Industrial Design Practice Research Articles

Commercializing Academic Medical Research: The Role of the Translational Designer

Increasingly universities are seeking to play a more active role in translating their fundamental scientific discoveries into large-scale, practical impact in the world. In the field of medical research, translating discoveries from the bench to the bedside. These processes of research translation are complex and interdisciplinary, involving a combination of research as well as non-research activities that take place both within and outside the traditional boundaries of the university. This complexity leads to many discoveries being ‘lost in translation’. This paper unpacks some of the challenges faced by designers with research translation through a series of case studies from a health care design research lab – Monash University Health Collab. Through these case studies, we highlight the necessary role of the translational designer, a hybrid design practitioner-researcher who brings the strengths of both industrial design practice and design research as a way to help bridge the chasms between research and commercial development.

Designing for Socialist Need: Industrial Design Practice in the German Democratic Republic

Designing for Socialist Need: Industrial Design Practice in the German Democratic Republic

Maintained load-test results for continuous flight auger piles in south-east England Chalk

This paper presents a case study of the results from Roger Bullivant Ltd's testing database from the last 4 years, consisting of eight working load tests and one preliminary test spread across five sites in south-east England. The paper covers the geology of each site and the design of the piles, which was carried out using current industry design practice. The results were analysed to predict the ultimate shaft friction of each pile. As the test results demonstrated that the piles behaved satisfactorily at working load, it is argued that the piles could be seen to be uneconomical. When piles in Chalk are tested, it is common that they rarely deflect to a point where any noticeable failure is deemed to occur. Through a comparison of available published data together with this new data set, a more efficient design is proposed for piles in Chalk with a higher limiting shaft friction value.

Entrepreneurship Strategies in Achieving Aesthetic and Functional Products through Industrial Design Practices

This paper discusses industrial design as a concept aimed at commodities created for appeal and function. It discusses who the industrial designer is and what he does, the strategies employed to achieve functional and aesthetic success for the end-users. The importance of form, function and marketing strategies in creating economically sustainable products were also explored and explained. The paper also stresses the importance of both aesthetics and function in the course of design and production of products. The forms of marketing techniques, strategies and services for such products were explained. Industrial design is described as a collaborative profession which requires working in harmony with other professionals to execute form and function. The paper is of the view that some industrial design practices bring art experiences to the public through the process of industrialisation. The industrial designers finish the creative endeavour and the object becomes a commodity that is appreciated, negotiated for and brings satisfaction to all concerned.

Design roulette: A close examination of collaborative decision-making in design from the perspective of framing

This paper uses the concept of framing as a means of examining design process. It explores in detail interactions between a small design team as they collaborate to design a workshop which forms part of a larger project. Elements of framing practice, namely, moving, reflecting and reframing are used to draw attention the decision-making constructed as a failure to benefit from frame discipline. Set in the context of a substantial data set documenting a design project taking place within contemporary industrial design practice, analysis of this specific episode is used to discuss frame discipline as a characteristic of design expertise.

Industrial Feedback on Implementing Functional Decomposition Design Processes for Reliability and Functional Safety

The value of Axiomatic Design functional decomposition as a design analysis point tool has been widely reported. This paper reports on the implementation of functional decomposition design processes as a system design tool on 23 industrial projects over a 5 year period with product development teams ranging from 6 to 35 engineers. The products developed were systems of systems with mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, and operational interface elements. Functional decompositions ranged from about 200 to 1600 Functional Requirements. A number of these projects are now in commercial production. This paper reviews the process definition and implementation process steps that evolved from these experiences. The paper then reports on the implementation lessons learned and the value propositions noted. Conclusions and recommendations are made. The experiences demonstrated that functional requirement decomposition processes aid in achieving on-time, on-cost and on-specification project development targets. The authors propose this paper summarizes the “Endgame” design process impact that axiomatic design can reasonably expect in industry design practices for system development.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

AbstractThe body as an anthropological nexus of sociocultural norms and conventions has been discussed at length in the humanities and social sciences. However, within the worlds of industrial design, an important player influencing an understanding of the body within a design process has been neglected and that is the industrial designer. Our main thesis considers designing as an anthropological, sociocultural and physical praxis, in the midst of which stand person(s) engaging within their material environments. We argue that, as an interdisciplinary dialogue with anthropologists and designers alike, the industrial designer could pursue a broader perspective than the classic techno-practice perspective, which deliberately detaches the social qualities of human action with the aim of changing user behaviour through the use of medical products. Instead, we propose an understanding of industrial design practice(s) that considers the improvisational and interwovenness of peoples and practices and what this means for attuning industrial design practices accordingly.

Exploration on factors of old industrial building renovation and design practice

The value and necessity of the current renovation and reuse of old industrial buildings are obtained by introducing the status quo of China’s old industrial buildings and citing the protection methods in the world in each period. Through the field investigation and observation analysis in Guangzhou, China, taking the number of users as the evaluation standard, the influence of the building material, color, number of floor, lighting and greening on the renovation and utilization of old industrial buildings is expounded. Combined with the relevant theory and case analysis, the favorable factors of affecting the old industrial building renovation are obtained to be some of the inspiration and recommendations of the old industrial building renovation and utilization. Finally, according to research conclusion, it is applied to the actual project. Through the project design, the previous research conclusion is further comprehensively used, and the final result is explained with the help of the three-dimensional model.

Development and presentation of the first design process model for sports equipment design

Many design industries have design process models specific to their discipline. However, there is no design process model specific to the design of sports equipment. Sports equipment is highly user-centred to improve the sporting performance of an athlete; therefore, it is anticipated that the outcome of this study will have an impact on the design discipline as a whole, as lessons can be learnt from the user-centred nature of sports design. This paper reports on a practical study and followed a rigorous, iterative approach of development and evaluation. The paper presents the development and validation of a sports design process model with the outcome of a sports design process model that is reflective of sports design practice in industry.

Task allocation algorithm for virtual design organisation in agile industrial design

Agile industrial design is a kind of modern industrial design method to deal with the rapid change of market demand. From the perspective of the development trend of industrial design, virtual design organisation will be an important form of agile design organisations. Task allocation of organisation members is the primary work of agile industrial design practice, and it will involve many complex factors. Innovation as the core of industrial design determines its agility. Firstly, the characteristics of industrial design in agile environment were analysed in this paper. On the basis of this study, the influencing factors of virtual organisation task allocation were discussed, and the task allocation factors for virtual organisation were summarised into five aspects, namely, difficulty of innovation, interest degree, ability of comprehensive design, emergency degree of design task, and busy degree of design work. Based on these, the paper focused on the definition of the difficulty coefficient of design exploration, and the calculation method of influencing factors and task allocation algorithm were given, and the results were verified by an example.

Task allocation algorithm for virtual design organisation in agile industrial design

Agile industrial design is a kind of modern industrial design method to deal with the rapid change of market demand. From the perspective of the development trend of industrial design, virtual design organisation will be an important form of agile design organisations. Task allocation of organisation members is the primary work of agile industrial design practice, and it will involve many complex factors. Innovation as the core of industrial design determines its agility. Firstly, the characteristics of industrial design in agile environment were analysed in this paper. On the basis of this study, the influencing factors of virtual organisation task allocation were discussed, and the task allocation factors for virtual organisation were summarised into five aspects, namely, difficulty of innovation, interest degree, ability of comprehensive design, emergency degree of design task, and busy degree of design work. Based on these, the paper focused on the definition of the difficulty coefficient of design exploration, and the calculation method of influencing factors and task allocation algorithm were given, and the results were verified by an example.

Mixed Criticality Systems—A History of Misconceptions?

Mixed criticality systems have recently received much attention both in research and in industrial design practice. However, industrial practice and much of the research community seem to follow different objectives and research directions. We will review the status of mixed criticality systems design and compare the open challenges with the current research trends.

Design Innovation: A Tool for Value-Adding to the Papua New Guinea Balsa Wood Industry

Abstract In recent times the Papua New Guinea (PNG) balsa wood industry has increased in global volume and value, offering employment to a significant number of individuals in East New Britain (ENB) Province. The PNG balsa industry previously relied on China’s renewable wind energy industry for rotor blade manufacturing, which was claimed to be the largest consumer of processed balsa from PNG. Since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) the Chinese demand for PNG balsa has significantly reduced, resulting in a mass over-supply and under-demand for the PNG resource. A lack of design innovation has added to the current market conundrum and left many smallholders unable to sell their balsa, leading to widespread financial hardship. It has come to the attention of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and many stakeholders that if there are no new applications for balsa there is no point continuing to grow the resource for a market that is not consuming it. Design innovation generated through research-led industrial design practice is argued as a key element in value-adding to the PNG balsa industry and smallholder businesses. The use of research to inform the design process and generate design innovation is demonstrated through a case study as an attempt to rectify the current over-supply and under-demand.

Application of human factors evaluation in engineering design and safe operation of dense phase ethylene treaters

Ethylene treaters are widely used in the petrochemical industry to remove impurities from ethylene feedstock imported from pipeline networks or storage caverns. The safety concerns of dense phase ethylene treaters due to the reactive and highly flammable nature of ethylene are well known and studied. Under certain conditions, ethylene may self-polymerize and decompose violently with heat release. Under other conditions, ethylene will auto-refrigerate, generating cold liquids that may cause potential brittle fracture hazards. Therefore, dense phase ethylene treaters present design challenges with the unique combination of high temperature decomposition and cold temperature brittle fracture hazards.Due to these safety concerns, it is important to select the appropriate engineering design options for dense phase ethylene treaters and the associated regeneration facilities. Totally automated treater regeneration systems add complexity and instrument maintenance requirements while manually operated systems rely heavily on operator training and procedures. Unfortunately, little or no information or design guidance is available from published research findings in the literature on the evaluation and risk assessment of current industrial design options and practices for dense phase ethylene treaters.This paper presents a systematic risk assessment method to evaluate the engineering design and safe operation options for dense phase ethylene treaters. The proposed risk assessment method integrates human factors task analysis into the traditional HAZOP, LOPA and fault tree analysis to allow evaluation of automated, manual and hybrid approaches with a goal of selecting and optimizing design options to ensure plant safety. This approach provides a realistic assessment of the operational risk and allows identification of fit-for-purpose risk reduction. Applying this systematic risk assessment approach, a simpler and more cost effective design solution can be justified, thereby avoiding the need for a high integrity protective system.

FMEA and consideration of real work situations for safer design of production systems

Production equipment designers must ensure the health and safety of future users; in this regard, they augment requirements for standardizing and controlling operator work. This contrasts with the ergonomic view of the activity, which recommends leaving operators leeway (margins for manoeuvre) in performing their task, while safeguarding their health. Following a brief analysis of design practices in the car industry, we detail how the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) approach is implemented in this sector. We then suggest an adaptation that enables designers to consider real work situations. This new protocol, namely, work situation FMEA, allows experience feedback to be used to defend the health standpoint during designer project reviews, which usually only address quality and performance issues. We subsequently illustrate the advantage of this approach using two examples of work situations at car parts manufacturers: the first from the literature and the second from an in-company industrial project.

Silver to steel: the modern designs of Peter Muller-Munk

This groundbreaking book situates Peter Muller-Munk (1904-1967), a German emigre to the U.S., among the most influential designers of his generation. Accompanying an exhibition at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, this book presents the untold story of a man who rose from anonymity as a young silversmith at Tiffany & Co. to become a crucial postwar designer, promoting the practice of industrial design across the globe through one of the top design consultancies in America: Peter Muller-Munk Associates (PMMA). This generously illustrated book begins with Muller-Munk's remarkable Art Deco silver and provides new context for his best-known and world renowned designs: the streamlined Normandie pitcher and Waring waterfall blender. But the revelation comes in his previously undocumented work: memorable products like cameras, radios, cocktail shakers, power tools, and refrigerators; and total environments for gas stations, international expositions and mass-transit vehicles. Muller-Munk's prestigious clients included Bell & Howell, Westinghouse, U.S. Steel, Texaco and Schick. Following a remarkable career punctuated by numerous accolades, this compelling chronological overview of Muller-Munk's life and impressive legacy is punctuated by colourful case studies of his firm's contributions to wide-ranging aspects of mid-century life. Published in association with Carnegie Museum of Art.

The Application of Cloud Innovation in Industrial Design Education

According to the domestic status of students’ study and practice of industrial design, the application of cloud innovation in industrial design education was proposed to realize online design reviews, dissemination and sharing, virtual display and demand-oriented collaborative design. The basic framework and function of cloud innovation system were analyzed to solve three problems: design relearning, lack of creative communication, separation between education and enterprise production of industrial design.

Assessment of sustainable design practices in the fashion industry: experiences of eight small sustainable design companies in the Northeastern and Southeastern United States

ABSTRACTThe primary purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of designers’ knowledge of sustainability and investigate current practices in sustainable fashion design in order to discover what variables influence designers’ decisions during the design and product development process of sustainable fashion apparel. Qualitative, descriptive research methods, including an open-ended research guide and in-depth interviews, were used. The study focused on sustainable fashion designers from small design companies in the Northeastern and Southeastern United States. The study discusses some of the variables that impact the implementation of sustainable fashion design practices, such as current industry practices and expectations, consumer knowledge and acceptance, sustainable sourcing, production, and distribution options, as well as sustainable design education. In addition, gaps in knowledge regarding various aspects of sustainability among self-proclaimed sustainable fashion designers are identified.

Bounds on the natural frequencies of laminated rectangular plates with extension-twisting (and shearing–bending) coupling

Anti-symmetric angle-ply laminates are widely believed to uniquely possess Extension-Twisting (together with Shearing–Bending) coupling behavior. The results in this article serve to dispel this misconception by presenting solutions for both standard laminates, containing combinations of angle plies (±45°) and cross plies (90° and/or 0°), and angle-ply laminates, containing only±45° ply orientations; chosen to reflect current industrial design practice, and also because they serve to produce hygro-thermally curvature-stable properties in some standard laminate configurations, i.e., with immunity to the thermal distortions that generally arise in this class of mechanically coupled laminate as a result of the high temperature curing process.Details of the algorithm used to develop the definitive list of laminate stacking sequences, with up to 21 plies, are given first. Closed form natural frequency solutions for each of these sub-groups are then presented, identifying significant differences in the frequency spectrum bounds across a range of aspect ratios, with respect to the ubiquitous anti-symmetric angle-ply designs.

Criticism and Function in Critical Design Practice

This article focuses on critical design as a field of industrial design practice. It considers some barriers and misconceptions to critical design practice being seen as part of a disciplinary project. The first part of the article reviews the criticism of critical design to identify inadequacies in how the criticism is grounded. Analysis of critical design practice often comes from perspectives developed in art and visual culture discourses. However, analyzing the practice from this perspective has limitations; instead, a more design-centric focus is needed. The second part of the article discusses “function”—a concept often used to ground criticism of critical design practice but, again, one that has limitations. Function offers insufficient grounds for criticism and claims that critical design is not a form of product design because the objects do not “function” in a utilitarian sense. I explore the concept of function to show not only that an object’s function has the potential to extend beyond utility, efficiency, and optimization, but also that even in the strictest modernist sense, function has always comprised characteristics that move into post-optimal realms—beyond efficient use, utility, and practical specifications. I argue instead for an emphasis on the relational, dynamic characteristics of function, which supports seeing, and discussing, critical design practice in the same manner that other examples of orthodox industrial design are discussed.