Product Design Research Articles

Topology-Agnostic Graph U-Nets for Scalar Field Prediction on Unstructured Meshes

Abstract Machine-learned surrogate models to accelerate lengthy computer simulations are becoming increasingly important as engineers look to streamline the product design cycle. In many cases, these approaches offer the ability to predict relevant quantities throughout a geometry, but place constraints on the form of the input data. In a world of diverse data types, a preferred approach would not restrict the input to a particular structure. In this paper, we propose Topology-Agnostic Graph U-Net (TAG U-Net), a graph convolutional network that can be trained to input any mesh or graph structure and output a prediction of a target scalar field at each node. The model constructs coarsened versions of each input graph and performs a set of convolution and pooling operations to predict the node-wise outputs on the original graph. By training on a diverse set of shapes, the model can make strong predictions, even for shapes unlike those seen during training. A 3-D additive manufacturing dataset is presented, containing Laser Powder Bed Fusion simulation results for thousands of parts. The model is demonstrated on this dataset, and it performs well, predicting both 2-D and 3-D scalar fields with a median R-squared > 0.85 on test geometries.

EXPRESS: Color Me Effective: the Impact of Color Saturation on Perceptions of Potency and Product Efficacy

Consumers use observable cues, like color, to help them evaluate products. This research establishes that consumers infer greater product efficacy from higher color saturation across seven lab experiments (n = 2,745), a web scraping study, and a field experiment. The studies provide evidence that this belief stems from learned associations between color saturation and potency and is applied to both consumable and durable products. Moreover, consumers overgeneralize this intuition beyond a product’s actual color to a product’s packaging color and the background color used in its advertisements. Two studies support the proposed process with evidence via moderation, while another study identifies consumption goal as a boundary condition, such that high saturation decreases perceived efficacy and purchase intent when consumers search for a gentle (vs. strong) product. The effect is not limited to pre-purchase perceptions but also influences perceptions after actual product use. The effect is established across six hues while holding color lightness constant and has multiple downstream consequences, including purchase intent and consumption amount. The findings have implications for marketers who make product design choices like color choices for products, their packaging, and advertisements, and in instances where consumers may be harmed from underuse or overuse.

Designing orthopaedic seat cushion made of rattan using quality function deployment approach

Using ergonomic orthopaedic chairs can address spinal issues, particularly HNP, due to their flexible and elastic properties. By achieving optimal ergonomic design, various positive aspects can be achieved, such as increasing work quality productivity and reducing the cost of injuries or accidents. This research demonstrates diverse product design approaches to enhance posture health ergonomics, address specific musculoskeletal disorder issues, and consider local needs and available materials. Rattan is a tropical vine widely used in the furniture industry and predominantly found in wooded areas such as Indonesia. This research combines market research, morphology, ergonomic study, concept selection, QFD, HoQ, stiffness test, and prototype review. The QFD method was chosen in this study due to its excellence in connecting consumer desires with the product development process. Data of respondents consist of 51 % of respondents were male, 49 % were female, 88 % were aged between 18 and 34 years old, and 10 % were aged between 35 and 54 years old. The approach of 6 stages of product design as the primary framework for developing our product such as: planning, concept development (concept screening, product morphology, concept selection), system-level design, detailed design, testing, refinement and launching. Based on the calculations using the HOQ, it is identified that the primary focus in designing the rattan-based orthopaedic seating, lies in the orthopaedic design that provides maximum comfort for the spine. The comparison results indicate that the stiffness level of rattan weaving is nearly like latex, with a similarity percentage of 89 %. Data analysis using the QFD method indicates that the primary priority aspect is the orthopaedic design, followed by the selection of quality materials, cost-effectiveness, versatility, and appealing design aspects. Rattan's superior air circulation provides comfort by preventing excessive heat accumulation, excellence in strength and durability, ensuring ease of lightweight modelling, and providing more sustainable material.

Development of An-Nawa Method-Based Learning Module for Basic-Level Quranic Literacy

Learning to read and write the Qur'an is fundamental to Islamic religious education. However, existing teaching methods often need to be more effective in meeting diverse learners' needs. It encourages the development of adaptive modules that meet the needs of students, such as the An-Nawa module, which adapts the Iqra and Ummi methods. This study aims to create an adaptation of the An-Nawa Module of Iqra and Ummi and assess how well it works. The research methodology employs the ten-stage Borg and Gall research and development technique. The research and development study's findings indicate that the following principles developed the An-Nawa module: analysis of educational needs, gathering pertinent data, product design that takes students' needs into account, validation demonstrating the module's viability, design revision, testing, product revision, usage testing, product revision, as well as socialization and implementation. These phases are all essential to developing a module, which also involves implementation, assessment, and revision to guarantee the module's viability and efficacy in raising students' proficiency in reading and writing the Al-Qur'an. The suggestions are to do limited testing, involve experts in the development process, and revise the module continuously to raise its quality. To guarantee that the module positively influences students' abilities to read and write the Al-Qur'an, socialization, and module execution are equally crucial.

Hungry Minds: How branding and communication design can educate students on the importance of a healthy diet for academic performance.

This project considers how branding can educate students on the importance of a healthy diet for academic performance. Using Communication design to create a brand identity, designed to educate teenagers and students on the importance of a nutritious diet for academic performance and encourage healthier food choices. Recognising the challenges that students face when trying to implement healthy meals within their busy schedules, this product serves as a valuable tool in creating an accessible solution to encourage healthier eating. Hungry Minds is a healthy meal kit, full of nutrients and fresh ingredients that help cognitive brain functions such as concentration and creativity. It is a convenient, accessible and inexpensive solution. In recent years, studies have shown there to be an evident relationship between diet and academic performance amongst students. Due to an increase in affordable and convenient processed meal options, students face a decline in cognitive brain functions used when studying, such as concentration and motivation, resulting in poorer quality of learning and life. However, this can be prevented with an increased intake of healthy nutrients, found in fresh ingredients. Using digital illustration, product design and branding through communication design to create a meal kit brand made to improve cognitive brain functions and educate an audience, catered towards students. This project relates to my personal experiences regarding diet and performance, and how a product like this would provide an accessible solution that would benefit the lives of many.

Racial disparities and potential channels in the NBA digital collectibles market

ABSTRACT We analyse National Basketball Association (NBA) digital collectibles’ prices to test whether there exist any racial disparities based on NBA players’ demographics. Using a novel and rich dataset, controlling for performance measures, we do not find evidence of price disparities between Black versus White players, Hispanic versus non-Hispanic players and foreign versus U.S. players. However, we find evidence suggesting that non-Black minority players’ product prices are statistically and economically lower than those of comparable players. We also identify two possible channels which might contribute to such racial disparities – a product design channel and a media coverage channel.

An Automated Data-Driven Approach for Product Design Strategies to Respond to Market Disruption Following COVID-19

Abstract Online reviews provide a source to identify customer needs. While many studies have analyzed online reviews during the pandemic, it is worth noting that many customer preference studies in this period were not conducted within a product design context. The societal challenges presented by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, spanning nearly three years, have significantly impacted all facets of the population in a manner unparalleled in recent decades. Therefore, this research delves into the post-COVID-19 landscape, examining shifts in consumer preferences for diverse product features through an analysis of online reviews. Our framework unfolds in five stages: First, it collects online reviews and second, delves into customer interest in product features. Third, it analyzes customer sentiments toward these features. Fourth, employing interpretable machine learning techniques, it determines the significance of each feature. Fifth, an importance-performance analysis (IPA) and Kano models are utilized to formulate and analyze product strategies. The developed method is assessed on two real-world datasets—smartphone and laptop reviews. The results reveal that after the pandemic, customer satisfaction for the screen and camera in smartphones decreased, whereas it increased for those in laptops. In addition, the importance of battery features in smartphones and laptops has increased. These insights will aid companies in promptly formulating strategies to navigate dynamic market environments.

Design of Heyzine Flipbook Based Arabic E-Module as an Alternative Teaching Material for Basic’s Level

One innovation in learning Arabic is using digital platforms such as Heyzine Flipbook (HF), which has been proven to increase student motivation. This research aims to develop and analyze the product design of the Arabic Learning E-module via HF. The method used is “Research & Development” (R&D) with the ADDIE model. The focus of this article is at MIN 2 East Lampung. Several applications (Canva, Quizizz, and Wordwall) are supported to create product designs for Arabic learning materials. Then, the product feasibility test involved six validators, namely material and language experts, who got 83.9%, learning media experts got 84.7%, and learning design experts got 83.5%. In the small group test, the score was 87.5%, while in the significant group test, the score was 67.3%. In terms of effectiveness, the application of this product shows very good results, with an average increase in student grades of 57.0%. In this way, all students achieve completeness after the Arabic e-module development product via HF can be implemented optimally.

Applications of Machine Learning Technologies for Feedstock Yield Estimation of Ethanol Production

Biofuel has received worldwide attention as one of the most promising renewable energy sources. Particularly, in many countries such as the U.S. and Brazil, first-generation ethanol from corn and sugar cane has been used as automobile fuel after blending with gasoline. Nevertheless, in order to continuously increase the use of biofuels, efforts are needed to reduce the cost of biofuel production and increase its profitability. This can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of a sequential biofuel production process consisting of multiple operations such as feedstock supply, pretreatment, fermentation, distillation, and biofuel transportation. This study aims at investigating methodologies for predicting feedstock yields, which is the earliest step for stable and sustainable biofuel production. Particularly, this study reviews feedstock yield estimation approaches using machine learning technologies that focus on gradually improving estimation accuracy by using big data and computer algorithms from traditional statistical approaches. Given that it is becoming increasingly difficult to stably produce biofuel feedstocks as climate change worsens, research on developing predictive modeling for raw material supply using the latest ML techniques is very important. As a result, this study will help researchers and engineers predict feedstock yields using various machine learning techniques, and contribute to efficient and stable biofuel production and supply chain design based on accurate predictions of feedstocks.

Combining style generative adversarial networks with particle swarm optimisation-support vector regression to design affective social robot for public health intervention

In order to improve the attractiveness of social robot serving health interventions in public workspace, we propose a product design method with the combination of Style-generative adversarial network (StyleGAN) model and particle swarm optimisation-support vector regression (PSO-SVR). This paper aims to explore the modelling generation method of social robots for health intervention based on artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) and a mapping model between the shape characteristics and users’ visual perception based on Kansei Engineering (KE). Firstly, to address the defects of typical KE over-reliance on existing samples, we introduce the StyleGAN model in AIGC to learn and train existing robots’ shape samples and generate new robots’ shape sample images. Secondly, the morphological deconstruction method is used to deconstruct the shape features of the new robot sample. Factor analysis (FA) is also used to reduce dimension and cluster emotional words and establish a Likert scale between the shape features of robots and users’ emotional vocabulary. Finally, particle swarm optimisation-support vector regression (PSO-SVR) is used to establish a mapping model between the shape features of social robots and the emotional images of users, thus obtaining the most attractive shape combination scheme. The research results showed that the StyleGAN model in AIGC can be used to assist industrial designers in creative expression and provide rich sample sources for KE; and the PSO-SVR of machine learning can be used to build a mapping model among users’ visual feelings, emotional images and shape features. In the end, we designed an attractive social robot for public health intervention.

A hierarchical consensus reaching model based on trust and uncertain degree for heterogeneous large-scale group decision making and application to product design

Nowadays, due to the fierce market competition, companies in many industries needs to constantly introduce new products. How to select an optimal product design has become a widespread problem. Due to complexity and a large number of decision makers (DMs) participating in decision-making, this paper formulates the product design selection as a type of large-scale group decision making (LSGDM). Because of the differences in occupation, purpose, and personality of DMs in LSGDM, they prefer to provide evaluations by heterogeneous representation formats. A hierarchical consensus reaching model is developed based on trust and uncertain degree for heterogeneous LSGDM. Firstly, the heterogeneous evaluations of DMs are transformed into fuzzy preference relations (FPRs) through possibility degrees. According to trust relationships and original evaluations of DMs, the trust and uncertain degrees of DMs are extracted considering the inherent personalities and psychological traits implied in the heterogeneous evaluations. Thereby, this paper (1) constructs an optimization model to determine the weights of DMs and (2) divides the feedback mechanism into four cases. Case study of product design selection is provided to illustrate the applicability of the proposed model. Several comparisons validate the advantages of the proposed model.

Unravelling the nice-to-have and must-have circular economy-oriented dynamic capabilities for sustainable product design and end-of-life management: Insights from PLS-SEM and NCA

Drawing on the dynamic capabilities theory, a multi-method approach was used to examine the effects of circular economy-oriented dynamic capabilities on sustainable product design and end-of-life management. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) were employed on survey data from 285 manufacturing firms in Ghana. The findings show that whereas reconfiguring capabilities enhance sustainable end-of-life management, sensing and seizing capabilities were not direct predictors of sustainable end-of-life management. Nonetheless, sustainable product design was found to be a mechanism through which sensing and seizing capabilities promote sustainable end-of-life management. Also, apart from reconfiguring capabilities, sensing and seizing capabilities were positive predictors of sustainable product design. The NCA results suggest that all three circular economy-oriented dynamic capabilities (i.e., sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring capabilities) are must-have (necessary) conditions for sustainable product design and end-of-life management. We provide empirical evidence (via PLS-SEM and NCA) of the nice-to-have and must-have circular economy-oriented dynamic capabilities for sustainable product design and end-of-life management, besides highlighting sustainable product design as a mechanism through which these capabilities enhance sustainable product design.

Development of Multimedia Based Busy Book Learning Media to Improve Cognitive and Language Abilities in Early Childhood

This study aimed to provide multimedia-based busy book learning resources to enhance the language and cognitive abilities of young children attending Bengkulu City's Lembayung Indah Kindergarten. Both books and multimedia-based busy books are the end products of this research project. Potential and problems, data collection, initial product design, expert validation, design revision, small group trials, product revision I, large group trials, product revision II, and final product are the ten steps that make up this research, which is a development research (Research & Development) using the Borg and Gall model. 36 youngsters made up the sample used in this study, which was selected at random. Children's abilities tests, open interviews, and observation were the methods used to get the data. T tests, percentages, and scores were employed in this study's data analysis. Based on the study's findings, the creation of multimedia-based busy book materials was deemed both practical and successful in enhancing the language and cognitive abilities of young children in group B of Lembayung Indah Kindergarten in Bengkulu City.

Sustainable and Bio-based Food Packaging Design of Chinese Agricultural Products Under the “Internet Plus” Mindset

National identity is people's emotional attachment to the country, which is related to personal growth and success as well as the prosperity and stability of the country. The advent of the "Internet Plus" era marks a new ecological evolution in the networked society, significantly impacting personal national identity. On the one hand, the proactive, dynamic, autonomous, and connective nature of "Internet Plus" provides abundant resources and novel platforms to enhance individual national identity. On the other hand, its openness, compatibility, diversity, and anonymity can also challenge and influence personal perceptions of national belonging. This study delves into the nuanced interplay between national identity and the packaging design of Chinese agricultural products within the "Internet Plus" framework, exploring emerging trends, changes, and characteristics. This paper presents an in-depth literature assessment on the comprehensive methodology of Bio-based Food Packaging (B-FP) for food within the cyclical economy. It emphasizes three principal domains: (1) the function of B-FP within a circular goods layout method and material selection during the preproduction life cycle phase; (2) the contribution of B-FP to oval resource administration structures and the item's elimination life cycle phase; and (3) the optimum utilization of B-FP concerning the prioritization of end-of-life therapy. It scrutinizes the underlying issues and deep-seated causes, enriching the theoretical discourse on national identity. Through literature review and surveys, this paper firstly defines and clarifies the concepts of "Internet Plus," national identity, and the B-FP design of Chinese agricultural products. It then investigates the implications of "Internet Plus" for national identity within pastoral product B-FP design, examining its supportive role. Furthermore, survey data is analyzed to evaluate the impact of B-FP design on national identity from various aspects such as structure, visual appeal, and the absence of green design principles. Identifying key challenges and attributing them to factors such as brand competitiveness and rural revitalization strategies, the study ultimately seeks to formulate design strategies for agricultural product B-FP from a national identity perspective within the "Internet Plus" context.

Strategi dalam Meningkatkan Penjualan terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen di Pedagang Eva Fashion

This research analyzes strategies for increasing sales of consumer buying interest at Eva Fashion traders, using a quantitative approach with a sample of 50 respondents selected through a purposive sampling method. Multiple linear regression analysis with a significance level of 5% shows that the three independent variables have a positive and significant influence on consumer purchasing interest, with product design as the most dominant factor (regression coefficient 0.458, p < 0.05), followed by product quality (0.325, p < 0.05) and product variance (0.217, p < 0.05). The research model produces an R2 value of 0.734, indicating that 73.4% of the variation in purchasing interest can be explained by these three variables, with the practical implication that Fashion Parking traders need to prioritize product design aspects while maintaining the quality and diversity of dance to increase business competitiveness.

Design Guidelines for Building and Infrastructure Integrated Photovoltaic Modules

The demand for renewable energy is increasing as efforts to decarbonize energy sources continue. Photovoltaic (PV) generation systems are the main contributor to the growth of renewable energy, but limited land availability in countries such as Belgium and Netherlands poses a challenge to their deployment. Integrated PV (IPV) can be a promising solution, but requires special consideration regarding electrical and fire safety, efficiency, durability, cost, and environmental impact in the design process. This study seeks to assist designers of IPV products by guiding the selection of materials, technologies, mechanical designs, and production methods for PV semifabricates (SF). It provides a comprehensive list of general design criteria, each offering various options in terms of bill of materials and production technologies. These options come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages, which are enumerated and quantified wherever feasible. The general design guidelines are validated based on the building‐integrated PV and infrastructure‐integrated PV demonstrators (in this case a noise barrier) being developed in the Solar Energy Made Regional (SolarEMR) project.

Advancements in Battery Management through Multi-Scale Digital Twin Technology: Principles and Applications

To achieve peak carbon and carbon neutral goals, the development of electric cars has become strategically important. It is necessary to have precise battery management technology because the lifespan and safety of power batteries change dynamically as they are used. This leads to rapid capacity degradation brought on by the inconsistent performance of single cells and thermal runaway brought on by short board batteries or internal defects. New battery management capabilities have been made possible by the development of the digital twin model, which is now one of the technical trends in the industry. Based on the development trend of battery management technology , the article concentrates on the analysis of basic principles of battery digital twin modeling from the aspects of system modeling to management and control requirements. The article systematically introduces the construction method of multi-dimensional, multi- scale and multi-physical field fusion of digital twin battery. Combined with the previous research of the team, the practical case of the digital twin battery was analyzed. Finally, the application perspective of digital twin battery is discussed in production design, life cycle management and other scenarios, which provided ideas and references for the development of battery management technology.

Pengaruh Desain Produk dan Kualitas Produk terhadap Kepuasan Konsumen di Perusahaan Kencana Bordir Tasikmalaya

This research aims to determine the influence of product design and product quality simultaneously on consumer satisfaction at the Kencana Bordir Tasikmalaya company. The partial influence of product design and product quality on consumer satisfaction at the Kencana Bordir Tasikmalaya company. The method used in this research is a survey method with a quantitative approach. With a research sample of 96 people as respondents from consumers of the Kencana Bordir Tasikmalaya company. The data used is primary data. The analytical tool used in this research is multiple linear regression using the SPSS version 25 application. The results of simultaneous testing of product design and product quality have a significant effect on consumer satisfaction. Partially, the product design variable has a significant effect on consumer satisfaction, as well as the product quality variable partially has a significant effect on consumer satisfaction.

Exploring Outcome-driven Innovation for the Responsible Design of Electric Two-wheelers

Amidst a technology push for electric mobility, the societal implementation of new e-mobility innovations is multi-layered and warrants a user-centered view. This study explores how the application of the outcome-driven innovation method (ODI) can be extended to e-mobility and inform a more responsible design of electric two-wheeler product and service development. By means of discovering electric two-wheelers’ possible weak spots and potentials using outcome-driven innovation with citizens, their unmet requirements can be better addressed. The results suggest several innovation potentials which could better facilitate users in getting certain jobs done, such as developing a more lightweight vehicle design. Additionally, the diverse needs of users can be transformed into real customer benefits through the subsequent integration of additional vehicle functionalities, such as complementing human machine interfaces or wearables. By employing outcome-driven innovation as a deliberative and inclusive means of creating value and by being receptive to citizen feedback, ODI has the potential to make a meaningful stride in enhancing the ‘responsible’ nature of innovation.

Life cycle management of critical refurbishable parts of ship equipment

To ensure the product life cycle (PLC), foreign and domestic information technologies have been developed that mainly ensure the stages of design and manufacture of products, but they do not allow for automation of the design of technologies for restoration and strengthening of parts. The relevance of restoration of critical parts of ship equipment is due to dependence on foreign supplies of equipment and spare parts (SP), as well as sanctions from unfriendly states, which complicated the acquisition of SP, and the need for import independence arose. The paper shows that life cycle management of a restored part has a significant impact on the efficiency of marine fleet operation, and provides stages and main sub-stages of the life cycle of restored parts of ship equipment. Restoration of parts is considered appropriate if the required durability and savings are ensured compared to manufacturing or purchasing a new part. The concept of life cycle management of restored parts is provided. Life cycle management of restored parts includes planning, control and management of all stages, as well as decision-making to ensure the durability of the part through the use of advanced materials and coating formation technologies. The stage of the life cycle of the restored part, determining the service life of the part, the economic efficiency of its restoration and subsequent operation, is the technological process that ensures the optimal chemical composition, mechanical and structural parameters of the coating. All the properties of the restored part are laid down at the stage of designing the technological process. The prospects of using the life cycle management of the restored part are shown using the example of restoring precision parts of the fuel equipment of marine diesel engines. The use of various technologies for the same type of restored precision parts allows obtaining coatings with different chemical composition, mechanical properties, structure and, accordingly, different values of durability and cost price to ensure the specified service life of the tribological unit at an acceptable price.