Product Design Practices Research Articles

Consumer product use behavior throughout the product lifespan: A literature review and research agenda

Extending product lifespan has recently been recognized as an important strategy to achieve sustainable development. A substantial corpus of literature explores product lifespan from the perspective of product design or manufacturing practices, but the perspective of consumer has been largely overlooked. Addressing this void, this study systematically reviewed the literature on how consumer product use behavior influences the product lifespan. Insights gained from the review process guided our analysis on how product lifespan relates to consumer perceived value (comprising functional value, social value, and emotional value). We developed a five-stage framework to delineate the relationship between consumer perceived value and product use behavior across five-stages; namely, pre-acquisition, early use, middle use, late use, and pre-disposal. Furthermore, we identify promising directions for future scholarly work.

Innovating product design through university-industry collaboration: Codesigning a bushfire rated skylight

Innovation is important for improving products for long-term business success. However, small-to-medium enterprises don't always have time to innovate. SMEs benefit from university-industry collaborations, where design researchers contribute knowledge and time to help them innovate product design and manufacturing processes. Using codesign to generate innovative design solutions in the collaboration provides engagement and ensures everyone is encouraged to share their viewpoints and expertise. Design thinking adds a communication conduit, encouraging exploration and evaluation of alternative ideas. To illustrate the success of integrating codesign with design thinking in university-industry collaboration, we present a case study of designing an award-winning innovative skylight. The collaborative outcome evidences the value in the partnership by advancing university knowledge and increasing company productivity. • Integrating codesign and design thinking to facilitate successful University-Industry collaboration for design innovation. • Using codesign to advance communication between product design research and practice. • Using design thinking communication conduits of seeing, knowing, thinking, acting and reflecting to innovate. • A case study illustrating mutual benefits and challenges in university-industry collaboration. • Evidence of success of approach through three times Design Award winning innovative product outcome.

AN APPROACH TO ENHANCE PRODUCT UNIVERSALITY USING VAGUE NUMBERS DURING INITIAL DESIGN PHASE

AbstractUniversal design facilitates all user, a convenient interaction with the environment, product and services without the need for any adaptation and specialized designs. Recent studies have shown that designers and manufacturers are focusing only on a limited group of users during product development. Current design process or methodology cannot cater to all set of users i.e. Fully Abled People (FAP), Specially Abled People (SAP), and Differently Abled People (DAP) due to complexity in need interpretation. Identification and extraction of needs of diverse user set is a complex problem. Generally, information gathered from the users is linguistic in nature and comprises of uncertainties and ambiguities, which hamper conversion of users’ requirements into product attributes to deliver universal solutions. The aim of this work is to eliminate these uncertainties and extract the actual needs of all users. This work proposes the integration of Universal Product Design model with generic design process to improve universal product design practice. Linguistic preferences of the users are captured and converted into vague numbers to identify the important product attributes and provides a systematic framework of need prioritization.

Application Research of VR Technology in Product Design

At present, VR technology has been widely used in R&D and manufacturing of product design projects because of its many advantages. How to further improve the application effect of VR technology in product design practice projects has become one of the research hotspots in the design field in recent years. Based on this, this paper explores the application of VR technology in product design. Firstly, it introduces the basic situation of VR technology. Then, taking the design of leisure and entertainment products in public facilities as an example, it discusses the basic application process of VR technology. Finally, it looks forward to the future development of VR technology based on the shortcomings of VR technology in product design.

Teaching Practice of Product Design Guided by Social Problems

In order to export product design talents with design responsibility to the society, it is necessary for colleges and universities to explore how to alleviate the current hot social problems by means of design in the teaching process. By introducing social problems into product design course and discussing products in the environment of people and society, we can strengthen our understanding of people's diverse needs and inspire students to consider the design scheme of products from the perspective of society.

The contingency effects of internal and external collaboration on the performance effects of green practices

Past studies separately show internal/external collaboration and different green practices can create different performance outcomes. By extending these studies, this paper hypothesizes that the performance effects of different green practices (that emphasize operations and product/market innovation) depend on the types of internal and external collaboration. The hypotheses are tested through a survey of manufacturers in China (Hong Kong) and the United Kingdom. As expected, green product design and packaging practices (emphasize innovation) create environmental and cost benefits when there are high levels of internal and external collaboration. Instead, green production, sourcing, and logistics practices (emphasize operations) create performance when the levels of internal and external collaboration are low. Only green production creates financial/market performance at a high level of stakeholder collaboration. These results show that it is important to distinguish the types of collaboration when implementing various green practices.

Sustainable Product Design Education: Current Practice

Current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable, causing irreversible damage to the environment and human health and well-being. Designers play a vital role in resolving this problem—their decisions affect product manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal—and hence they must be aware of the positive and negative impacts of their design decisions. Sustainable product design education is key to developing the knowledge, skills, and responsibility required for future generations of product designers and their educators to make informed and responsible decisions within their practice, and also enhance the social and environmental performance of their creations and effectively communicate the value of such decisions within a commercial context. In this article, we present insights and challenges in contemporary sustainable product design education in higher education. We document the experiences of six academics involved in teaching and researching sustainable product design in the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. We hope to provide a useful reference for academics seeking to adopt sustainable product design practices in their existing programs, develop new sustainable product design education programs, or reflect on their own existing product design practice.

Theory and Practice of Ecological Product Design

Theory and Practice of Ecological Product Design

Study on the Design of Cantonese Cultural and Creative Products using Analytic Hierarchy Process

In this paper, we have studied the design of Cantonese cultural and creative products. In the design process of the system, we use the Analytic Hierarchy Process to analyze the needs of users and apply the analysis results to the product design practice, so as to design Cantonese cultural and creative products more in line with the needs of tourists.

Towards Circular Economy in the Household Appliance Industry: An Overview of Cases

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a promising arena for the adoption of Circular Economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate and systematize how Circular Economy has been adopted in the household appliance industry, through a multiple case study research. Twenty cases are analyzed following a Research Framework, to map: (i) the Circular Economy 4R strategies of reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle; (ii) the Circular Economy levers, i.e., whether circular product design practices, servitized business models or supply chain management actions are undertaken; (iii) the role of digital 4.0 technologies as enablers; (iv) the benefits achieved. The analysis showed that servitized business models and supply chain management actions are widely used levers, while little attention is devoted to circular product design practices. Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Cloud emerged as powerful enablers of servitized business models. Two main patterns of Circular Economy adoption in the household appliance industry emerged from cases: incremental and radical adoption patterns. Incremental adoption patterns are based on design strategies focused on reduce and recycle, mainly led by manufacturers. Radical adoption patterns are instead focused on disruptive practices based on reuse, remanufacture, servitization and sharing, where digital 4.0 technologies serve as enablers. Overall, this exploratory research lays the foundation for a stronger and more systemic understanding of the adoption of Circular Economy in the household appliance industry.

Revisiting the role of modular innovation in technological radicalness and architectural change of products: The case of Tesla X and Roomba

The management literature defines modular innovation as a way to make technological changes in product modules that does not necessarily change the product architecture. However, engineering science shows that new product modules not only change the product architecture, but they can also be used for technologically radical next generation products. Therefore, there seems to be a misalignment in how the role of modular innovation is seen as an innovation management phenomenon and the actual practice of product design and engineering. We revisit the role of modular innovation by combining management and engineering approaches. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach through two cases that utilize patent data of two recent technologically innovative products: Tesla's Model X and iRobot's Roomba automated vacuum cleaner. The examples show, in detail, how the changes in product modules and functions have led to broader changes at the system architecture level, leading to new functionalities. The findings contribute to the innovation management literature by identifying a more nuanced role of modular innovation by embedding it in the product architecture, thus broadening the discussion on architectural innovation and technological radicalness.

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.

Design Practice of Ceramic Tea Set Based on Aesthetic Features of Fractal Pattern

The unique aesthetic characteristics of the fractal pattern are analyzed and discussed, and the aesthetic features of the fractal pattern are used to practice the appearance design and decorative pattern design of the ceramic tea set. Through the practice of product design based on fractal ideas, a set of effective and feasible ideas and methods for applying fractal ideas to product design were explored, which broadened product design ideas and tried new possibilities for product design.

Heating systems through the lens of the boiler: Detailed case studies to inform current and future heating system design

Boilers in hydronic heating systems are the norm in the UK. Through case study analysis, covering four houses with gas central heating systems for over one year and utilising novel monitoring of the on-board diagnostic data of the boilers, performance issues were identified in this mature technology. ON/OFF cycling behaviour and oversizing were prevalent with boilers consistently unable to modulate low enough to match the building space heating demand. Cycling behaviour resulted, known to be detrimental to efficiency, with the majority of boiler operations lasting less than 10 min. Targeted case study analysis of incumbent technologies, such as boilers, utilising the latest in data collection techniques and connected appliances provides a cost effective insight to broader issues. Implications for domestic energy demand range from incremental improvements in boiler system efficiency by addressing cycling to the updating of building energy assessment models (e.g. Standard Assessment Procedure) to reflect and reward the benefits of good installation practices. An improved understanding of boiler operation may support improved product design and installation practices and are beneficial to the next generation of domestic heat, such as heat pumps. By undertaking continued in situ analysis of the incumbent technology, a more thorough foundation for the future can be ascertained. Fundamental issues of oversizing and detrimental cycling behaviour are persisting in the industry. Practical steps can be taken immediately to avoid oversizing of boilers. Building an awareness of performance penalties associated with poorly planned heating installations will have added benefit for more dynamically sensitive technologies in the future, such as heat pumps.

Socio-cultural factors and capacity building in Interaction Design: Results of a video diary study in Botswana

Abstract This paper presents the results of a video diary study that was conducted with ten novice interaction designers in Botswana, to investigate socio-cultural factors (SCFs) in interaction design. The overall aim of this research is to gain new insights into design behaviour in different cultures in order to inform international interaction design capacity building. To this end, this research investigates what SCFs are considered during the design process, which are accounted for in prototype designs and which interaction design concepts participants use to implement SCFs in their designs. The results reveal 13 categories of SCFs considered during the design process, 10 of which were implemented in prototypes. Participants used five main interaction design concepts to implement SCFs: simplicity, wearable devices, accessibility, universal design, and conversational interaction. In addition, they tended to rely on adaptations to existing products rather than creating new designs. Recommendations for capacity building include the need to identify concrete examples and alternative interaction design concepts that focus on a wider set of SCFs; and to draw upon the synergy between local product design practices and interaction design practices in order to learn how to transition SCFs into interactive products.

Exploration of Practice Teaching Mode of Product Design Based on Three-dimensional Printing Technology

As a highly interdisciplinary and practice major, product design is expected to achieve the cultivation of innovative talents with artistic accomplishment, engineering knowledge, business awareness and design skills within limited learning time. Technology and art are regarded as the core of its cultivation. In the traditional industrial processing system, mass industrial production is taken by product design practice as the premise. Nevertheless, the maturity of rapid prototyping system represented by three-dimensional printing technology and its combination with whole-process digitalization and intelligent production bring about a great reduction in individualized customization and flexible production costs, which leads to new development opportunities for product design practice. This paper is devoted to the discussion of the practice teaching mode of product design in the context of three-dimensional printing technology.

Exploring User Experience with Image Schemas, Sentiments, and Semantics

Although the concept of user experience includes two key aspects, experience of meaning (usability) and experience of emotion (affect), the empirical work that measures both the usability and affective aspects of user experience is currently limited. This is particularly important considering that affect could significantly influence a user's perception of usability. This paper uses image schemas to quantitatively and systematically evaluate both these aspects. It proposes a method for evaluating user experience that is based on using image schemas, sentiment analysis, and computational semantics. The aim is to link the sentiments expressed by users during their interactions with a product to the specific image schemas used in the designs. The method involves semantic and sentiment analysis of the verbal responses of the users to identify (i) task-related words linked to the task for which a certain image schema has been used and (ii) affect-related words associated with the image schema employed in the interaction. The main contribution is in linking image schemas with interaction and affect. The originality of the method is twofold. First, it uses a domain-specific ontology of image schemas specifically developed for the needs of this study. Second, it employs a novel ontology-based algorithm that extracts the image schemas employed by the user to complete a specific task and identifies and links the sentiments expressed by the user with the specific image schemas used in the task. The proposed method is evaluated using a case study involving 40 participants who completed a set task with two different products. The results show that the method successfully links the users’ experiences to the specific image schemas employed to complete the task. This method facilitates significant improvements in product design practices and usability studies in particular, as it allows qualitative and quantitative evaluation of designs by identifying specific image schemas and product design features that have been positively or negatively received by the users. This allows user experience to be assessed in a systematic way, which leads to a better understanding of the value associated with particular design features.

The Exploration of Smart Object Design Method—Applying User Experience Five Elements for Smart Object Design from Theory Research to Design Practice

The smart object are the products that combines sensors, actuators, memory capabilities, and they can exchange information with a smart phone, allowing users to control them at a distance and to collect data in everyday life. It gradually become the daily necessities around us and it is changing our life into a new age. Technology becomes a vital force to enhance the experience of smart objects. Therefore, technology and user experience had become the elements for smart objects design, this trend also making the design methods (Rowland, etc. 2015) to change from traditional non-smart products to smart products. This research was intended to discuss a new approach to design a smart product by referenced the five elements of user experience theory that proposed by Jesse James Garrett, which is based on user experience of web design. And we assume to use this theoretical model to physical interactive smart objects design, to find whether it could guide to the process of product design from the aspect of user experience, to explore the feasibility and possibility to transform it from the virtual product to the tangible product. What’s more, we conducted a smart product design practice as an experiment to verify this hypothesis. Thus, this paper is discussing this theory research as well as the process and the result of this practice.

The transformative effects of digital technologies on the product design practices of servitizing manufacturers

(2019). The transformative effects of digital technologies on the product design practices of servitizing manufacturers. The Design Journal: Vol. 22, Running with Scissors: 13th International Conference of the European Academy of Design, Dundee, 10-12th April, 2019, edited by Louise Valentine, Joanna Bletcher and Leon Cruickshank, pp. 2007-2017.

Simulations Based on Product-Usage Information From Connected Products to Support Redesign for Improved Performance: Exploration of Practical Application to Domestic Fridge-Freezers

The real-life use of a product is often hard to foresee during its development. Fortunately, today's connective products offer the opportunity to collect information about user actions, which enables companies to investigate the actual use for the benefit of next-generation products. A promising application opportunity is to input the information to engineering simulations and increase their realism to (i) reveal how use-related phenomena influence product performance and (ii) to evaluate design variations on how they succeed in coping with real users and their behaviors. In this article, we explore time-stamped usage data from connected fridge-freezers by investigating energy losses caused by door openings and by evaluating control-related design variations aimed at mitigating these effects. By using a fast-executing simulation setup, we could simulate much faster than real time and investigate usage over a longer time. We showed that a simple, single-cycle load pattern based on aggregated input data can be simulated even faster but only produce rough estimates of the outcomes. Our model was devised to explore application potential rather than producing the most accurate predictions. Subject to this reservation, our outcomes indicate that door openings do not affect energy consumption as much as some literature suggests. Through what-if studies we could evaluate three design variations and nevertheless point out that particular solution elements resulted in more energy-efficient ways of dealing with door openings. Based on our findings, we discuss possible impacts on product design practice for companies seeking to collect and exploit usage data from connected products in combination with simulations.