Design Companies Research Articles

Judging a Book by Its Cover: Assessing the Comprehensibility and Perceived Appearance of Sign Language Avatars

The use of avatars is gaining popularity in today’s digitalized world. These computer-animated agents not only act as virtual shopping assistants to compensate for the impersonal feel of an online store, but are also frequently employed in gaming and social networking, and have recently served as animated characters for translation in the deaf community. New technological developments (sign language avatars) offer significant advantages for deaf users in daily interactions. This article explores how attitudes towards avatars, and subsequent satisfaction with the design company involved, can be increased through various measures. This experimental study manipulates the physical traits of signing avatars (gender, hairstyle, and dress) and analyses the outcomes in terms of their perceived properties, appearance, and comprehensibility, as well as more direct indicators of success (attitudes towards these avatars and satisfaction with the company). An industry partner cooperated in the empirical study to ensure the external validity of the findings.

The Effects of Inclusive Leadership on Job Performance through Mediators

This study aims to investigate the direct effects of inclusive leadership on person-job fit, employee well-being, and innovative behaviour. It also extends existing research to observe the role of mutual recognition respect and intrinsic motivation in job performance. By using a structural equation model approach to analyse the data survey from 387 respondents, who were working at interior design and construction companies, the results revealed that inclusive leadership has a positive impact on key determinants such as employee well-being, person-job fit, and innovative behaviour. However, person-job fit and employee well-being had no significant direct impact on job performance. The study also identified the mediating role of innovative behaviour in the linkage between person-job fit and job performance. Moreover, the results recognised two potential mediators as mutual recognition respect and intrinsic motivation could create a relationship between employee well-being and job performance. The findings highlighted theoretical and empirical contributions to further understanding of the roles of leader-member exchange policies on job performance. Finally, some managerial implications were suggested to enhance job performance in the workplace.

A Study on the Core Competency of Specialized Company for Semiconductor Design of Korea

The purpose of this study is to analyze the level of competitiveness of semiconductor design firms of Korea. The categories of competitiveness are divided into product development, accumulated technology, market-related competencies, human resources, and management system. The sample of 73 semiconductor design companies were used, and the analysis data were gathered by parallel with the questionnaire and the surveyor visited. For respondents, importance of competitiveness factor was prioritized using nominal scale and the competitiveness of each item is expressed based on 100 points. It was confirmed that there was a difference between the order of importance and the actual level of core competence. The ranking of the importance of core competencies is in the order of product development, technical capability, market-related competencies, human resources, and management system. However, in terms of actual competitiveness in each category, human resources were the best, followed by the management level. The product development and technology competencies were in order. The market-related competitiveness was found to be the most urgently raised. In order to increase the market related competitiveness, a new customer base must be developed and the information acquisition capability of the customer, and the ability to analyze their data needs to be improved.

Organizational support of BIM-technologies

Introduction. Building information modeling (BIM) is a modern approach to design and construction management. It can improve the efficiency of the construction production and quality of design documentation and accelerate business process flow. The paper discusses the problems of organizational supporting information transfer from one automated workplace to another down the technological chain of design and construction.
 Materials and methods. When creating a full line of software applications by the same developer, high speed and completeness of information transfer are ensured. In contrast, a universal data presentation is developed, that allows using different software at different stages. Many software manufacturers support the IFC-format (Industry Foundation Classes).
 Results. One of the life cycle support tasks is to obtain a scope worklist. Implementation of drawings using BIM-technology requires the internal discipline of designers and the significant preparatory work of the entire design company. The paper shows that the completeness of data transfer from one software to another using a universal format is not guaranteed. The detected problems confirm the need to create a universal classifier of building elements and construction activities. The suggested universal facet-hierarchical classifier contains five levels. However, it can be supplemented with technologies and a list of applied resources.
 Conclusions. One of the main prerequisites for the introduction of the BIM-technologies is a correct organization of design and construction activities. It is necessary to develop the classifications of project elements, to prepare drawing file templates, to create instructions for employees, to conduct personnel training, and to determine the data transfer routes. The project must be provided with allocated funds for technology preparation.

An ANFIS-based compatibility scorecard for IoT integration in websites

Cyber-physical systems and Internet of Things (IoT) form two different levels of the vertical digital integration. Integration of websites with IoT-connected devices has compelled creation of new web design and development strategies where websites are designed keeping in mind the permutations of smart devices. The design should be seamless across different devices and the website design company or web designer should be well informed and aware of the different considerations for design with IoT interactions. In this work, we expound the effectiveness of IoT integration in website design. To realize an IoT-powered IT ecosystem as an essential technology for improving customer experience, a strength–weakness–opportunity–threat analysis is done. Further, with an intent to apprehend the integration support that an existing GUI front end may provide to a smart device, an ANFIS model is proposed to determine the compatibility of an e-commerce website for integration with IoT devices. A dataset of 600 e-commerce websites from .com domain is used to train and test the learning model. Seven features (page loading speed, broken links, browser compatibility, resolution, total size, privacy and security, and interface and typography) which impact the compatibility of IoT integration in websites have been used. Evaluation criteria for assigning score to each feature has been identified. Finally, the compatibility score, the IoTScoresite which evaluates the websites’ integration capabilities and support to IoT devices is generated by adding all the feature scores. The preliminary results generated using the prediction model clearly determine the worthiness of website for IoT integration.

Lifecycle Exchange for Asset Data (LEAD)

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to outline the problems associated with asset information management using the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) standard and to analyse the causes of industry failure to successfully adopt the standard. Based on this analysis, the paper will propose a process model, namely, Lifecycle Exchange of Asset Data (LEAD) to manage asset dataflow between all building stakeholders from design to construction and ultimately to the facility management team. This model aims to help the construction supply chain to produce complete and high-quality asset data that supports the operation phase of the built environment.Design/methodology/approachA review of relevant studies provided a theoretical background for this study. The authors then collected and analysed COBie data from five live construction projects using building information modelling (BIM) projects from different design and construction companies. The process model is based on an industry placement within Bouygues UK construction company, which was a Tier 1 building contractor in London in the period from December 2016 to December 2018. The researcher used an inductive approach observing current practises in two construction projects to produce “LEAD” model. Then a focus group was conducted with industry experts to discuss and refine the process model.FindingsAnalysis of literature and data collected in the course of this study revealed that although COBie is a BIM Level 2 standard in the UK, there is currently a low success rate in producing complete and accurate COBie data in the UK construction industry. This low rate is because of COBie’s rigid data syntax/structure, complexity and ambiguity of its data exchange process, which suggests that COBie may not be the future of the industry. Based on these findings, the study proposed a process model, namely, “LEAD,” to improve COBie output and also to be used with project-specific information requirements.Practical implicationsTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to focus solely on asset data exchange process using COBie standard and highlights the problems the industry faces in this remit. The study is based on industry placement for two years, so the analysis is based on actual and current industry problems. Current industry practices also informed the “LEAD” model, and the model provides a step-by-step guidance in producing and exchanging BIM asset data in all stages of the building lifecycle.Originality/valueThis paper provides a detailed analysis of the most common problems associated with COBie as an asset data exchange standard. Understanding these problems is of high value for industry practitioners to avoid them in projects. The paper also proposed a novel process model that can be used either to improve COBie quality or can be used with any project-specific data requirements.

Augmenting Your Field of Vision

Abstract Where virtual reality isolates users from the world around them, augmented reality offers the best of both natural vision and digital information. It can provide real-time assistance to workers in remote locations, help workers learn new skills, or walk technicians through a repair. It provides a mobile and intuitive way for engineers to interact with sensor data, digital twins, and their physical counterparts. This article delves deeper into how automation, manufacturing, and design companies are exploring the value of this disruptive technology.

A comparative study on the role of fashion drawings for the design of women's clothing using CAD technology

Fashion graphics of all kinds became the real beginning in creating a model and developing a piece of clothing; this process can be professionally used through utilizing the information of marketing and the researches in question so as to achieve the objectives and policy of the company. Sketches are commonly used for making a kind of communication between the design team and\or creating a spirit of communication between the design team and the rest of the production departments. You will find that each section of the related departments is somehow interested in implementing the clothing drawings in a way which basically accomplish its tasks on time taking into account the specifications required and going in line with the technical designs, so it is necessary to determine the specifications for each type of fashion drawings to achieve the planned targets. Consequently; the research problems began to appear for that reason. The problem of research can be formulated as follows: What is the possibility of identifying the types of fashion drawings in the field of fashion design? What is the significance of clothing design drawings in the field of fashion design and clothing industry? What is the difference between flat fashion graphics in the field of fashion design and production companies? What are the similarities and differences between flat fashion graphics in the field of fashion design and manufacturing of garment? What is the possibility of preparing drawings for the design of clothing of various types in the light of the procedural stages of fashion design What is the possibility of setting standards for different types of clothing drawings in the field of fashion design for women? This research aims at achieving the following targets: - Clarifying the difference between the flat fashion graphics, and identify the similarities and differences between them, Drawing designs for women's clothing inspired by the international fashion trends of 2020/2021, and explaining the difference between designs in the procedural phases of implementing the fashion design, Implementation of the proposed design in the study and turning it into clothing pieces for women by using different types of fashion drawings. The Results: The results of the research are as follows: - Studying the different types of clothing design drawings in the fields of fashion design and the industry of garments. - Highlight the importance of each type of clothing design drawings, and its significant role in the areas of fashion design, and specialized companies. - Emphasize the differences between flat fashion drawings, and the importance of the procedural phases in implementing the fashion design. - Clarifying the difference between the flat fashion graphics, and identify the similarities and differences between them. - Clarifying the objective of drawing for each type of fashion design drawings. - Setting standards for each type of fashion design drawings.

A Survey of the Status and Challenges of Green Building Development in Various Countries

Since the energy crisis in the 1960s, crucial research and activities were spurred to improve energy efficiency and decrease environmental pollution. To deal with the various problems the construction industry are facing, the concept of green buildings (GBs) has been gradually shaped and put forward all over the world, and green building rating systems (GBRSs) have been developed. The concept of GBs covers a wide range of elements, and its definition is constantly updated as the construction industry develops. This paper compares the development of backgrounds and statuses of green building development in various countries. It also presents an overview of the green building development situation within these countries, summarizing two influences for GB development: one external and the other internal. External factors include GB development policy support, economic benefits, and certification schemes. Internal factors are the development and application of GB technology, the level of building management, and how users interact with the GB technology. Currently, 49 worldwide green building standards and application have been sorted out, including 18 standard expert appraisal systems. Moreover, it discusses the research results and lessons learned from green building projects in different countries and summarizes their achievements and challenges. To correctly understand and use green building technology, it is essential to improve the policy and incentive system, improve the professional quality and technical ability of employees and accredited consultants, constantly develop and update the evaluation system, strengthen technological innovation, and integrate design and management. This paper aims to draw a clear roadmap for national standard development, policy formulation, and construction design companies, provide solutions to remove the obstacles, and suggest research direction for future studies.

Introducing the Innovative Course of Architecture Modeling and Rendering (R.S.V.P)

Nowadays, software and three-dimensional (3D) modelling play a vital role in architecture. It can be truly stated that sketch is the first and fastest way to express opinions and ideas for design; however, the final output of any idea and concept in current world should be presented as a three-dimensional output in order to reveal more details and effect on audience because of its visual beauty. In our dear country, Iran, all of employers, referees, architects, academic professors, etc. except nothing form final output unless a beautiful and high-quality 3D. On the other hand, graduated architects should be able to work with architectural 3D software if they want to be employed in private and governmental design companies. This study was conducted to introduce a new method for 3D architectural design for the first time using applied-developmental method, a method that provides the most suitable output within short time merging simple and understandable commands of four programs (software). The final output of this method was confirmed by employers of architecture in terms of occupation, also by referees of architecture competitions and academic professors in terms of education.

MITIGATING FRAUDULENT RISKS: COMPANY CAPTAINS’ PERSPECTIVE

Complete document sets and availability ability tocapture business flow have been underestimated among small-medium business practitioners, affecting the bigger chance of unnecessary loss and increasing risks which prone to fraudulent acts both originally from internal and external parties. This research is equipped with interview transcript involving Mr. Daniel Ifianto, CEO (Chief Executive Operational) of CV. Mandiri Jaya Agro-business (MJA), and his wife as CFO (Chief FinancialOfficer, which main business activity is exporting paddy and corn seeds as respondents.). Second Entity, as the research object, is a CV. DCK which is an architecture and interior design company, Mr. DK.Research Method used is a qualitative study which isinvestigating monetary and operational fraud, errors, and omissionsoccurred both intentional and unintentionally related to the availability of complete documents and Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) application. The research finding shows that solutions were found through creating sets of document copies, authorizations, and document cycle movements concluding parties and people involved both internally and externally. The implication was fraud has been significantly reduced, and the owner feels that applying a complete set of documents andproper authorization has been useful for monitoring the organization itself before fraud happens.

Construction of a bridge crossing over the Volga in Dubna, Moscow Region

The article describes the construction of a unique bridge crossing in Dubna, Moscow Region. Design work started at the beginning of the 2000s. Several options were suggested, clients and design companies changed several times. In 2016, the construction of the bridge crossing over the Volga started. “Institute Giprostroymost” JSC was chosen as a general designer. A range of engineering surveying was carried out and work paper was worked out by the company. The location of the city on the banks of the Volga determined a sustained transport problem. The shortest crossing of the right and left banks was provided by Ivankovskaya hydropower plant. Actual traffic capacity of the crossing was not enough, and this led to regular traffic congestion. The nearest bridge was situated at the distance of 30 km, in the town of Kimry in the Tverskaya Region. The transport infrastructure situation hampered the development of the “Dubna” special economic zone of technology and innovation type which includes an innovation territorial cluster of nuclear-physical and nanotechnologies as well as the city of Dubna itself. Transport accessibility to the Federal Data Processing Centre of the Federal Tax Service of Russia was also limited. The bridge crossing has 4 lanes and consists of motor road approaches and a highway bridge. Shipping length of the bridge with approaches is 1939,93 m. Shipping length together with the length of the ramps is 2997,99 m. Total length of the bridge crossing accounts for 1 166,25 m. Central navigation span is 168,0 m. The construction of the bridge crossing was carried out within the minimum time limit. 24 months after the erection of the bridge started, in November 2018, the bridge was put into operation.

Required model content and information workflows enabling proficient BIM usage

The modern issue within the construction industry is its conservative approach to innovation and poor data management. In a world where information means everything and efficient workflows are becoming the norm for advanced businesses, not using the attainable data pool is a recipe for stagnation and even regression. Different ways to mitigate the risks involved in building projects have been developed at the design company Elea iC to become more flexible and efficient. Through several large-scale high-rise and tunnelling BIM projects in the past four years, engineers at Elea iC have identified two crucial development barriers for advanced proficient BIM usage. The first is organizing the BIM models: internal model structure, information required in models, and how this information is written into models. The second barrier is establishing crucial information workflows to achieve valuable practical results. Exploration of the required model content and its organization together with data workflows are thus the main purposes of this article. Incremental improvement from project to project was needed to provide a much-needed baseline for crucial project data which makes 4D, 5D and 6D BIM modelling possible. A database structure for model properties was developed, from which consistent properties can be inserted into all project BIM models. This provides a unified internal standard ensuring the correct level of information modelling. At the same time essential workflows for BIM implementation, modelling, data sharing, and information management were also developed. Standard BIM software was used to create the base models, but collaboration with other software developers and adapting their solutions was needed in order to attain the desired outcomes of advanced BIM analyses. As more and more clients require advanced BIM solutions for their projects, neglecting to develop and implement new ways of using BIM will diminish companies’ potential in the market in the long run. This paper demonstrates that BIM, coupled with databases including standard model content requirements and information workflows, can provide a credible solution for proficient project data management in the construction industry. Therefore, BIM must not be seen as an impractical tool only requiring additional expenses, but as a system that needs internal company development to be adequately utilized and profited from.

Organizational Climate and Knowledge Sharing towards Employees’ Innovative Behavior in Design Industry

This study examined factors affecting innovative behavior amongst employees in Chinese design industry with the mediating effect of knowledge sharing. Its purpose is to motivate employees to work actively and stimulate their desire for innovation. The examined motivational factors were collective effective belief, freedom in decision. Knowledge sharing was included in the framework as the mediating variable. The survey data used in this empirical study were collected from 432 employees engaged in design work (that is, designers working in graphic design company in Shanxi province of China were the main research objects). Multiple regressions were used to analyses the hypotheses. The findings showed that the effect of collective effective belief on employees’ innovative behavior was high. Practical enlightenment is to discover the theory, how to stimulate and promote the employees’ innovative behavior in the organizational climates, and the organic symbiosis between individuals and collective development in the organizational environment.

The Evolution of Sustainable Business Model Innovation: Evidence from a Sharing Economy Platform in China

In this paper, we explore the emergence of Sheke Network (SKN), an architecture design company whose network platform permits architecture design institutes to seek suitable architects for their architectural design projects. The concepts of sustainable business model (SBM) innovation are used to analyze the SKN’s novel business model, which is built around modern internet technologies, and SKN’s distinct appeal, which centers on cost savings, resource sharing, and the potential for access to more architects’ experiences. Although SBM innovation theory has had a significant impact on management practices and aroused plenty of rich debate within academia, it is still not clearly understood how a company might successfully build a sharing economy (SE) platform using SBM innovation. Thus, this article analyzes the process of SBM innovation in terms of its three essential factors—sustainable value proposition (SVP), sustainable value creation and delivery (SVC&D), and sustainable value capture (SVC)—aiming to disambiguate the black box by examining SKN as a case study. The findings highlight the dynamic evolution of SBM innovation in the development of a sharing economy platform.

Milingimbi Artists Partnerships

Aboriginal women artists who live on the island of Milingimbi in eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia have had a long engagement with people outside of the community. This began with the arrival of Macassan traders over 400 years ago who came primarily in search of trepang. They brought new things and ideas with them; some became absorbed into the lifestyle of the local people. One item in particular is most relevant to the Deep Local and those operating outside of it. The praus that brought the Macassans to Arnhem Land were powered by sails. The Arnhem Land people quickly could see the advantage of having sails for their canoes. They started making sails which they called garrurru from pandanus. The techniques and materials they employed were entrenched into their way of life. The sail added to their capacity to move across the ocean. The concept of making large flat items has been transferred recently to making shelters. In 2017 the women from Milingimbi Art and Culture and Mavis Ganambarr, Margaret Dhorrpuy, and Judy Manany Gurruwiwi from Elcho Island came together to begin a collaboration on a large scale fiber project for Koskela Designs. These pods, or shelters, are made from frames designed by Koskela and interiors twined and coiled by the artists. The scale is very much like the ones of the sails. This project has been designed to have long term creative and economic benefits for the artists and meet the demand for a new and innovative product from the commercial Australian design world. Koskela is a Syndey-based furniture design company which believes that design can effect social change. They are committed to working with indigenous artists on projects which have a local base that are sustainable and meaningful.

The Comprehensive Assessment Methodology of the Design Company Financial Stability (as Exemplified by Volgograd Region)

The article reviews approaches to the comprehensive assessment of the design company financial stability. The methodology comprises logical and mathematics & statistics components. The study focuses on developing a financial stability assessment methodology that fully covers the engineering design specifics. The methodology is a three-step one. The first step consists in the criteria-based systematization of financial stability (financial reliability, financial mobility, financial stability, financial solvency and financial performance). A number of indicators have been defined for each criterion. The indicators characterizing engineering design operations are emphasized. For instance, the Design Management Process Chart has been developed to assess engineering design works for compliance with market needs and design documentation mandatory requirements. At the second step, the optimized ranges of financial stability indicators are calculated and verified. The third step provides the integral assessment of financial stability. The proposed methodology of the design company financial stability comprehensive assessment helps estimate the impact of internal and external factors, calculate financial stability integral indicators and use them to rank the regional design companies, and draw up the potential strategies to ensure financial stability of a business entity. The methodology has been tested on design companies of Volgograd region.

Extracting and Analysing Design Process Data from Log Files of ICT Supported Co-Creative Sessions

AbstractThe observation of designers' behaviour in collaborative design activities and the analysis of protocols improved the understanding of how novel ideas emerge, what occurs among designers and, indirectly, what methods have a good impact on the outcomes. Yet, protocol analysis requires recording the design sessions, often in a simulated environment, thus introducing a bias in the observation. Moreover, the analysis takes up to 1000 times the duration of the observed design session. These limitations definitely hinder the scalability of this practice to large experiments in real operational environments.This paper investigates the possibility to use the data collected in log files, automatically recorded during collaborative design sessions assisted by an ICT design support tool, as a means to extract relevant information about the design process and ultimately to infer insights about co-designers' cognition during the session. In this perspective, the paper proposes a set of metrics tailored to an Augmented Reality-based collaborative design tool. The study has been carried about by processing the data collected in 5 real case studies conducted in three different design companies.

Meaning Frames: The Structure of Problem Frames and Solution Frames

In recent years, focus on the designer's ability to frame wicked problems has underlined the important positioning of the designer as a key player in the early phases of innovation. However, further clarification and development of the theory and terminology of framing are needed in order to understand and support the rather complex framing process that the design team engages in during the early phases of innovation. There is a need to understand how design teams move from an overall framing of the wicked problem, in literature termed the “ problem frame,” to creating a meaningful solution. Through in-depth case studies of the framing processes at five design companies, we learn how designers use the overall problem frame as a stepping-stone to constructing a set of “ solution frames” in order to move toward a meaningful solution that integrates different perspectives. Together with the problem frame these sets of additional solution frames constitute an overall framing of the meaningful product—a “ meaning frame.” This overall meaning frame clarifies and sets the boundaries, the values and goals, and the criteria for evaluation of a proposed solution. As such, the study sheds light on the otherwise hidden reasoning process of framing toward a meaningful solution, rather than framing the problem, which a majority of current literature discusses.

Approachable ZEB (Zero Energy Building) (Part.2) - ZEB for Everyone -

In addition to policy target in Japan (ZEB (Zero Energy Building) is scheduled for new buildings on the average by 2030), the efforts to decarbonize corporate activities are accelerated and private needs of ZEB is growing after Paris Agreement. On the other hand, most of owners tend to be careful to invest in ZEB due to high cost to realize ZEB in general. With above background, we’re promoting ZEBs at the same cost as general buildings and have designed and built “Office-TS and Office-AI” as model projects of ZEB to meet such private needs of ZEB. Based on our policy to provide ZEB with a lot of owners by reasonable cost, economically ZEBs are realized with design of both comfort and ecology by optimum combination of general technologies with excellent cost –performance. Currently in general, most of other existing ZEBs are the demonstration projects implemented by Design or Construction Companies, therefore, it is very advanced examples to provide ZEBs with general private clients. “Approachable ZEB” which can be realized economically will contribute sustainable corporate activities of many owners and sustainable social foundation. In below actual two “Approachable ZEB” projects are introduce; Office-TS has set an energy-saving target of <Nearly ZEB > (more than 75% energy saving) and Office-AI <ZEB Ready> (more than 50% energy saving). Both are realized with the general technologies also with the same cost level as other general non-ZEB projects.