Product Design Research Articles

Return smoothing in pooled annuity products

Abstract While trends in human longevity and volatile capital markets have verified the need for guaranteed income in retirement, existing literature on guaranteed contracts shows that such product designs can be costly. Pooled annuity products, where participants share mortality and investment risks and returns, offer a promising alternative to standard guaranteed products. However, challenges remain for pooled schemes, including highly volatile incomes, especially with significant equity investments. We introduce a pooled annuity product to provide pensioners with a lifetime income characterized by smooth investment returns. Our proposed design builds on the advantages of sharing mortality risk while incorporating equity investments with return smoothing mechanisms. Based on Australian data, we establish transparent and costless minimum guarantees on market returns using a zero-cost collar option which sets upper and lower bounds on market returns and constrains the fund value at any moment. The pension savings are divided into group-self annuitization (GSA) and smoothing accounts. The GSA account provides life-long retirement benefits, while the smoothing account adjusts the GSA benefits within specified bounds. Our method uses the smoothing account as part of the pooled savings, not backed up by the insurer, which helps to minimize guarantee costs through a zero-cost collar option. Results show that retirees face a trade-off regarding their annuity payouts: while smoothing can lead to more stable payments and reduced equity risk, it also means giving up upside gains to buy downside protection.

Dreaming of 2053: Product design and the future of sleep

Commercial sleep products exhibit wide variety but share a common failing: they tend to frame sleep problems individually, ignoring the influence of systemic issues on human wellbeing. To discover whether speculative/critical design (SCD) might offer a more appropriate framing, we use the method of precedent analysis to assess nine examples of sleep related SCD practice. We apply Hale et al.’s socioecological model of sleep health to create a novel framework that classifies how products frame sleep problems and corresponding solutions. This reveals that SCD artefacts frequently recognise societal determinants in how they frame sleep, but their solution tend to focus on individual interventions. The paper questions whether SCD practitioners might benefit from adopting the concept of publics from political sociology to frame more effective solutions and mobilise action towards a more equitable sleep future. This paper presents an original synthesis of product design, sleep, sociology and politics.

Research on the Innovation Path of Cultural and Creative Products Based on Digital Technology

This study aims to explore the application of digital technology in the design of cultural and creative products in Jingdezhen red venues, analyze the design status of cultural and creative products in Jingdezhen red venues, reveal the types and characteristics of existing products, and identify the existing problems and challenges. For Jingdezhen red venues and product market positioning and marketing strategy to provide theoretical support and practical guidance, in order to the red culture resources inheritance and innovation provide new ideas and methods, at the same time for Jingdezhen and even the national product market inject new vitality, to promote the dual goal of cultural inheritance and economic benefits.

Research on Optimizing the Propagation Path Search of Individualized Products With Multi-Source Design Changes

Abstract The individualization and diversification of customer requirements are gradually affecting the product design and manufacturing process, and the production mode of enterprises is evolving toward customer-oriented mass individualized customization. The change in customer requirements is inevitable in the process of individualized product design, which is the key factor leading to the change in product design. This paper establishes the correlation matrix of individualized product parts and components by mining correlation rules and constructs a correlation network model of these parts based on complex network theory. By comprehensively considering the influence of part nodes and their association relationships within the complex network, the intensity of change propagation is calculated using node importance and the probability of change propagation. The search for multi-source design change propagation paths is conducted through an improved ant colony algorithm, and the impact of customer requirement changes is evaluated using the network change rate as an index. This approach helps enterprises make informed decisions regarding customer requirements.

Enhancing Consumer Agent Modeling Through Openness-Based Consumer Traits and Inverse Clustering

This study investigates the relationship between consumer personality traits, specifically openness, and responses to product designs. Consumers are categorized based on their levels of openness, and their affective responses to nine vase designs, varying in curvature and line quantity, are evaluated. The study then introduces the inverse clustering approach, which prioritizes maximizing predictive model accuracy over within-cluster similarity. This method iteratively refines cluster assignments to optimize prediction performance, minimizing errors in forecasting consumer design preferences. The results demonstrate that the inverse clustering approach yields more effective clusters than personality-based clustering. Moreover, while there is some overlap between personality-based and accuracy-based clustering, the inverse clustering method captures additional individual characteristics, extending beyond personality traits and improving the understanding of consumer product design response. The practical implications of this study are significant for product designers, as it enables the development of more personalized designs and optimization of product features to enhance specific consumer perceptions, such as robustness or esthetic appeal.

Is AI image generation a creative or optimize tool in product design process?—The usage of AI image generation tools for vehicle shape as an example

This study explores the shape thinking processes and decision-making factors of designers when using AI image generation tools for conceptualizing the shapes of two-wheeled vehicles through four design tasks. Eight designers were invited to create hand-drawn sketches based on a specific aesthetic direction (technological geometry), followed by a shape divergence exercise using two AI graphics tools, Stable Diffusion and Vizcom, to generate images from text prompts. After selecting the designs closest to their original concepts and their favorite designs, the designers used an iPad to explore different shape directions (technological biology) for partial shape modifications. Finally, retrospective interviews were conducted to understand whether there were differences in designers’ thinking process regarding the use of various AI tools for shape conceptualization, as well as their focal points regarding design modification and shape thinking at different stages of the process. The research findings indicate that current AI tools are more suitable for shape divergence. If designers wish to achieve shape convergence, they need to be more familiar with the various settings of AI image generation tools and understand which prompts significantly influence specific shape characteristics. Designers’ perceptions of shape modification primarily revolve around: 1. Outline contours, 2. Parting lines, 3. Variations in surface curvature, and 4. The resulting features (light and shadow effects). Furthermore, it is recommended that future AI image generation tools, if developed as professional assistive tools for product design, should provide two modes—shape divergence and convergence—focusing on both the main shape and details. Additionally, it is suggested that developing AI-3D technologies should address the four key aspects of shape manipulation presented in this study, offering adjustments for overall appearance and detailing the contour lines of parts, including the manipulation of surface curvature and shape positioning.

Analisis Produktivitas dan Efektivitas Pada Pembuatan Alat Pengupas Kulit Kelapa Muda

This study aims to design and analyze a young coconut skin peeling tool to improve efficiency and safety in the coconut-cutting process, which is currently done manually. The manual process, which takes an average of 3 minutes per coconut, is potentiallyinefficient and risky. With the development of this tool, it is expected to speed up the peeling process, increase productivity, and support the growth of Pak Agung's business in Sidoarjo Regency. The methods used in this study include productivity analysis and effectiveness analysis of the tool. The productivity analysis was conducted by calculating the time required to peel a certain number of coconuts before and after the use of the tool, while the effectiveness analysis evaluates how much the tool can reduce processing time and increase the number of coconuts that can be processed in a unit of time. The analysis results show that after using the tool,the time needed to peel 30 coconuts was reduced from 95 minutes to only 16 minutes, and the processing time per coconut dropped from 3 minutes to 32 seconds. This achievement shows a significant improvement, reflecting better operationalefficiency. This study emphasizes the importance of innovation in tools and technology to support the sustainability of micro and small businesses, as well as to contribute positively to the performance of the coconut processing industry. Keywords: Cost Analysis, Effectiveness, Productivity, Product Design

Enhancing supply chain sustainability performance: the pivotal role of emerging technologies

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of sustainable supply chain practices on sustainability performance in North American and Canadian firms in a business-to-business (B2B) context, specifically focusing on the mediating role of emerging technologies. It aims to deepen the understanding of this complex relationship, contributing to both theoretical knowledge and practical applications. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from supply chain managers in the USA and Canada using a mixed-methods approach that includes partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), necessary condition analysis (NCA) and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA). PLS-SEM was utilized to model the relationships between sustainable practices, emerging technologies and sustainability performance. NCA identified the essential conditions required for sustainability performance, while IPMA was used to assess the importance and performance of different constructs, helping to pinpoint areas where the managerial focus can yield the most significant improvements. Findings This study reveals that sustainable supply chain practices (SSCP) alone do not directly lead to enhanced sustainability performance. SSCP includes product design, procurement, investment recovery and social sustainability. Sustainability performance includes economic, environmental and social performance. Instead, adopting specific emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, wearable devices and virtual reality, is crucial. A significant threshold identified is these technologies’ 80% adoption rate for substantial performance improvements. Furthermore, this study distinguishes the varying impacts of different technologies on economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability. Originality/value This research offers new insights by showing that emerging technologies fully mediate the relationship between SSCP and performance. It expands on existing literature by detailing the specific impacts of various technologies, moving beyond the generalized approach seen in prior research. Specific impacts of emerging digital technologies on SSCP and performance remain underexplored in a B2B environment, and this research aims to address this gap.

Artificial intelligence and network science as tools to illustrate academic research evolution in interdisciplinary fields: The case of Italian design.

In this paper, we explore the application of Artificial Intelligence and network science methodologies in characterizing interdisciplinary disciplines, with a specific focus on the field of Italian design, taken as a paradigmatic example. Exploratory data analysis and the study of academic collaboration networks highlight how the field is evolving towards increased collaboration. Text analysis and semantic topic modelling identified the evolution of research interest over time, defining a ranking of pairs of keywords and three prominent research topics: User-Centric Experience Design, Innovative Product Design and Sustainable Service Design. Our results revealed a significant transformation in the field, with a shift from individual to collaborative research, as evidenced by the increasing complexity and collaboration within groups. We acknowledge the limitations faced by this work, suggesting that the methodology may be primarily suitable for bibliometric and more silos-like disciplines. However, we emphasize the urgency for the scientific community to address the future of research not indexed by large open-access databases like OpenAlex.

Cognitive and Affective Responses to the U.S. FDA E-Cigarette Addiction Warning and Advertisements among Young Adults in California: Product Design, Imagery, and Use.

The current study tested contextual features (product design, imagery, and use) of e-cigarette advertisements on responses to the mandated U.S. FDA addiction text warning. In a within-subjects experimental design, young adults (aged 18-24) living in California were categorized into those who use e-cigarettes (n = 149), use cigarettes (n = 66), and dual use (n = 204). They provided affective and cognitive responses to the addiction warning and e-cigarette products in advertisements. Cognitive and affective responses overall were moderately strong, and this pattern was generally consistent across product design and imagery. Those who use cigarettes (versus dual use) reported stronger feelings that they learned new information and lower perceptions that e-cigarettes help reduce cigarette consumption. Those who smoke also reported greater worry, discouragement, and perceived health benefits associated with e-cigarettes and lower perception of harmfulness of e-cigarettes than those who dual use, and evaluated the warning lowest on eliciting encouragement to use and feeling e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to smoking. Few differences emerged between those who use e-cigarettes and dual use or smoke. The varied response patterns by the use group underline the regulatory challenges of developing strong e-cigarette warnings to deter e-cigarette use.

Development Of Explosion Box Media Recognizing Culinary Heritage

The objectives of this research: 1) produce a product in the form of explosion box media; 2) analyze the suitability of the explosion box media; 3) analyze the effectiveness of the explosion box media. This Development Research or RD uses Sugiyono's development model, the stages it goes through include: 1. potential and problems; 2. data collection; 3. product design; 4.design validation; 5. design revision; 6. product testing, and 7. product revision. The research subjects were media experts and material experts who acted as validators, as well as language experts, with one expert each and 30 respondents aged between 7 and 13 years who lived in Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang. Data collection uses questionnaires and assessment sheets from material experts, language experts and media experts to evaluate how effective the explosion box media is. Produce: 1) explosion box media getting to know the Kampoeng Heritage Culinary of Kajoetangan Malang; 2) the explosion box media recognizes that the Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang Culinary is suitable for use, this is in accordance with the results of validation by material experts who gave a score of 87.5%, media experts 88.6%, and language experts 84.3%; 3.) shows the effectiveness of the explosion box media to get to know the culinary delights of Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang which was tested using a validity test and a reliability test which showed a result of 0.755 which means reliable.

Design and Development of Oil Paper Umbrella Patterns to Convey the Identity of Yiyang City to the New Generation of Customers

Background and Aim: Yiyang, a city renowned for its vibrant local culture within Hunan Province, has cultural traditions that significantly influence both local and wider communities. This study aims to: 1) examine the elements defining Yiyang's local culture and identity, and 2) create oil paper umbrella patterns that resonate with young consumers to enhance the promotion of this cultural identity. Materials and Methods: Using a combination of literature reviews, website surveys, and expert interviews, the study maps out the cultural landscape of Yiyang. Results: Findings categorize Yiyang’s identity into four main elements: traditional customs, scenic locations, handicrafts, and local cuisine. Traditional customs are mainly represented by the Yiyang Dihua Drum and Mugwort Dragon Boat Race; scenic areas are represented by the old tea-horse route, Mountain Yuntai, and Dongting Lake; handicrafts are represented by an oil-paper umbrella, Xiaoyu Bamboo Art, and Meishan Paper Cutting; and local food is mainly represented by Anhua Black Tea, Ma Xiang Cake, and Yuanjiang Asparagus. The cultural elements of Yiyang are cleverly integrated into the design of the oil paper umbrellas, reflecting the cultural connotation of Yiyang through the pattern design, making it a carrier for spreading the culture of Yiyang, which has important cultural significance and market value. Conclusion: The study not only deepens the understanding of Yiyang’s cultural identity but also successfully translates these elements into appealing product designs targeted at young consumers, thereby enhancing both cultural appreciation and market value.

Comparative study of conventional and process intensification by reactive distillation designs for glycerol carbonate production from glycerol and diethyl carbonate

Glycerol carbonate (GC) can be produced from glycerol (GL), a low-value byproduct in the biodiesel industry. In this work, continuous processes of GC production via transesterification from crude GL and diethyl carbonate (DEC) were developed using Aspen Plus. Two cases were considered, and their process performances were compared. In Case I, a conventional design consisted of a continuously stirred tank reactor for the reaction section and a distillation column for the purification section. In Case II, a process intensification design consisted of a reactive distillation column that could accommodate both reaction and purification within a single column. In both cases, the process optimizations were carried out by connecting the process models in Aspen Plus to MATLAB, using the Genetic Algorithm as the optimizer. The results showed that Case II was superior to Case I in terms of energy utilization, CO2 emissions, and economics with the specific energy consumption of 1.92 kWh/kg of diethyl carbonate, % internal rate of return of 274, payback period of 1.44 years, and CO2 emissions of 0.26 kg CO2/kg DEC. Lastly, the proposed process in Case II was compared with the GC production using dimethyl carbonate (DMC). It was found that using DEC was superior to DMC due to easier separation and glycidol avoidance.

Research on Personalized Design and Recommendation Systems for Cultural and Creative Products Based on User Behavior Data

Personalized recommendation technology involves the process of soliciting user data and prescribing a user interest model and active recommendations for some users. Such kinds of creative products involve subjective judgments and intricate patterns in the aesthetics, and it is always difficult to encode algorithms that are capable of understanding and recommending these subjective aspects. In this paper, the beetle swarm optimization algorithm is incorporated into a refined deep neural network model called the beetle swarm-drive refined deep neural network (BS-RDNN) for the analysis of personalized design and recommendation systems for user behaviors. Information about user behavior and feedback was collected as part of this study. The data were preprocessed using Min-Max normalization. t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) is employed to reduce the dataset dimensions. The proposed method is discussed with other types of recommendation algorithms. The proposed method is implemented with the aid of Python software. This result proves that the BS-RDNN method has better performance in terms of precision (91.34%), accuracy (93.24%), F1-score (92.23%), recall (92.44%), AUC (91.42%), and overall satisfaction of the users. Therefore, the use of the suggested system to coordinate with the design ideas of different individuals can benefit the field of cultural and creative products.

Familiar Yet New: How Design-Driven Innovation and Brand Image Affect Green Agricultural Product Purchase Intentions in the Live Streaming Environment

With the rapid development of live streaming e-commerce, green agricultural products have become an important consumer category. However, sales still face challenges such as weak brand effects, content homogeneity, and the lack of professional hosts. Research shows that various factors influence consumers’ purchase intentions, with design-driven attributes and brand image playing crucial roles. However, their impact in the context of green agricultural product live streaming remains underexplored. This study, based on the S-O-R theory, investigates the factors that stimulate consumer purchase intentions for green agricultural products and reveals the influence of design-driven attributes on purchase intentions. A total of 472 valid responses were collected through a questionnaire. The results indicate that social presence and brand image have a positive impact on purchase intention, with green perceived value and emotional attitude acting as full mediators. However, design-driven attributes do not have a significant direct impact on purchase intention. Nevertheless, emotional attitude plays a significant mediating role between design-driven attributes and purchase intention. This study contributes to the research on consumer behavior and perceived value in live streaming environments, particularly emphasizing the importance of design-driven attributes, and provides insights for optimizing live streaming strategies and improving agricultural product design.

The Impact of Diversified Product Layout on Cultural and Creative Brand Building: Take the Operation of the Palace Museum Cultural and Creative Brands Online Stores as an Example

With the recovery of tourism industry and the support of national policies, China's cultural and creative industry has developed rapidly. Among them, the Palace Museum cultural and creative products has become a typical case because its great sales popularity, and its diversified product layout is also worth learning from other cultural and creative brands. Through case analysis and questionnaire survey, based on qualitative and quantitative data, this research makes a comprehensive analysis of the diversified product line, market performance and consumer feedback of the Palace Museum cultural and creative products. The study finds that the diversified product layout of the brand is mainly reflected in the three main aspects of diverse product types, creative product design and targeted product launch. This strategy has an important impact on the brand sales, influence, market competitiveness, and consumer loyalty. The results of this research make up for the research gap in the diversified product layout of cultural and creative brands, and provide a new perspective and program for the sustainable development of other cultural and creative brands in China. In the future, the Palace Museum needs to constantly pay attention to the changes in the consumer market and consumer demand, combine with digital technology, and continuously launch new creative products.

Structure of the product design and assessment of its complexity level from the point of labor intensity of manufacturing and operational efficiency

Structure of the product design and assessment of its complexity level from the point of labor intensity of manufacturing and operational efficiency

Designing a Pocket Book to Support Healthy Living in Islamic Boarding School Communities

Background: One of the efforts to prevent health problems in students in Islamic boarding schools is by building awareness to carry out clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS). Efforts to introduce and improve students' knowledge can be done by using health education media in the form of pocket books. Objective: To produce a PHBS pocket book for students in Islamic boarding schools. Methods: This study uses the RnD approach based on the ADDIE Model (Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). The media was validated by expert media validators, language experts, public health practitioners, agency validators, and students in grades X and XI of the Ar-Rahman Islamic Boarding School. Data collection used literature studies and data were analyzed manually. Results: The development of the PHBS pocket book in Islamic Boarding Schools began with identifying potential problems and, collecting data, and information. Product design creation using the Ibis Paint X application. The product obtained validation results, namely media experts of 96% (very feasible), language experts of 92% (very feasible), public health practitioners of 99% (very feasible), validation of institutions consisting of teachers of 100% (very feasible). After receiving suggestions and comments from the validator, the product was then revised. Then the results of the product trial on the participant group were 88% (very feasible) Conclusion: The PHBS pocket book in Islamic Boarding Schools can be used as a health education media with a very feasible feasibility test. Suggestion: Pocket books can be digitized based on Android.

Inclusion in neurological research: empowering people living with neurological diseases.

The value of involving people living with diseases in the research process is increasingly recognized by professional associations and regulatory agencies alike. Patient contributions range from disease prevention and diagnosis to medication planning, and from advocacy to guideline production and clinical trial design. Thanks to the efforts of activists and advocates, new models of patient inclusion in medical research are being developed to replace outdated non-participative and tokenistic paradigms. New modalities of patient participation in research - for example, the introduction of patient experts, who work closely with researchers and clinicians - have progressively empowered individuals who are living with diseases. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of the current status of patient involvement in medical research, with a specific focus on neurology. We also discuss the existing and future roles of patient experts in neurological research.

Synesthetic Interactions: Exploring the Multisensory Relationships Between Color and Scent in Human Perception

Abstract The article explores the intricate relationship between colors and odors through five experiments. These experiments were developed by researchers in the field of olfactory design and used in a public workshop held in Brescia titled Chromascent, as part of the event il Corpo Eterno, curated by Elena Abbiatici. The first experiment investigates the duration and characteristics of visual and olfactive memories, revealing a complex interplay between these sensory modalities. The second focuses on the influence of color on perceived fragrance purity, showing that color can affect the identification of pure scents. The third experiment examines the neurological connections between colors and smells, suggesting that congruent color-odor pairings enhance cognitive performance. The fourth study investigates the effect of color intensity on perceived scent intensity, yielding mixed results. The fifth experiment delves into the mental processing of a pleasant atmosphere, demonstrating the dominant role of visual stimuli and the significant impact of olfactory elements in shaping emotional responses and memories. This comprehensive study offers valuable insights into the multisensory nature of human perception, with practical applications for design fields including product design, packaging, educational environments, and interior design. These findings can inform the creation of multisensory experiences that are aesthetically pleasing and enhance cognitive function, emotional response, and memory formation.