техніки дизайн­мислення, однак малодослідженим залишається питання щодо меж практичного застосування цього підходу, його переваг і недоліків. У статті виявлено переваги дизайн­мислення, зокрема: оперативне вдосконалення продуктів і послуг відповідно до потреб клієнтів, тімбілдинг, новий досвід і розвиток креативних здібностей персоналу, формування креативної корпоративної культури. Для успішного застосування дизайн­мислення під час організації дизайн­сесій необхідно враховувати його обмеження, упроваджувати гнучкий формат дизайн­сесій та підбирати учасників дизайн­команд за досвідом, компетенціями і стилем мислення. Ключові слова: дизайн, дизайн­мислення, креативність, клієнтський досвід, Стенфордська модель, wicked­проблеми, техніки дизайн­мислення.

Comparative Analysis of CNTFET Models through the Design of a Differential Amplifier

In this paper we compare simulation results on a differential pair circuit using a CNTFET model, already proposed by us, with the result obtained using Stanford model. We study the case of differential pair with differential input and single ended output as core of a 50 GHz amplifier for mm waves band. We consider the case of a CNTFET having a single CNT tube with indices (19,0) and 25 nm long. For this circuit we present result for its main parameters: gain, input impedance, output impedance, noise and distortion. Since the Stanford model includes fixed capacitance, for comparison we applied the same capacitance on our model. Since this capacitances dominate the high frequency cut, results are not much different, except for the lack of noise modelling in the Stanford model.

Determining Factors in MOOCs Completion Rates: Application Test in Energy Sustainability Courses

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) are open educational activities that allow for distance learning and professional updating, although the academic community has questioned their effectiveness due to their low completion rates. This research analyzes which factors (personal, family, social, labor, and instructional design) are involved in the value expectations and engagement of the MOOCs and to what degree these affect the decision to enroll and the completion of the MOOC. To this end, in the context of 12 MOOCs on energy sustainability carried out between 2017 and 2018, 8737 participants were surveyed using two instruments designed according to theoretical constructs and expert judgment. The main results show that all the factors reviewed influence the decision to take a MOOC, although the “professional development” aspect has the most significant impact on participants who have graduated from technical and engineering careers. Additionally, this study emphasizes that the “instructional design” factor is decisive in the engagement of younger participants, showing that the conventional design of xMOOCs (Stanford Model) may be one of the most important reasons for the low completion rates of this type of course.

High Efficiency RF Energy Harvesting CNTFET Rectifier for Bio-implants Applications

Carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNTFET) based full wave rectifier given in the paper, works efficiently in the range of radio frequency. The CNTFET offers extremely less power loss and high through-put because of its high conducting properties. The Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) based studies are available but CNTFET based studies are rarely available. Therefore, CNTFET based rectifier has been used for the replacement of CMOS based rectifier architecture. The full wave rectifier circuit was analyzed using 32nm CNTFET Stanford model. An additional circuit of clampers is also used for introducing a negative DC level. Introduced negative DC signal further negated RF input signal and combined signal used for biasing the p type device during its conduction cycle. The CNTFET based rectifier with clamper circuit decreases the effective threshold voltage of switching p CNTFETs. The circuit resulted better RF input sensitivity of the transistor. Results show that 77.7% power conversion efficiency is suitable for powering up the bio-implantable devices.

Data-Driven Recovery Potential Analysis and Modeling for Batteries Recovery Operations in Electric Bicycle Industry

To help the government manage waste lead-acid batteries in a more targeted and sustainable way, accurately forecasting the number of waste lead-acid batteries and analyzing their recovery potential play a key role. In China, electric bicycles are one of the most common means of transportation. As of the end of 2017, the social holding quantity of electric bicycles in China was over 250 million and that of electric tricycles was over 50 million. The quantity is equal to the total number of electric bicycles manufactured between 2011 and 2017. Currently, 90% of electric bicycles adopt lead-acid batteries as their power batteries. However, there are a few studies on the lead-acid batteries used in electric bicycles as power batteries. In this paper, we have selected lead-acid batteries used in electric bicycles as the subject of research as such kind of batteries enjoys the widest user base, the most single-battery consumption volume, and the strongest mobility. Based on the output and sales of electric bicycles, we have obtained the quantity of power lead-acid batteries. We have then estimated the annual waste quantity of lead-acid batteries used in electric bicycles in 2000-2022 using the “market supply A model” and the “Stanford Model”, respectively, and based on the proportion of raw materials contained in lead-acid batteries and the proportion between reclaimed and discarded lead-acid batteries, we have estimated the recovery potential of discarded lead-acid batteries in 2000-2022. We estimate that the lead-acid batteries used in electric bicycles only have great recovery potential and there are abundant potential resources for recovery. The research data and results can help decision-makers make more effective and more accurate management measures and policies.