Collaborative Design Practices Research Articles

Exploration of Collaborative Design Practice and Potential Issues of Blockchain Technology in the Whole Process Project Management of Construction Engineering

With the development of social economy, urban planning has been paid more and more attention. At present, China is implementing low-carbon environmental planning in stages, stages and stages with the development goal of building two types of society, namely, national master plan and strategic development. This paper analyzes low-carbon environmental planning based on blockchain, then expounds the specific content of whole process project management, and completes the design of green building index system based on low-carbon environmental planning. At the same time, the design method of new dynamic structure and index system of green building is expounded. The comparative analysis shows that the material loss cost of the new environmental protection building engineering and index system is low, and the material utilization rate is high, accounting for more than 95%.

A contribuição da Ergonomia para a segurança no trabalho

Abstract Introduction: while high-risk processes with high accident rates challenge safety, High Reliability Organization (HRO) achieve excellent indicators. In both cases, prevention seems to have reached a limit. In the former, because it seems powerless to generate prevention; in the latter, because it has been so successful that it seems impossible to reach greater levels. Objective: to highlight the contribution of Ergonomics to safety in these situations, pointing out unexplored possibilities such as design Ergonomics in man-machine integration (computerized systems). Method: comparative analysis of findings from ergonomic studies on production systems with high accident rates and HRO. Discussion: analysis of the motorcycle freight drivers’ activity revealed alternatives yet to be explored between unfavorable work relations and the perceived inevitability of accidents. The apparent limit of HRO can be overcome with recent advances in the analysis of situated action and cognition and by building debate spaces based on field experience. Collaborative design practices, which draw on worker experience to feed learning dynamics and technical reliability, remains a poorly explored possibility in Safety Engineering when it comes to computerized systems.

Understanding Collaborative Design Practice Through Self-Study

Designing online teacher professional development (oTPD) grounded in participatory practices is complex. An intense interdisciplinary collaboration of teacher educators, online learning experts, and instructional designers is needed. Achieving shared understanding is essential for successful collaboration, yet varied perspectives of interdisciplinary experts can cause tensions. Under the right conditions, conflict can be positive and productive. This study of collaborative design practice examined the process of aligning technology and pedagogy when designing participatory oTPD using the self-study methodology. Data analysis revealed relevant interrelationships and uncovered a consistent pattern related to purposeful use of technology. While self-study was an effective inquiry method and provided valuable insights into our practice, it also fostered an environment of trust and collaborative knowledge exchange necessary for successful joint problem solving, cognitive synchronization, and innovation in interdisciplinary design teams.

Research through co-design

Abstract Research Through Design (RTD) needs to reconsider the meaning of “designing” in the research process of “through design.” We propose Research Through Co-design (RTC) as a new application of Control System Theory (CST) that includes a research problem assigned to a co-design process in RTD. It embeds the participatory paradigm through collaborative design practice and makes the research a collaborative process for learning from all the participants. To sustain the RTC theory, we present a cognitive model of RTC. It is a “model for” – rather than a “model of” – describing how the co-design, as a neural network process, works through its nodes’ collaboration to find co-designed solutions and the research answer. Diversity increases as non-experts and non-designers with different backgrounds participate. This is valuable for the RTC learning system. The discussions highlight the possibility of considering (i) the RTC model as useful for describing a robust RTD process through CST; (ii) RTC as a cognitive model for explaining the value of co-design in research processes; and (iii) RTC as a strategy for applying the participative paradigm in formal research. Finally, new insights and implications are highlighted, including using RTC as a predictive tool through artificial intelligence.

Collaborative design practices in pre-service teacher education for technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): Group composition matters

Collaborative design practices, in which pre-service teachers construct lesson plans in small groups, is regarded as beneficial to attain professional development. However, it is largely unclear which factors determine the effectiveness of collaborative design within technology-related teacher education. Against this background, we investigated to which extent the group composition regarding motivational (self-efficacy, utility-value) and knowledge-based heterogeneity affected the quality of designed lesson plans and outcome of professional development interventions. Furthermore, we investigated whether the quality of the lesson plans was related to pre-service teachers’ professional development such as acquisition of technological-pedagogical-content knowledge (TPACK). The data was collected within a larger research project which investigated the effectiveness of a TPACK-intervention within 5 subject pedagogies to foster pre-service teachers’ learning. Lesson plans of N = 68 pre-service teachers nested within k = 23 natural occurring groups were analyzed regarding their instructional quality and technology exploitation. Additionally, we measured pre-service teachers’ technology-related professional knowledge, and their technology-related motivation in a pre-post-test-design. The analyses revealed that motivational group heterogeneity positively affected the quality of the collaboration product (i.e., lesson plans). The quality of the lesson plans was not related to the acquisition of technology-related professional knowledge, but negatively related to pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and utility-value. Similarly, the heterogeneity regarding prior knowledge was negatively correlated to TPACK knowledge gain. These findings highlight that heterogenous group composition during collaborative design practices in pre-service teacher education may be a double-edged sword to attain professional development.

The role of boundary objects in collaborative design

AbstractMuseums and science centers are embracing collaborative design practices to invite diverse expertises into the design process. Co‐construction of museum exhibits and experiences can help museums better engage and affirm local communities as well as facilitate disciplinary and educational research connected to museum experiences. To support more collaborative design processes, many museums are creating new frameworks capable of supporting authentic co‐construction across wells of expertise, both within a museum infrastructure and with external partners. In this perspective, we share insights that have emerged through the development of such a framework at the Lawrence Hall of Science. We position this design framework as a collection of boundary objects (Star & Griesemer, 1989, 387) that can facilitate collaboration, and discuss the affordances of boundary objects for nurturing inclusive participation, knowledge‐sharing, and shared ownership.

Systematic review on virtual environments in the collaborative design process

Virtual environments have become increasingly used tools in collaborative design processes related to Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) However, in order to promote greater engagement of lay users in decision-making, it becomes necessary to employ tools that stimulate and encourage their participation in the early stages of the project. Due to the constant evolution of technology, conducting an analysis of these tools over the years can provide an important contribution to collaborative design practice. The aim of this article is to analyze studies focused on the use of virtual environment technologies in collaborative design processes over the past 10 years through Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The results allow the analysis of research areas, the evolution of publications and the similarity of keywords. Finally, the terms and concepts related to the discussed subject are examined, contributing to discussions and recommendations for future SLR research.

Preferences and perceived barriers to pursuing energy sovereignty and renewable energy: A tribal nations perspective

This paper proposes two contributions to the literature on the social acceptance (SA) of energy systems and public perceptions of renewable energy (RE) transitions. The first contribution is methodological, recognizing more effective and inclusive forms of engagement begin with building reciprocal relationships and collaborative research partnerships operationalizing the tenets of energy justice. Employing these methodological recommendations, we conducted a collaborative, inclusive, and equitable research design and engagement practice by collaborating with Tribal members on research with expressly mutual benefits. In this work, a years-long collaboration of Tribal members and non-Tribal researchers developed a methodology to survey respondents at an accessible and culturally relevant community event to learn about preferences and perceived barriers to transitioning to RE. A second contribution is empirical. The results suggest shared priorities for energy solutions that enhance energy sovereignty, i.e., community control and ownership of energy services provisioning. They also demonstrate widespread awareness regarding barriers to a RE transition and simultaneously, some potential misperceptions about the challenges to transition. This study reinforces the need for SA research to move beyond asking what technologies receive public support and where those technologies should be sited to consider how access and transparency in planning processes, collaboration, engagement, development, ownership, and benefits are organized and can be radically reconfigured to enable the just transition to a decarbonized energy system.

Digital Creativity and the Regional Museum: Experimental Collaboration at the Convergence of Immersive Media and Exhibition Design

This paper presents the findings of the Within the Walls of York Gaol, an interdisciplinary and collaborative practice-based research project which was established to examine the intersection between emerging forms of immersive media, game design, and contemporary archaeological exhibition design. The project was a collaboration between researchers and practitioners at York Museums Trust, The University of York, and the University of Glasgow and used co-design methods to design and produce two immersive installations in the prison cells at York Castle Museum in collaboration with community groups. The project sought to re-think the role of the museum within regional creative economies and to argue for the importance of the regional museum as a hub for digital design and innovation. Through innovative forms of collaborative research practice the project was able to develop new understandings of the ways in which collaborative approaches to the design and development of interactive digital media can be used to build skilled communities of practice around regional museums. The project took a critical stance to the use of immersive media technologies and led to the development of innovative and highly distinctive digital immersive installations which emerged in response to the specific opportunities and design requirements of museums and their audiences. This paper will set out the findings of this project as well as identify new creative directions and new forms of collaborative design practice which can be adopted and adapted for use across the museum sector.

Logics of Collaboration

Participatory design approaches such as co-design are promoted as ways to increase the likelihood that engineered products are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable by incorporating stakeholders into decision-making processes. However, executing collaborative design practices that incorporate the variety of stakeholders represents an enormous challenge. In this paper we examine these realities as experienced by a co-design team comprised of design engineers from a foreign country who are engaged with local stakeholders to develop a product for a community in the Brazilian Amazon. Based on more than a year of ethnographic research, we identify three types of perspectives or institutional logics operating in this setting—engineering, modernization, and traditional—which interact to constrain and enable the co-design process. We find that these logics can undermine co-design because the design team is better equipped to respond to stakeholders who express modernization logics rather than traditional ones. We conclude that while co-design can be truly collaborative in development projects, other times it may lead to the appearance that the design process is collaborative when it may in fact mask the marginalization of certain stakeholder voices.

Designing for local policy: exploring preferable futures in the UK

The appetite for design in local government saw a rise in the late 2000s with the global financial crisis and the resulting economic austerity that required local government services to innovate. This appetite has been exacerbated by the awakening to the global climate emergency and inclusion of action plans to reduce carbon emissions at a local scale; and of course, the global health crisis caused by Covid-19. Local governments are responsible for responding to these unprecedented challenges ensuring continued and equitable access to public services for residents. Yet, design for local public policy is a nascent field of practice. This paper presents an approach to design for local policy characterized by “world-building preferable futures through Critical Service Design” which proposes a novel approach to participatory place-based local policymaking. This design-led methodology has been developed through theory and practice, informed by critical reflection on the successes and shortcomings of collaborative design practice research with public servants in England and developed iteratively at Service Futures Lab, as part of the postgraduate service design curriculum at London College of Communication. The paper aims to contribute to a growing a body of academic literature on design for local governance, supporting collaboration between design education and local government and the development of dedicated training programmes on design for policy.

Creating Futuristic Heritage Experiences: An Exploratory Co-Design Study through Design Fiction

This study adopted design fiction and co-design as the two main methodological approaches for designers and artists to explore the complex relationships and intersections of futuristic heritage experience and engagement. A literature-based seminar and a co-design workshop were conducted with 26 participants from multidisciplinary backgrounds, via Miro Board. A series of collaborative design practices and science fiction films were utilised as key media for propelling thinking, raising awareness or questions, provoking actions, inaugurating discussions, and offering alternatives necessary for a heritage setting. Additionally, this study reflects upon the complexities of using design fiction activities to re-think the technological future of heritage engagement and experience.

Enhancing Students’ Competency and Learning Experience in Structural Engineering through Collaborative Building Design Practices

The field of the built environment is evolving, whereby the involvement of a multi-disciplinary team in the project becomes necessary. Complexities of issues keep challenging the industry of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and address the importance of skills in collaborative work to deliver a great building design. A building that is not only aesthetic but also durable, sturdy, sustainable, and has positive influences on the surroundings. That said, collaboration skills become essential for students in the field of AEC. Concerning this current need in the industry, it becomes necessary for the educators as well as the undergraduate programs, especially in the field of AEC, to facilitate the students with exposure to a multi-disciplinary environment, to enhance the readiness of their graduates in the industry. The current pandemic makes the efforts harder. This study presents a case study-based research on enhancing the competency and learning experience of students through an international and multi-disciplinary collaborative environment in the form of joint studio assignments involving students of architecture and civil engineering. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches through triangulation methodology were used in the study. Results showed that students could enhance their knowledge as well as their skill to collaborate, especially in the design process.

Ansys AR: Augmented Reality App Concept to Enhance 3D Design and Simulation Experience

This paper introduces the Ansys AR app, an innovative integration of Augmented Reality (AR) with Ansys Discovery, aimed at revolutionizing the 3D design and simulation process. Anticipating the CAD market’s growth, the study explores the transformative potential of AR in enhancing the capabilities of traditional CAD technologies. The user-centric Ansys AR app offers an immersive, interactive experience, allowing users to visualize and manipulate 3D models in real-world settings. The paper demonstrates the app’s effectiveness in improving design efficiency and communication through comprehensive user research, design conceptualization, and usability studies. It concludes with prospects for future enhancements, highlighting the app’s potential to reshape collaborative engineering and design practices.

A Compass to Drive Collaborative Design Practices within Private Organisations

Collaboration has currently become a must within design practices. Ranging from public to private sector, from social to business, the design activity is no longer commissioned ‘for’ the client, but is carried out ‘with’ the client and with all the stakeholders involved. This tendency introduces a reflection on the shift in design practice and the role of the designer within the community with which she is designing.This article focuses on collaborative design practices within the private sector, providing a set of case studies analysed through variables that define the main qualities of such activities.Those variables become lenses through which it is possible to zoom in on the peculiarity of the session and ultimately draw an evaluation. The correlations of the variables represent a first draft of a compass aimed at building awareness and providing guidelines for future practices.

Play as a Player in Design. Rethinking a ‘Curious Practice’ for Co-designing Public Space

‘Move the Neighbourhood’ is a research project experimenting with co-designing playable installations for a public green space in Copenhagen through a design-based collaboration between children and design-researchers. We employed a co-design process to investigate whether deconstructing the rules for both play and design could trigger new ways of thinking about playable spaces. The aim was to test a participatory process in order to identify what might be meaningful in relation to both play and designing for play, along a spectrum ranging from rules to collaborative improvisation. Our fieldwork cultivated what Haraway calls ‘response-ability’ in a ‘curious practice’ that explores the unanticipated in the collaboration between children and designers. The metaphor of a ‘jelly cake’ from play-research was used to illustrate the messiness of play and to frame the discussion on collaborative design. We see play as a serious co-player that evokes collective worlds through productive, messy fields of action, and enables actors to engage in the co-design of playable public space. In this article, we investigate how play can create agency, spark imagination and open up practices in both artistic and academic processes. Drawing on Barad’s concept of ‘intra-action’, we investigate design/play as a dynamic engine for exploring collaborative design practices as a dialogue between art, play and co-design.

Design-related questions in the construction phase: the effect of using the Last Planner System in design management

This study explores designers, engineers, and managers sharing their knowledge and resolving design-related issues during construction site meetings. It provides new insights into the collaboration and the expertise of the different partners. In addition, the study provides new knowledge of using LPS in the design phase and its influence on the site meeting discussions in the construction phase. The research data comprise video recordings of 17 site meetings in two BIM-based renovation projects. Based on the data, the construction managers were the most active in addressing issues; however, all partners were actively involved in the discussion and shared their expertise to address the open questions. The use of the Last Planner System in the design phase seemed to decrease the number of design-related open questions in the construction phase. The findings emphasize the need to develop more collaborative design management methods and practices for sharing each expertise.

Using social interaction trace data and context to predict collaboration quality and creative fluency in collaborative design learning environments

Abstract Engineering design typically occurs as a collaborative process situated in specific context such as computer-supported environments, however there is limited research examining the dynamics of design collaboration in specific contexts. In this study, drawing from situative learning theory, we developed two analytic lenses to broaden theoretical insights into collaborative design practices in computer-supported environments: (a) the role of spatial and material context, and (b) the role of social interactions. We randomly assigned participants to four conditions varying the material context (paper vs. tablet sketching tools) and spatial environment (private room vs commons area) as they worked collaboratively to generate ideas for a toy design task. We used wearable sociometric badges to automatically and unobtrusively collect social interaction data. Using partial least squares regression, we generated two predictive models for collaboration quality and creative fluency. We found that context matters materially to perceptions of collaboration, where those using collaboration-support tools perceived higher quality collaboration. But context matters spatially to creativity, and those situated in private spaces are more fluent in generating ideas than those in commons areas. We also found that interaction dynamics differ: synchronous interaction is important to quality collaboration, but reciprocal interaction is important to creative fluency. These findings provide important insights into the processual factors in collaborative design in computer-supported environments, and the predictive role of context and conversation dynamics. We discuss the theoretical contributions to computer-supported collaborative design, the methodological contributions of wearable sensor tools, and the practical contributions to structuring computer-supported environments for engineering design practice.

Future Skills of Design for Sustainability: An Awareness-Based Co-Creation Approach

Our inner, invisible dimension consisting of our values, mental models and worldviews, has been identified as a significant leverage point for transformational change, as it brings to life our actions. Accordingly, the inner dimension of sustainability has a major role in transitioning towards desirable and sustainable futures. This paper focuses on exploring what kind of methods and competences are needed to access and work with the inner dimension as part of collaborative design practices aiming for sustainable and deep change. Thus, a lesser researched, alternative perspective to design discourse, the awareness-based co-creation approach is highlighted as a potential and emerging direction for design for sustainability. By thinking across: (1) literature findings of the concept of inner dimension of sustainability; (2) existing knowledge of awareness-based transformation approaches and (3) results of an experimental case study done in the context of nature tourism, it was recognized that more examples are needed on how to enable, promote and capture participants’ transformative experiences. Finally, the argument is made that awareness-based competencies should be considered as essential future skills and competences of design for sustainability.

Problem-solving in collaborative game design practices: epistemic stance, affect, and engagement

ABSTRACTThis article explores children’s development of problem-solving practices through multimodal engagements in digital activities. The study is based on analyses of a video recorded peer group activity in which two children, within the context of a project on computational thinking using the software Scratch, collaboratively work to solve a coding problem. Drawing on work on epistemics-in-interaction and the cooperative and transformative organization of human action and knowledge, the analyses focus on the interactional strategies that the children use to establish, sustain, and develop knowledge within the peer group and the role of affect in the unfolding organization of actions. By analyzing the multimodal cultural production in children’s interaction with digital technologies, it is shown how children learn creative and artful skills, thus positioning them as consumers as well as producers of media.