Industrial Design Engineering Research Articles

Computer Generated Animation as Product Design Engineered Culture, or Buzz Lightyear to the Sales Floor, to the Checkout and Beyond!

The relationship between the cinematic image and the industrial commodity was the subject of many product placement studies during the 20th century. This article argues that the contemporary computer automation of perspective and rendering has had far-reaching consequences for the relationship between cinematic image and manufactured object. The emergence of Renaissance perspective structured a new relationship between the image and the object, both of which were rationalised under the visually representable specificity of geometrical and mathematical precision. Taking this as a departure, contemporary computer generated (CG) animation renovates ‘the visual nominalism’ of Renaissance perspective with one crucial difference: computer automation adds the fourth dimension of time to the perspectival image. This facilitates an image form qualitatively different from either hand-drawn Renaissance imaging or mechanically reproduced film, an image form that is instead both hand-drawn and mechanically reproduced at the same time. The implications of this difference are explored through a close analysis of contemporary CG animated features, which offer much to an understanding of the future development of all cinematic imaging and consumer culture. Perhaps most significantly, the objects and characters that populate CG features are integrally related to contemporary practices of industrial product design engineering: a development that has considerable implications for contemporary understandings of ‘product placement’. When every object on screen is literally an industrially manufactured, carefully placed product, traditional theories of film, advertising and consumer culture need to be retriangulated. This article asserts that CG features demand a new approach to the relationship between cinematic image and manufactured product on multiple levels.

Graphic Design in Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development

The purpose of this paper is presenting the teaching project developed for the subject of Graphic Design and Communication of the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development of the School of Design Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain). We analyze three background: graphic design-related subjects in the previous degree both the School of Design Engineering (UPV) and other Spanish universities; educational projects drawn up by other universities for this same subject; and other subjects related to graphic design that are also taught in the titling of the School of Design Engineering (UPV) degree. After this, we comment and explain the different sections of the teaching guide: skills and training objectives, recommended knowledge, content, teaching-learning methodology, and evaluation. This educational program aims to train future industrial designer for the development of basic applications of graphic design (posters, brochures, advertisements, etc.) to help the presentation and marketing of industrial product.

Evolutionary product development as a design tool

In an earlier study, the six phases of the economic product life cycle were complemented with a set of six qualitative 'product phases', which allows us to explain in what phases of the product life cycle qualities such as functionality, ergonomics, production technology, styling, as well as the service level and the ethical behaviour of a company are important. The six product phases are called: performance, optimisation, itemisation, segmentation, individualisation and awareness. In the original study, it was proposed that the product phases follow one after another. In a follow up study, it was concluded that the last three phases often exist simultaneously. In this paper, first the results of the follow up study are summarised. After that, the results will be presented of research into if and how master students of Industrial Design Engineering were able to use the theory to create starting points for new product development.

Human-Centered Design as a Fragile Encounter

January 01 2012 Human-Centered Design as a Fragile Encounter Marc Steen Marc Steen Marc Steen works as a senior scientist at TNO, an independent research organization in the Netherlands. Marc studied Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology and worked at Philips and KPN. In 2008, he defended his PhD thesis “The Fragility of Human-Centred Design” at Delft University of Technology, which he wrote within the practitioners' PhD program in organization studies at the University for Humanistics (Utrecht, The Netherlands). His interests include human-centered design, co-design, open innovation and innovation management. He also engages in critical refection on projects in which he works, drawing from science and technology studies and philosophy. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information Marc Steen Marc Steen works as a senior scientist at TNO, an independent research organization in the Netherlands. Marc studied Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology and worked at Philips and KPN. In 2008, he defended his PhD thesis “The Fragility of Human-Centred Design” at Delft University of Technology, which he wrote within the practitioners' PhD program in organization studies at the University for Humanistics (Utrecht, The Netherlands). His interests include human-centered design, co-design, open innovation and innovation management. He also engages in critical refection on projects in which he works, drawing from science and technology studies and philosophy. Online ISSN: 1531-4790 Print ISSN: 0747-9360 © 2011 Massachusetts Institute of Technology2011 Design Issues (2012) 28 (1): 72–80. https://doi.org/10.1162/DESI_a_00125 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Marc Steen; Human-Centered Design as a Fragile Encounter. Design Issues 2012; 28 (1): 72–80. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/DESI_a_00125 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsDesign Issues Search Advanced Search This content is only available as a PDF. © 2011 Massachusetts Institute of Technology2011 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TWO SOLITUDES - A REVIEW OF DESIGN EDUCATION IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

This paper reviews the teaching of design in the Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering programmes at Carleton University. We summarize our approaches to design education and contrast them with the innate skills of students. Notably each curriculum puts increased emphasis on the facets of design that do not match the innate skills of the entering students. We conclude by discussing various aspects of design education as taught in the two programmes and potential mutual benefits to future design education planning.

Applying Industrial Design and Cost Engineering to New Product Development in Early‐Stage Firms

For early‐stage firms, successful commercialization of each new product is critically important, given the shortage of financial resources, the limited product portfolio, and small staffs typical of such firms. This paper investigates two key contributing factors for new product success in entrepreneurial firms: designing products that are appealing to target users in both form and function and designing products that can be manufactured at an attractive margin so that the new enterprise can generate much needed positive cash flow. These two practices—industrial design and cost engineering—are well studied in the context of larger, established corporations but have not been explored in the context of new ventures. This study focuses on the intensity of individual and combined adoption of design and cost engineering as measured by product development efficiency and effectiveness. The study was conducted on a homogeneous sample of early‐stage firms that develop physical, assembled products where design plays a role. The data collection focused only on the first product developed by each firm respectively. The results show that when implemented together, industrial design and cost engineering enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of new product development in early‐stage firms, to greater effect than each does individually. Intensive individual adoption of practices had a negative impact on development efficiency measures such as development cost and duration. Only cost engineering individually had a beneficial impact on development effectiveness as measured by product margins. When combined, these two practices had a beneficial impact on both development duration and cost for the company's first commercial product, thereby reducing time‐to‐market and precious cash expenditures while maximizing project breakeven timing. The most successful firms in the study achieved a balance between creative innovation and cost discipline in the NPD process with third‐party design and manufacturing resources. It was found that integrating third‐party design firms into the development process can challenge, simplify, and add additional creative resources to the core entrepreneurial team, maximizing the ability to catalyze beneficial tension between creativity and cost discipline.

Managing Data within the HUBzero™ Platform

OMICS: A Journal of Integrative BiologyVol. 15, No. 4 Letters to the EditorManaging Data within the HUBzero™ PlatformMichael McLennanMichael McLennanSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:8 Apr 2011https://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2011.0018AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byKnowEnG: a knowledge engine for genomics22 July 2015 | Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Vol. 22, No. 6User Requirement Analysis for an Online Collaboration Tool for Senior Industrial Engineering Design Course28 August 2014 | Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, Vol. 24, No. 5Developing Sustainable Data Services in Cyberinfrastructure for Higher Education: Requirements and Lessons Learned Volume 15Issue 4Apr 2011 InformationCopyright 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Michael McLennan.Managing Data within the HUBzero™ Platform.OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology.Apr 2011.247-249.http://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2011.0018Published in Volume: 15 Issue 4: April 8, 2011PDF download

Bringing the Everyday Life into Engineering Education

Abstractâ?? To successfully design and engineer solutions for todayâ??s and tomorrowâ??s rapidly changing and expanding global contexts, in which people are confronted with new opportunities and challenges each day, engineering programs should be training their students to become broad based professionals, who are aware of the actual needs, values and behaviors of the people that use their solutions in their everyday life, work or play. This article argues that in order to built such an awareness, engineering students should acquire direct, first-hand experiences of real people in real contexts. It presents a number of techniques that can be used to gain such experiences. Each technique is briefly described and illustrated with examples from our Industrial Design Engineering program. Knowledge, skills and attitude that are acquired through the use of the techniques are listed and reflected upon. Finally, our experiences with implementing the techniques into our program are discussed in view of their relevance for other engineering programs.

Sharing relevant knowledge within product development

An Open Content (OC) repository that has a formal knowledge structure, but which allows users to share across organisational boundaries, could solve existing knowledge search problems. However, such a repository will still need to have boundaries set for its contents to stay relevant. Because users of the repository may author and edit the repository’s content, it is necessary to discuss which information is relevant to the intended field. A repository for Industrial Design Engineering serves as an example case. The authors propose a framework for discourse, based on descriptions of the field in terms of product areas, disciplines and design aspects.

From specifications to specific vagueness: how enterprise software mediates relations in engineering practices

Relying on an ethnography of software demonstrations given by members of the product development and sales division of a system engineering company to various industrial design engineers at different sites, the article identifies patterns of specific vagueness with reference to a software graphic modeling tool. A statement is vague to the extent that it has aspects that resist inquiries. In our fieldwork on software demonstrations, sales system engineers resisted inquiries specifically concerning (i) the amount of software functions, (ii) their range, and (iii) their degree of integration. The article discusses the role of software-specific vagueness in the transition of system engineering services to the international market of enterprise architecture. Contrary to expectations concerning engineering when it is viewed as a matter of logic, in the context of the enterprise architecture software market the establishment of a common ground of reference between sales system engineers and various sorts of design engineers does not rely on solving manufacturing problems. Rather, it relies on making problems specifically vague in order to allow both the specific use of the system for the purpose at hand in a particular industrial context and the vague solution that responds to the enterprise architecture market's logic.

Ephemeralization as Environmentalism: Rereading R. Buckminster Fuller’s Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

This study critically surveys the environmental thinking and design philosophy Of R. Buckminster Fuller by revisiting two of his major theoretical works, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth and Utopia or Oblivion. It highlights Fuller’s fascination with economic efficiency and environmental justice in his own pursuit of the practices of industrial design, urban planning, and vernacular engineering. In addition, the analysis stresses how the optimism and energy that Fuller gave to rethinking environmentalism so radically during the 1960s are vital qualities that contemporary green thinkers need to rekindle in their works today.

Methods for Conceptual Thermal Design

This article describes three generic models and application methods that can be used to analyze temperature development in an electronic product during conceptual design. The models are based on generally known heat transfer and resistor–capacitor network theory and are theoretically and numerically approximated. The result is three easy-to-use tools for conceptual thermal design. Application of the models in design practice has been assessed using a usability experiment and several in-depth interviews with industrial design engineers from the field.

Strengthening the link between theory and practice in teaching design engineering: an empirical study on a new approach

In 2007, the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of the Delft University of Technology introduced a new bachelor program. Based on theories of learning and instruction three design principles were used to develop an approach that aims to make it easier for students to bridge the gap between theoretical design engineering courses and practical design projects. To investigate whether the new program is successful in this respect, we selected a representative combination of one course and one design project, analysed grades, sent out questionnaires and interviewed teaching staff. The unique change of all three course years at once, as opposed to sequential introduction, allowed us to establish a control group and obtain precise results. By repeating our studies 1 year later, we further enhanced the reliability of our findings. We conclude that our approach indeed strengthens the link between theory and practice, and have reason to be positive about the research method adopted. Furthermore, we identified several barriers that must be overcome for such an approach to become successful, and can now give additional recommendations for course and/or program revisions in teaching design engineering at academic level.

A practical approach to teaching abstract product design issues

‘Buy an identity’ and ‘surprise your senses’ are two of the ideas that were the outcome of a course ‘Design for a specific Theme’ (in the year 2006–07) held for 4th grade students of Industrial Design Engineering at Twente University. The theme in the title of this course was philosophical, based on the theory of globalisation of German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. In the following year 2007–08, the theme of the course was ‘leisure’, and it proved again that the structure of this course was particularly suitable for the conversion of such abstract themes in tangible product design. This paper describes the structure and the associated teaching methods of the course, gives examples of student results and discusses the points of interest and application possibilities of this type of course.

Surgical wayfinding and navigation processes in the human body

During minimally invasive therapies (MITs), surgeons and interventionists rely on medical images as cartographic overviews over the working and navigation area in the patient’s body. MITs are reported as highly demanding for the surgeon’s fine motor skills as well as for his cognitive capacities (Berguer 1999). Buess (2008) reports that many surgeons only master know-how for simple MITs and points out that different skill are needed for MITs than for open surgical procedures. MITs are characterized by limited access to the working area and thus also by limited and indirect spatial information. Cognitive load of the surgeon arises from the need not only to maintain spatial awareness but also to make correct decisions and solve problems. Cao and Milgram (2000) could show that the abdominal surgeons use considerable cognitive spatial capacities to maintain spatial awareness in the inner space of the anatomical cavity while operating in the colon with the help of an endoscopic video (colonoscopy). Dominguez (2001) could show differences in decision making and problem solving of experienced surgeons and surgeons in training and highlights their importance for surgical competency and excellence. In order to reduce surgeons and interventionists cognitive workload during MITs, considerable amount of effort is actually undertaken in the development of surgical information and navigation systems. In order to design intuitive tools that support medical experts in their time critical wayfinding and navigation tasks (in a working environment with high risks), a deeper understanding of safe and effective navigation and wayfinding strategies is mandatory. The development process of surgical information and navigation systems and their user interfaces could be substantially supported with a plain model that makes the complex information need–spatial–orientational as well as safety-strategical—comprehensible for designers and engineers. In earlier work (within ARISER network), a plain model has been introduced based on the observed similarities in navigation strategies of surgeons (Studeli et al. 2007) and classical maritime navigators (Bowditch 1995, p. 371ff). Both experts rely on prudent navigation strategies which are described in the model as iterative and multifactor problem solving and quality control cycles (Studeli 2008, 2009). This model has been evaluated positively by four surgeons from different fields (abdominal, cardiac and pelvic surgery). One of the remaining questions was how to incorporate the prominent role of spatial mental models in surgery (e.g. Cao and Milgram 2000). The here presented research describes the analysis of ethnographic data to link the ‘‘iterative and multifactor problem solving and quality control cycles’’ with the five elements of mental models of Lynch (1960). T. Studeli (&) Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands e-mail: t.p.studeli@tudelft.nl

Recording augmented reality experiences to capture design reviews

During design reviews, multiple stakeholders convene to reflect on the quality of intermediate results and to decide upon following steps. As prior research indicates, such design reviews are only partly a structured, rational process; often aspects as trust, hidden agendas or lacking commissioning skills influence this activity. Furthermore, a wide range of media is being used during these meetings, which are difficult to recollect in their context after the event. This research project attempts to improve design reviews in the domain of Industrial Design Engineering by two means: (1) by providing a specific prototyping and annotation device employing physical mockups, (2) by recording both communication between stakeholders and interaction with the prototype to produce comprehensive coverage of the review session. Based on literature and additional case studies, an analysis of the information streams is presented. Furthermore, an Interactive Augmented Prototyping solution is devised. Early verifications show that the recording resolution still requires a lot of fine-tuning, which will be the primary focus prior to a comprehensive evaluation in practice.

A Fast Algebraic Grid Generation Algorithm Base on an Improved Kamaugh Map

A fast algebraic grid generation algorithm is proposed and a improved Kamaugh map data structure for the new algorithm is designed in the paper. The new created vertex inside of the region is based on algebraic operation of the corner vertices and the middle vertices of boundary broken lines on the region and the program data structure is a improved Kamaugh map data structure, so the algorithm has the merit of simple algebraic formula, quickly executing speed and powerful technology for the four-sided region enclosed by four broken lines, the algorithm is realized on the four-sided region and B-spline surface on the complex surface. The algorithm is extensively applicable for shape modeling in computer aided geometric design, industrial prototype design and reverse engineering.

Learning about design and development: the roles of industrial design and concurrent engineering

This research examines a design and development process for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have to perform this process well for business success. The study tackles the confusion over the roles of Industrial Design (ID) within this process. This confusion potentially hinders SMEs' long-term competitiveness. The study is part of the Concurrent Design in Networks (CODENET) project in Finland, which focuses on improving ID in design and development. A total of six case companies from the Oulu region are observed and studied. The findings show that the confusion highlights various perceived roles of ID, a lack of interaction and two-way communication, external design sources, etc. In an attempt to address these problems, a practical framework, derived from Concurrent Engineering (CE), is jointly proposed to case companies. This framework stresses the importance of working together across functional units within and outside an SME. It should be recognised that this framework is mainly for business-to-business circumstances.

Participatory Scenario Generation: Communicating Usability Issues in Product Design through User Involvement in Scenario Generation

Scenarios have proven to be a valuable tool in evaluating and communicating usability issues in consumer product design. Scenarios are explicit descriptions of hypothetical use situations. Realistic scenarios can serve as a valuable frame of reference to evaluate design solutions with regard to usability. To be able to achieve this required level of realism, involving users in scenario generation is essential. In this presentation we discuss how and where users can be involved in a scenario based product design process by means of examples of design projects that were executed by master students Industrial Design Engineering of the University of Twente. We distinguish direct and indirect scenario generation. In direct scenario generation the user is actively involved in a participatory scenario generation session: the scenarios are created together with users. Indirect scenario generation is an approach in which scenarios are created by designers based on common analysis techniques like observations and interviews. These scenarios are then offered to users for confirmation. Both types of user involvement in scenario generation can be aimed at either current use scenarios which describe the current situation or future use scenarios which include a new product design. The examples show that all strategies can be applied successfully to create realistic scenarios. Which strategy to choose depends among others upon risks and privacy issues, occurrence of infrequent events and availability of users. Furthermore, the variety of approaches shows that there is still a lot to explore with regard to benefits and limitations of the many techniques that can be applied in generating scenarios for consumer product design. We hope to contribute to this field by means of the research in our group and the work of students in the SBPD course

A Chair to Look to the Moon: What We Can Learn from Irrational Design History for Contemporary Design Practice

The focus of product design is shifting from primarily offering functionality, towards experience and emotion driven product characteristics. The mantra of the universal design-language, within which, according to the good old modernist movement the shape of a product is directly derived from the (technical) functionality, is not very useful anymore. Consequently the contemporary designer has to look for other ways to fill his or her repertoire. That this experience and emotion driven approach to products is not new, is shown by an example of a Chinese Ming-period reclining chair that is not referred to as a reclining chair but as “a chair to look to the moon”. Also during the history of industrial product design there are numerous examples of designers and designs contradicting the dominant modernist/functionalist approach. So it is interesting to analyze how designers have used this non-rational approach through time. In this way, principles, methods or work-a-rounds for contemporary design problems are derived. This paper focuses on the period from circa 1990 to 2000, because at that time, the emotional orientation of the ‘irrational’ post-modernist designs is more and more connected with the function of products. Therefore interesting combinations of recognizable meanings and, for instance, new materials arise. Many products in this period do not stand out with their functional usability, but with the intelligibility of the idea behind it. The Netherlands are playing an important role in this development with the Droog label. This study tries to visualize how interesting approaches and principles of this merely author-driven design practice can enrich the demand-driven design projects of industrial design engineers in our highly emotion-oriented environment nowadays.