Digital Product Design Research Articles

The Role of the Editor in Making Science Accessible

MODERATOR: Bill Kasdorf Kasdorf & Associates, LLC @billkasdorf SPEAKERS: Bill Kasdorf Jon McGlone University of Michigan Press Caroline Desrosiers Scribely @scribelytribe REPORTER: Heather DiAngelis Transportation Research Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Washington, DC @hdiangelis Bill Kasdorf of Kasdorf & Associates, LLC, kicked off the session by noting that accessibility makes publications better, easier to read and navigate, and even easier to understand. “Making content and systems accessible,” he said, “is no longer considered to be a special case for a very few people.” Accessibility should be ingrained in publications from the start so publishers can maintain efficiencies in workflows and provide universal accessibility. Kasdorf described the advantages of EPUB 3’s accessibility, including its reflowability across platforms and technologies; ability to change fonts, font sizes, and colors; and text and audio synchronization (Figure). To successfully achieve this, it is essential for heading levels and tables of contents to be correct for later EPUB tagging. Proper identification of cross-referenced links is also essential for later identification by screen readers. Kasdorf noted that another common problem with accessibility comes from tables—proper layout of tables ensures proper rendering by accessibility devices, while an improperly laid-out table can cause great confusion for readers. The editor should also assist accessibility by editing and refining the alt text image descriptions provided by the author. Jon McGlone, Digital Product Design Engineer and Accessibility Specialist at the University of Michigan Press, spoke second. He advised that publishers should do what they can for […]

Optimization of Digital Media Product Interface Design Based on Multidimensional Heterogeneous Emotion Analysis of Users

Due to the characteristics of strong interaction, pertinence, and digital communication of digital media technology, this study combines it with interactive technology. It not only increases customers’ feelings in the process of experience but also promotes the progress of new media technology. However, people’s demand for digital media interface has gradually shifted from functional demand to emotional demand. In order to make a good interaction design, interaction designers must first deeply understand and study users’ cognitive behavior and psychological activities. In this study, through multidimensional heterogeneous emotion analysis of users and optimizing the interface design of digital media products, users can easily and efficiently complete tasks, increase the sense of intimacy, comfort, and success, and improve user satisfaction and brand reputation. Digital media product interface carries the function of visual invisible logic language. As the most common form of visual communication, it affects everyone’s life. Digital media carries all kinds of information. How to get more user experience in the same type of media is a problem to be considered in the design of digital media interface. Applying emotional design to digital media interface design, users can not only meet the needs of actual functions but also get a more emotional experience. Starting with the emotional design theory of digital media product interface, this paper studies the emotional instinct layer, behavior layer, and reflection layer in the creativity of user interface design, analyzes the emotional relationship between users and products with the three layers of emotion of design, and discusses the characteristics of the emotional design of digital media product interface from the perspective of design.

Product Design Model by ArchiMate

Digital Transformation (DX) is the transformation of an existing organization into a competitive digital organization in a rapidly changing digital economy. Therefore, it is necessary to change the physical product design model so that it can correspond to the digital product design model. In this paper, we propose a method to represent the design element relationship diagram of the multi-spatial design model (M model) as the design model of the physical product in the graphic language ArchiMate of Enterprise Architecture. Next, the effectiveness of the proposed method is clarified by describing a concrete example of the M model in ArchiMate. Furthermore, the future research issues will be described.

Synesthetic Design of Digital Elderly Products Based on Big Data

With the development of digital information technology, digital products have been integrated into people’s lives. The advent of the era of big data and the application of artificial intelligence have greatly accelerated this process. However, the increasingly high‐end technology of these digital products brings more and more complex operations. The use and operation of these digital products have become a huge problem for the elderly who have a low level of acceptance of digital products or even a little out of touch. The purpose of this article is to study the influence of synesthetic design of digital senior products based on big data on the development of digital senior products. This article first understands the current problems in the development of digital elderly products and the design concepts and design processes of these digital elderly products through questionnaire surveys and market research. Then, this article analyzes the importance of synesthesia design for digital product design for the elderly through literature research and related product design cases. Then, this article combines the application of big data technology and complex intelligent system to carry out the synesthesia design of digital elderly products, the most important of which is to use the image recognition technology of complex intelligent system and intelligent voice interaction technology to achieve the synesthesia effect of these product designs. Finally, this paper uses the mathematical model of maximum utility and some statistical methods to analyze the effect of the product synesthesia design experiment in this research. Studies have shown that synesthesia design can maximize the utility of digital products for the elderly. This result is more than 95% confident in statistical analysis. Therefore, synesthesia design plays an important role in the popularization and development of digital elderly products in the elderly consumer groups.

Digital Health Care Disparities

AbstractDigital health includes applications for smartphones and smart speakers as well as more traditional ways to access health information electronically, such as through your health care provider's online web‐based patient portal. As the number of digital health offerings—such as smartphone health trackers and web‐based patient portals—grows, what benefit do ethics, or bioethics, perspectives bring to digital health product development? For starters, the field of bioethics is concerned about issues of social justice, including equitable benefit and minimization and fair distribution of the burden of harms. Researchers who employ user‐centered design methods should consider what digital health applications and products would look like if issues like equity and accessibility were foregrounded throughout design and development. One group whose needs are often neglected in the design of digital health products is older adults. Many people anticipate that the digital divide among older adults will close as the current generation of tech‐savvy consumers ages up. But since technology is constantly evolving, this divide may be constantly recreated. As bioethics moves ever further into the technology era, I want it to be mindful of the creation of digital health care disparities.

Research on Emotional Comfort Products Based on Innovative Design Thinking: Take Digital Aid-Sleeping Products for An Example

The fast pace and great pressure of modern life have made people’s psychological problems more and more serious. The outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019 has accelerated the development of depression, anxiety, nervous tension and other emotions in all aspects. In severe cases, it leads to insomnia. In this paper, the impact of the epidemic on people’s psychology is extensively investigated by innovative thinking. Based on the current design status of existing emotional soothing products, this article summarizes the development trends as well as the shortcomings of sleep aid products, and tries to use new technologies and materials to provide new solutions to problems for people with insomnia. Through the design of digital sleep aid products, modern technology is used to meet the practical needs of modern people and to care for the targeted insomniac.•Human-centered computing

Human-Centered Design Strategies for Device Selection in mHealth Programs: Development of a Novel Framework and Case Study.

BackgroundDespite the increasing use of remote measurement technologies (RMT) such as wearables or biosensors in health care programs, challenges associated with selecting and implementing these technologies persist. Many health care programs that use RMT rely on commercially available, “off-the-shelf” devices to collect patient data. However, validation of these devices is sparse, the technology landscape is constantly changing, relative benefits between device options are often unclear, and research on patient and health care provider preferences is often lacking.ObjectiveTo address these common challenges, we propose a novel device selection framework extrapolated from human-centered design principles, which are commonly used in de novo digital health product design. We then present a case study in which we used the framework to identify, test, select, and implement off-the-shelf devices for the Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse-Central Nervous System (RADAR-CNS) consortium, a research program using RMT to study central nervous system disease progression.MethodsThe RADAR-CNS device selection framework describes a human-centered approach to device selection for mobile health programs. The framework guides study designers through stakeholder engagement, technology landscaping, rapid proof of concept testing, and creative problem solving to develop device selection criteria and a robust implementation strategy. It also describes a method for considering compromises when tensions between stakeholder needs occur.ResultsThe framework successfully guided device selection for the RADAR-CNS study on relapse in multiple sclerosis. In the initial stage, we engaged a multidisciplinary team of patients, health care professionals, researchers, and technologists to identify our primary device-related goals. We desired regular home-based measurements of gait, balance, fatigue, heart rate, and sleep over the course of the study. However, devices and measurement methods had to be user friendly, secure, and able to produce high quality data. In the second stage, we iteratively refined our strategy and selected devices based on technological and regulatory constraints, user feedback, and research goals. At several points, we used this method to devise compromises that addressed conflicting stakeholder needs. We then implemented a feedback mechanism into the study to gather lessons about devices to improve future versions of the RADAR-CNS program.ConclusionsThe RADAR device selection framework provides a structured yet flexible approach to device selection for health care programs and can be used to systematically approach complex decisions that require teams to consider patient experiences alongside scientific priorities and logistical, technical, or regulatory constraints.

Eference Skills or Human-Centered Design: Towards a New Lexicographical Culture

This paper deals with the design of digital lexicographical products. It introduces the philosophy of human-centered design, as explained in the work of Don Norman, and discusses central design concepts like affordances, signifiers, feedback, and other forms of good communication from lexicographer to user. The successful use of traditional dictionaries often relied on the presumed reference skills of the envisaged target user group. Especially in printed dictionaries with their space restrictions, lexicographers used condensed entries, abbreviations, and different types of structural indicators to save space. This often was to the detriment of the user who struggled to retrieve the required information from the data on offer. The digital environment has created new opportunities for lexicographers to assist their users in a far better way. Using principles of human-centered design, this paper shows the emergence of the application of some of these approaches in existing online dictionaries. Going beyond the scope of traditional online dictionaries, examples are taken from integrated e-reading dictionaries and lexicography-assisted writing assistants where even stronger user-centered design features come to the fore with regard to respectively text reception and text production assistance. Where the original concept of a dictionary culture was primarily based on the reference skills of the user, a new lexicographical culture is suggested that adheres to human-centered design principles. It places the responsibility on the shoulders of the lexicographer to design lexicographic products that enable intuitive use and ensure improved lexicographic success.

Generative Product Design Futures

Product Design has a digital future, but the changes in thinking and practice required of discipline leaders involve a paradigm shift, rather than an evolution. Rather than challenging existing cultures and conventional mass manufacturing expertise to create incremental change, it will be necessary to propose new digital product design themes that align with computer-based disciplines. This article highlights the development of generative product design over the last decade, enabled by advances in additive manufacturing (3D printing) moving it from a rapid prototyping technology into a viable production process for end-use manufacturing. Illustrated through generative product design practices developed by a UK computational product design studio, this article explains how generative design has the potential to enable more fluid product outcomes and interactions. The approaches discussed provide insight into the possibilities for future product design practices and changed disciplinary boundaries, predicated on digital discipline collaborations and innovative ways of working.

Research on the Influence of the Change of Consumption Concept on the Development of Digital Products in the Post Epidemic Era

The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has caused a huge impact on the global economy. Great changes have taken place in people’s consumption patterns. In order to explore the changes of people’s consumption concept in the post epidemic era, and the impact of these changes on digital products, this paper analyzes the changes of consumption concept from different life scenes such as life, work, learning, entertainment. Then, the article summarizes the development trend of digital products in the post epidemic era. Finally, the key points of future digital product design are put forward.

From Raw Biodiversity Data to Indicators, Boosting Products Creation, Integration and Dissemination: French BON FAIR initiatives and related informatics solutions

Most biodiversity research aims at understanding the states and dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems. To do so, biodiversity research increasingly relies on the use of digital products and services such as raw data archiving systems (e.g. structured databases or data repositories), ready-to-use datasets (e.g. cleaned and harmonized files with normalized measurements or computed trends) as well as associated analytical tools (e.g. model scripts in Github). Several world-wide initiatives facilitate the open access to biodiversity data, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or GenBank, Predicts etc. Although these pave the way towards major advances in biodiversity research, they also typically deliver data products that are sometimes poorly informative as they fail to capture the genuine ecological information they intend to grasp. In other words, access to ready-to-use aggregated data products may sacrifice ecological relevance for data harmonization, resulting in over-simplified, ill-advised standard formats. This is singularly true when the main challenge is to match complementary data (large diversity of measured variables, integration of different levels of life organizations etc.) collected with different requirements and scattered in multiple databases. Improving access to raw data, and meaningful detailed metadata and analytical tools associated with standardized workflows is critical to maintain and maximize the generic relevance of ecological data. Consequently, advancing the design of digital products and services is essential for interoperability while also enhancing reproducibility and transparency in biodiversity research. To go further, a minimal common framework organizing biodiversity observation and data organization is needed. In this regard, the Essential Biodiversity Variable (EBV) concept might be a powerful way to boost progress toward this goal as well as to connect research communities worldwide. As a national Biodiversity Observation Network (BON) node, the French BON is currently embodied by a national research e-infrastructure called "Pôle national de données de biodiversité" (PNDB, formerly ECOSCOPE), aimed at simultaneously empowering the quality of scientific activities and promoting networking within the scientific community at a national level. Through the PNDB, the French BON is working on developing biodiversity data workflows oriented toward end services and products, both from and for a research perspective. More precisely, the two pillars of the PNDB are a metadata portal and a workflow-oriented web platform dedicated to the access of biodiversity data and associated analytical tools (Galaxy-E). After four years of experience, we are now going deeper into metadata specification, dataset descriptions and data structuring through the extensive use of Ecological Metadata Language (EML) as a pivot format. Moreover, we evaluate the relevance of existing tools such as Metacat/Morpho and DEIMS-SDR (Dynamic Ecological Information Management System - Site and dataset registry) in order to ensure a link with other initiatives like Environmental Data Initiative, DataOne and Long-Term Ecological Research related observation networks. Regarding data analysis, an open-source Galaxy-E platform was launched in 2017 as part of a project targeting the design of a citizen science observation system in France (“65 Millions d'observateurs”). Here, we propose to showcase ongoing French activities towards global challenges related to biodiversity information and knowledge dissemination. We particularly emphasize our focus on embracing the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data principles Wilkinson et al. 2016 across the development of the French BON e-infrastructure and the promising links we anticipate for operationalizing EBVs. Using accessible and transparent analytical tools, we present the first online platform allowing the performance of advanced yet user-friendly analyses of biodiversity data in a reproducible and shareable way using data from various data sources, such as GBIF, Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), eBIRD, iNaturalist and environmental data such as climate data.

Hands on: Information Experiences as Sources of Value

Value perception increases when people engage in producing physical objects. However, information differs from physical objects by being intangible and easy‐to‐copy. Information as an experience good is inherently challenging to evaluate a priori; therefore, comparing value before and after different types of experience is likely to inform theory about users' preferences regarding information. Prior research mostly refers to consuming information and rarely considers the experience of producing information as a factor affecting information value. The current research compares the effect of experiencing online information through production and consumption processes on value perception. In a set of 6 experiments with 178 participants, willingness‐to‐pay by consumers and willingness‐to‐accept payment by producers are measured before and after consumption and production of information, independently and as repeated measures. In the experiments, we define and implement a framework for an information production process. The results show that the value of information is dynamic. Value perception increased after experiencing information, especially when people engaged in producing information compared to consuming it. This study offers a window toward the practical design of new digital information products.

An Open Platform for Modeling Method Conceptualization: The OMiLAB Digital Ecosystem

This paper motivates, describes, demonstrates in use, and evaluates the Open Models Laboratory (OMiLAB) - an open digital ecosystem designed to support conceptualization and operationalization of conceptual modeling methods. The OMiLAB ecosystem is motivated by a generalized understanding of model value and is targeted to research and education stakeholders fulfilling various roles in a modeling method's lifecycle - modelers, domain experts, methodologists, modeling software developers, knowledge workers, model-driven software engineers etc. While much is reported on novel modeling methods and tools for various domains, only limited knowledge is available on the conceptualization of such methods by means of a full-fledged dedicated open ecosystem and a methodology that facilitates entry points for novices, as well as an open innovation space for experienced stakeholders. This gap is maintained by the lack of an open process and platform for (a) conducting research in the field of modeling method design, (b) developing agile modeling tools and model-driven digital products, and (c) experimentation with, and dissemination of such methods & related prototypes. OMiLAB incorporates principles, practices, procedures, tools and services required to address the forecited issues, as it aims to be the operational deployment for a conceptualization and operationalization process built on several pillars: (a) a granularly defined concept whose building blocks can be customized for the domain of choice; (b) an Agile Modeling Method Engineering framework supporting quick prototyping of modeling tools; (c) a model-aware “Digital Product Design Lab”; and (d) dissemination channels for reaching a global community. Demonstration and evaluation of the OMiLAB in research is hereby carried out by two selected application cases for domains- and case-specific requirements: the iStar case for requirements engineering, and the EnterKnow case for semantic business process management systems. These two cases show the broad spectrum of modeling methods realized within the OMiLAB, ranging from conventional conceptual modeling methods (iStar) toward the model-aware development and operationalization of Digital Products (EnterKnow). Besides these exemplary cases, OMiLAB has proven to effectively satisfy requirements raised by almost 50 modeling methods, supporting researchers in designing novel modeling methods, developing tools and disseminating outcomes. The educational impact of the OMiLAB is also measured in terms of international visibility and feedback from the NEMO Summer School series, whose attendants directly interact with both the physical and virtual environments of the OMiLAB.

An Empirical Study on the Design of Digital Content Products from a Big Data Perspective

The competition within the digital content market has become extremely fierce recently in China. With increasingly diversified product choices offered to customers, the focus on customer experience has been elevated to the highest level ever. It has become key to winning customers from within the intense competition and for companies to obtain differentiation advantages to create optimized customer experience from the customers’ viewpoint. The article analyzes the relationship between customer experience and the business model of digital content companies. Later, it comes up with an innovated business model based on the big data of customer experience to restructure the business process of digital content companies and to illustrate the designing process of new models in the product application design and customer care stages based on the model proposed, which can be used as references for the transformation and innovation of digital content companies.

Digital twin-driven product design framework

With the advent of new generation information technologies in industry and product design, the big data-driven product design era has arrived. However, the big data-driven product design mainly places emphasis on the analysis of physical data rather than the virtual models, in other words, the convergence between product physical and virtual space is usually absent. Digital twin, a new emerging and fast growing technology which connects the physical and virtual world, has attracted much attention worldwide recently. This paper presents a new method for product design based on the digital twin approach. The development of product design is briefly introduced first. The framework of digital twin-driven product design (DTPD) is then proposed and analysed. A case is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed DTPD method.

NEURAL INTERFACES IN DIGITAL PRODUCT DESIGN

NEURAL INTERFACES IN DIGITAL PRODUCT DESIGN

Extend Course for Product Designer in Digital Mobile Era

Product design refers to a system of processes from confirming a product’s specifications to product’s structure. Form, technology, and needs must be considered simultaneously to ensure qualities. In recent years, with the advancement of smartphone technology, many products are connected with apps. Designers cannot exclude themselves from this new wave of the trend. In this article, household hydroponic products design is used as an example, to show the close relationship between digital mobile technology and product design in the contemporary world. Regularly measure the amount of liquid to be added is difficult for a consumer who has no professional experience. To facilitate the introduction of small-scale aquaculture systems into the home, we proposed sensor hardware combined with App software, measured EC and pH value and transmitted to the phone. The app can calculate and display the amount of added and control the amount of inserted through a Bluetooth connection. The physical design needs to take into account the connection between the electronic parts and the circuit board, and interface operation. Thus, not only the model of the product but also the user interface has to be integrated to show the product's quality completely. Besides, authors made reflection upon the necessity for adjustments for interdisciplinary courses under the changing digital mobile era. Also, under the current curriculum structure, possible teaching approach is expressed for extending student’s feasibility.

Consumers Evaluation of Digital Product Innovation: Evidence from Smartphones

Introducing innovative hardware components into digital devices (characterized as convergent modular products) has been a common practice in the digital product development. However, the actual effectiveness of innovative components in attracting consumers attention has not been well-understood. This research aims at identifying how to design digital products with innovative components to enhance consumers evaluations. The key tenets in bundling theory are employed to characterize the types (depth and breadth) of modular innovation design strategies, and to understand the corresponding consumer perception of convergent digital products (i.e., smartphones). Text-mining techniques are adopted for identifying consumers evaluation of hardware-related components from 52,783 customer reviews on 45 smartphones from 10 leading vendors. The textual information from a sentiment analysis is utilized to access the impacts of modular innovation design strategies on consumers assessment on smartphones. Our results suggest that including hardware innovative components is not always efficient in triggering better consumer evaluations. While bundling radical and incremental hardware-oriented innovations improves consumer evaluations of the smartphones, mapping hardware and software innovations is the best strategy to stimulate consumer satisfaction. The research findings have significant implications for theorizing digital product design with innovative components and practical insights for digital product manufacturers in formulating strategic innovation design of digital products in a competitive market.

Digital design and manufacturing of wood head golf club in a cyber physical environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish a cyber physical environment for digital product design and manufacturing. To realize this goal, the specific issue of integrating design knowledge-based system (KBS) and 3D printing (3DP) system is focused. A graphics generation method is thereby developed to transform the KBS outputs into graphical format which can be directly read and manufactured by 3DP system.Design/methodology/approachA graphics generation method is proposed in this paper. Through organizing alphanumeric outputs of the consultation session with a design KBS into parametric format, the consultation results can be directly used by computer-aided design (CAD) tools to generate graphical models which can be further exported into a 3DP system to produce physical objects.FindingsThe proposed graphics generation method can be effective to link design KBS and 3DP. Therefore, the seamless connection between design and prototyping systems can be realized, which further lays the communication foundation for a cyber physical environment for digital design and manufacturing.Originality/valueThis study provides research insights about potential cyber physical system applications in digital design and manufacturing area. Moreover, this paper contributes an effective technique to integrate design KBS and 3DP.

Construction and Research of Digital Product Design Platform

With the development of electronic information technology, digital design platform design has become mainstream. To build a platform for digital product design is in line with the current development trend. In order to adapt to market personalized, customized direction of rapid development, shorten the development cycle and reduce research costs and enhance the quality ,we should devote human resources to carry out research and implementation, use digital technology as a tool, digitizing product structure and product design, the key is to design products integrated information system.