Exploring the Effectiveness of Providing Structured Design-for-the-Environment Strategies During Conceptual Design

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Donovan Ross ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrero ◽  
Bryony DuPont
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
Structured Design ◽  
Design For The Environment

Abstract The fuzzy front end of engineering design can present a difficult challenge, and as such, recent engineering design research has focused on guiding and influencing the way a designer ideates. Early ideation can be especially difficult when attempting to integrate specific design objectives in product design, called Design for X (DfX). This paper presents two experiments exploring the efficacy of a structured Design for the Environment (DfE) design method called the GREEn Quiz (Guidelines and Regulations for Early design for the Environment) that provides designers with sustainable design knowledge during the conceptual design phase. The GREEn Quiz operates on a web-based platform and queries the designer about their design concepts; an end-of-quiz report provides abstract DfE knowledge to designers. While this abstract knowledge was able to be applied by designers in a former study, we hypothesize that providing targeted, specific design strategies during conceptual design will enable novice designers to better integrate DfE. In this study, we created these DfE strategies, integrated these into the GREEn Quiz, and studied the efficacy of these strategies when presented to designers at both the expert and novice levels. Results suggest that respondents with access to the strategy-based GREEn Quiz produced concepts with evidence of more sustainable design decisions and higher solution quality scores. This work shows the promise of supplemental Design for the Environment methods for concept generation to enable the design of more environmentally sustainable products.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Providing Structured DfE Design Strategies During Conceptual Design

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donovan Ross ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrero ◽  
Bryony DuPont
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Solution Quality ◽  
Design For The Environment

Abstract The fuzzy front end of engineering design can present a difficult challenge, and as such, recent engineering design research has focused on guiding and influencing the way a designer ideates. Early ideation can be especially difficult when attempting to integrate specific design objectives in product design, called Design for X (DfX). Some examples of DfX are Design for Manufacturing (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA), Design for Function (DfF), and Design for Safety (DfS). This paper will present two experiments exploring the efficacy of a structured Design for the Environment (DfE) design method called the GREEn Quiz (Guidelines and Regulations for Early design for the Environment) that provides designers with sustainable design knowledge during the conceptual design phase. The GREEn Quiz operates on a web-based platform and queries the designer about their design concepts; an end-of-quiz report provides abstract DfE knowledge to designers. While this abstract knowledge was able to be applied by designers in a former study, we hypothesize that providing targeted, specific design strategies during conceptual design may enable better integration in concept generation by novice designers. In this study, we created these DfE strategies, embedded these in the GREEn Quiz, and studied the efficacy of these strategies when presented to designers at both the expert and novice levels. Experimental results suggest that respondents with access to the strategy-based GREEn Quiz produced concepts with evidence of more sustainable design decisions and higher solution quality scores when compared to previous respondents and the control groups. This research encourages the consideration of downstream environmental impact knowledge during conceptual design, resulting in lower-impact products regardless of the previous DfE expertise of the designer.

Collaborative Sketching With skWiki: A Case Study

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senthil Chandrasegaran ◽  
Sriram Karthik Badam ◽  
Zhenpeng Zhao ◽  
Niklas Elmqvist ◽  
Lorraine Kisselburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Research Tool ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Collaborative Exploration ◽  
Collaborative Sketching

Sketching for conceptual design has traditionally been performed on paper. Recent computational tools for conceptual design have leveraged the availability of hand-held computing devices and web-based collaborative platforms. Further, digital sketching interfaces have the added advantages of storage, duplication, and sharing on the web. We have developed skWiki, a tool that enables collaborative sketching on digital tablets using a web-based framework. We evaluate skWiki in two contexts, (a) as a collaborative ideation tool, and (b) as a design research tool. For this evaluation, we perform a longitudinal study of an undergraduate design team that used skWiki over the course of the concept generation and development phase of their course project. Our analysis of the team’s sketching activity indicated instances of lateral and vertical transformation between participants, indicating collaborative exploration of the breadth and depth of the design space. Using skWiki for this evaluation also demonstrated it to be an effective research tool to investigate such collaborative design processes.

scholarly journals Protobooth: gathering and analyzing data on prototyping in early-stage engineering design projects by digitally capturing physical prototypes

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Jorgen F. Erichsen ◽  
Heikki Sjöman ◽  
Martin Steinert ◽  
Torgeir Welo
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Research Tool ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
New Research

Abstract Aiming to help researchers capture output from the early stages of engineering design projects, this article presents a new research tool for digitally capturing physical prototypes. The motivation for this work is to collect observations that can aid in understanding prototyping in the early stages of engineering design projects, and this article investigates if and how digital capture of physical prototypes can be used for this purpose. Early-stage prototypes are usually rough and of low fidelity and are thus often discarded or substantially modified through the projects. Hence, retrospective access to prototypes is a challenge when trying to gather accurate empirical data. To capture the prototypes developed through the early stages of a project, a new research tool has been developed for capturing prototypes through multi-view images, along with metadata describing by whom, why, when, and where the prototypes were captured. Over the course of 17 months, this research tool has been used to capture more than 800 physical prototypes from 76 individual users across many projects. In this article, one project is shown in detail to demonstrate how this capturing system can gather empirical data for enriching engineering design project cases that focus on prototyping for concept generation. The authors also analyze the metadata provided by the system to give understanding into prototyping patterns in the projects. Lastly, through enabling digital capture of large quantities of data, the research tool presents the foundations for training artificial intelligence-based predictors and classifiers that can be used for analysis in engineering design research.

MODELING AN ABBREVIATED PRODUCT DESIGN CYCLE IN A FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Kristine Sheridan ◽  
Jason A Foster ◽  
Geoffrey S Frost
Keyword(s):  
Product Design ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Project ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Praxis Ii ◽  
Engineering Communication ◽  
Detail Design ◽  
Praxis I ◽  
Design Experience

All Engineering Science students at the University of Toronto take the cornerstone Praxis Sequence of engineering design courses. In the first course in the sequence, Praxis I, students practice three types of engineering design across three distinct design projects. Previously the final design project had the students first frame and then develop conceptual design solutions for a self-identified challenge. While this project succeeded in providing an appropriate foundational design experience, it failed to fully prepare students for the more complex design experience in Praxis II. The project also failed to ingrain the need for clear and concise engineering communication, and the students’ lack of understanding of detail design inhibited their ability to make practical and realistic design decisions. A revised Product Design project in Praxis I was designed with the primary aims of: (a) pushing students beyond the conceptual design phase of the design process, and (b) simulating a real-world work environment by: (i) increasing the interdependence between student teams and (ii) increasing the students’ perceived value of engineering communication.

Microbial Biomanufacturing for Metal/Metallic Nanomaterials and Metabolic Engineering: Design Strategies, Fundamental Mechanisms, and Future Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Yuan ◽  
Jianglin Cao ◽  
Fei Yu ◽  
Jie Ma ◽  
Dong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Engineering ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Metallic Nanomaterials ◽  
Low Toxicity

Biomanufacturing of metal/metallic nanomaterials with the ordered micro/nanostructures and controllable functions is of great importance in both fundamental studies and practical applications, due to their low toxicity, less pollution production,...

In the Moment: Fostering Mindfulness and Reducing Stressors in the Healthcare Workplace

2021 ◽  
pp. 193758672098824
Author(s):  
Shabboo Valipoor ◽  
Sheila J. Bosch
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Job Dissatisfaction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Environmental Interventions ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
The Moment

While healthcare design research has primarily focused on patient outcomes, there is a growing recognition that environmental interventions could do more by promoting the overall quality of care, and this requires expanding the focus to the health and well-being of those who deliver care to patients. Healthcare professionals are under high levels of stress, leading to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and poor patient care. Among other tools, mindfulness is recommended as a way of decreasing stress and helping workers function at higher levels. This article aims to identify potential environmental strategies for reducing work-related stressors and facilitating mindfulness in healthcare settings. By examining existing evidence on workplace mindfulness and stress-reducing design strategies, we highlight the power of the physical environment in not only alleviating stressful conditions but intentionally encouraging a mindful perspective. Strategies like minimizing distractions or avoiding overstimulation in the healthcare environment can be more effective if implemented along with the provision of designated spaces for mindfulness-based programs. Future research may explore optimal methods and hospital workers’ preferences for environments that support mindfulness and stress management. The long-term goal of all these efforts is to enhance healthcare professionals’ well-being, reignite their professional enthusiasm, and help them be resilient in times of stress.

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