Empirical Studies of Functional Decomposition in Early Design

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joran W. Booth ◽  
Abhinav K. Bhasin ◽  
Tahira N. Reid ◽  
Karthik Ramani
Keyword(s):  
Energy Flow ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Team Communication ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Functional Decomposition ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Function Diagram

This paper explores functional decomposition in early design. In the first part of this study, we explore how the three most common methods (top-down, energy-flow, enumeration) affect concept generation for novice design teams (n=25). We found that nearly all the features in the final concept could be mapped to the function diagram, though not all the functions mapped to the actual concept. This suggests that there is not much change in system functionality between these two phases, despite being separated by a few weeks. We also found that teams who used top-down and energy-flow performed nearly the same, and teams who used enumeration performed worse than those who used energy-flow. Based on these results, we recommend using either top-down or energy-flow, but not enumeration in early design. We also observed that teams used the diagramming process to reach a consensus and support team communication. The second part of this study evaluates design reports (n=78) from industry engineers taking a distance learning design course. Even though roughly half of the reports used functional decomposition, there was no correlation between using functional decomposition and final design quality as measured by various grade components. We also observed that half of the function diagrams were tree diagrams. This supports prior findings that a top-down, tree-based approach is more intuitive for engineers. Together, these results suggest that functional decomposition is helpful for team communication, but show no direct correlation with design outcome. We also recommend training strategies for teaching decomposition based on differences between the two datasets.

Bringing Ergonomics to the Design of a Behavioural Care Unit

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Jacqueline B. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Final Design ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The application of ergonomics is important when considering the built environment. In order to create an environment where form follows function, a detailed understanding of the tasks performed by the individuals who will live and work in the facility is required. Early involvement in the project is key to maximizing the benefit of ergonomics. At Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, this early intervention was embraced during the design process of a behavioural care unit for aggressive patients. The ergonomist was involved in three phases of design; user needs analysis, block schematics and detailed design. The user needs and characteristics were established using a combination of focus groups, interviews, direct observation, task analysis and critique of current working environments. The challenge was to present the information to the design team in a useful manner. The format chosen was a modification of Userfit (Poulson 1996) that outlined the various characteristics of the patient group and the design consequences with “what does this mean for me” statements. During the block schematics phase an iterative design process was used to ensure that the ergonomic principles and the user needs were incorporated into the design. Ergonomic input was used in determining the room sizes and layout and to ensure work processes were considered. Simple mock-ups and anthropometric data assisted in illustrating the need for design changes. Examples that highlight the areas of greatest impact of ergonomic intervention include the patient bathrooms, showers and tub room. Significant changes were made to the design to improve the safety of the work and living space of the end users. One of the greatest challenges was having an appreciation for the individual goals of the team members. Ensuring there was adequate space for equipment and staff often resulted in recommendations for increased space. This in turn would increase the cost of the project. The architect and, later in the project, the engineer had goals of bringing the project in on budget. The final design was very much a team effort and truly die result of an iterative process. The sum of the individual contributions could not match the combined efforts. It was only through the ergonomic contributions in this early design phase that the needs of the staff, patients and families could be so well represented. The success of the iterative process provides the foundation for bringing ergonomics considerations into the early design stages of future projects.

Analyzing Participant Behaviors in Design Crowdsourcing Contests Using Causal Inference on Field Data

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish M. Chaudhari ◽  
Zhenghui Sha ◽  
Jitesh H. Panchal
Keyword(s):  
Causal Inference ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Game Theoretic

Crowdsourcing is the practice of getting ideas and solving problems using a large number of people on the Internet. It is gaining popularity for activities in the engineering design process ranging from concept generation to design evaluation. The outcomes of crowdsourcing contests depend on the decisions and actions of participants, which in turn depend on the nature of the problem and the contest. For effective use of crowdsourcing within engineering design, it is necessary to understand how the outcomes of crowdsourcing contests are affected by sponsor-related, contest-related, problem-related, and individual-related factors. To address this need, we employ existing game-theoretic models, empirical studies, and field data in a synergistic way using the theory of causal inference. The results suggest that participants' decisions to participate are negatively influenced by higher task complexity and lower reputation of sponsors. However, they are positively influenced by the number of prizes and higher allocation to prizes at higher levels. That is, an amount of money on any following prize generates higher participation than the same amount of money on the first prize. The contributions of the paper are: (a) a causal graph that encodes relationships among factors affecting crowdsourcing contests, derived from game-theoretic models and empirical studies, and (b) a quantification of the causal effects of these factors on the outcomes of GrabCAD, Cambridge, MA contests. The implications of these results on the design of future design crowdsourcing contests are discussed.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF SMES CREDIT RESTRUCTURING POLICY IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Lussi Agustin ◽  
Moh. Yusron Solikin ◽  
Zunairoh .
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
Top Down ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Industry Sectors ◽  
The Impact

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis seberapa maksimal proses kebijakan retrukturisasi Kredit UMKM dalam Pemulihan Ekonomi di Masa Pandemi Covid-19. Kondisi perekonomian global sedang mengalami goncangan hebat akibat mewabahnya Covid-19. Dampak dari pandemic ini sangat mempengaruhi segala aspek terutama pada kondisi Kesehatan dan perekonomian suatu negara, tidak terkecuali Indonesia. Secara keseluruhan, hampir semua sektor industry mengalami goncangan dan tidak terkecuali sektor UMKM. Maka dari itu dikeluarkanlah kebijakan retrukturisasi Kredit UMKM guna mendorong optimalisasi fungsi intermediasi pada perbankan dan menjaga stabilitas sistem keuangan serta mendukung pertumbuhan perekonomian. Program restrukturisasi kredit menjadi program dari OJK yang dapat diterapkan oleh perbankan kepada UMKM. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan menggunakan studi empiris dari penelitian terdahulu serta peraturan-peraturan terkait dengan restrukturisasi kredit yang dikeluarkan oleh Otoritas Jasa Keuangan. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa implementasi kebijakan restrukturisai kredit bagi UMKM sudah berjalan dan digunakan oleh para pelaku UMKM. Kemudian berdasarkan implementasinya kebijakan ini merupakan kebijakan top-down dimana memerlukan banyak Lembaga untuk bekerja sama dan keputusan berasal dari Peraturan pemerintah baru di teruskan ke Lembaga-lembaga lain di bawahnya hingga informasinya sampai dan bisa dirasakan oleh para UMKM.  This research aims to analyze the policy of restructuring SMEs Credit in Economic Recovery during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The global economy is experiencing severe shocks due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The impact of this pandemic greatly affects all aspects, especially on the health and economic condition of a country, not least Indonesia. Overall, almost all industry sectors are experiencing shocks and are no exception to the SMEs sector. Therefore, the policy of restructuring SMEs Credit was issued to encourage optimization of intermediation function in banking and maintain the financial system stability and support economic growth. Credit restructuring program becomes a program from OJK that can be applied by banks to SMEs. The method used in this research is a qualitative method using empirical studies from previous research as well as regulations related to credit restructuring issued by the Financial Services Authority. The results of this research show that the implementation of credit restructuring policy for SMEs is already running and used by SMEs. Then based on the difference in implementation of this policy is a top-down policy that requires many Institutions to cooperate and decisions derived from the new government regulations are forwarded to other institutions under it until the information reaches and can be felt by SMEs.

scholarly journals Between Bare Life and Everyday Life : Spatializing Europe’s Migrant Camps

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irit Katz
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Refugee Camps ◽  
Bare Life ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Northern France ◽  
Analytical Strategies

The migrant and refugee camps that proliferated in Europe over recent years reflect extreme, if not bipolar, architectural conditions. While fenced carceral camps with prefabricated units were created top-down by state and municipal authorities, informal makeshift camps of tents and self-made shelters were formed bottom-up along Europe’s migration routes. These contrasting spatial typologies often appear side by side in the open landscapes of rural fields, in urban landscapes at the heart or in the fringes of cities, and in the architectural landscapes of abandoned institutions and facilities such as factories, prisons, airports, and military barracks. The different ways in which camps are created, function, and are managed by multiple and changing actors and sovereignties, substantially influence the form of these spaces. So far, however, the radically different spatial typologies of the camp and the intersections between them have not been comparatively analysed. Based on empirical studies of the recently created migrant camps in Europe, this paper sets out to investigate their various configurations, what they reflect, and how they correspond with the culture and politics that shape them. While this paper mainly focuses on three particular camps in northern France – the container camp in Calais, the makeshift camp in Calais known as the “Jungle,” and La Linière camp in Grande-Synthe – it offers observations and analytical strategies relevant to camp spaces in other spaces and contexts and to camp studies more broadly.

Is pelagic top-down control in lakes augmented by benthic energy pathways?

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1422-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Jake Vander Zanden ◽  
Timothy E Essington ◽  
Yvonne Vadeboncoeur
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Trophic Dynamics ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Contrast Analysis ◽  
Dynamic Perspective

Modern food web studies are typically conducted from a trophic dynamic perspective that focuses on combined roles of top-down and bottom-up forces in regulating food web structure. Recognition of spatial food web subsidies in diverse ecosystems highlights the importance of energy flow as a foundation for understanding trophic dynamics. Here, we consider how different energy flow configurations might affect trophic dynamics in north-temperate lakes. A literature review revealed that littoral piscivores exert top-down control on prey fishes. In contrast, analysis of littoral predator diets indicated extensive omnivory and heavy reliance on zoobenthic prey. We explored this uncoupling between trophic dynamics (piscivores regulate prey fish) and energy flow (zoobenthos in piscivore diets) using a biomass dynamic model. This model compared top-down impacts of a piscivore on prey fishes under two scenarios: consumption of prey fish only and consumption of prey fish plus zoobenthos. The model predicted that elimination of zoobenthivory leads to a 50% reduction in piscivore standing stock and concomitant 2.5-fold increase in prey fish abundance (i.e., zoobenthivory plays a key role in mediating pelagic top-down control). These results highlight the role of benthic–pelagic linkages in regulating trophic dynamics and underscore the value of whole-ecosystem approaches to the study of food webs.

scholarly journals Bach to Batch

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tomek Piątek
Keyword(s):  
Fold Increase ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
Final Design ◽  
Formal Strategy ◽  
Single Block ◽  
Selective Preservation ◽  
Design Experiments

<p>Ōtaki Beach is an example of a small town by the sea romanticised by many New Zealanders, yet it suffers for not being able to grow without resorting to greenfield development and subdivision. Its coarse urban grain and wide roads prioritise cars and promote a sprawl of low-density, impermeable suburban blocks. Still, the old houses have their charm.  This thesis explores how we can grow the population of Ōtaki Beach without resorting to further greenfield development. Early design experiments centred on large multi-residential structures sited in surrounding landscapes. The final proposal though, developed in the context of adaptive reuse, focuses on exploring the potential of a single block that serves as an example.  The design experiments led to three main strategies. Firstly, unification of existing outdoor spaces generates shared landscape. Secondly, transverse pathways add permeability and refine block grain. Thirdly, selective preservation, unification and vertical stacking of existing structures constitute the formal strategy that increases density without consuming more land and gives rise to a specific architectural expression.  Final design achieves: 4-fold increase in density, taking it from 63 people/km² to over 252 people/km²; refined block grain and permeability, by growing the number of public pathways from zero to three; over 3000m² of shared landscape.</p>

scholarly journals Tinjauan Historis dan Perspektif Pengembangan Kelembagaan Irigasi di Era Otonomi Daerah

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
NFN Saptana ◽  
NFN Hendiarto ◽  
NFN Sunarsih ◽  
NFN Sumaryanto
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Irrigation Performance ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Resources Management

<p><strong>English<br /></strong>The primer mover of agriculture development consist of four factors, which are natural resources, human resource, technology, and institution. It is predicted that improvement of both food production and farm income will be driven by the following pressure factors: (1) The implication of globalization and liberalization, as well as international community coersion on environmental aspects; (2) The more limited of government expenditure, (3) The increase of natural resources scarcity and its degradtion, and (4) The launching of autonomy and its implication on decentralization of development. Historically, natural resources management has been managed partially through centralistic and top-down style. Deal with water resources management, the approach affected malfunction of local institution, the out comes was ineficient irrigation. Irrigation should be managed simultaneously both on supply and demand side. Refer to empirical studies it was convenient that enhancement of demand side management will increase food production and farm income significantly. It is useful to review irrigation performance, especially focused on institutional aspects.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Indonesian<br /></strong>Ada empat faktor penggerak utama dalam pembangunan pertanian, yaitu sumberdaya alam, sumberdaya manusia, teknologi, dan kelembagaan. Upaya peningkatan produksi pangan dan pendapatan petani di hadapkan pada arus globalisasi ekonomi, pelestarian lingkungan, anggaran pembangunan yang terbatas, kelangkaan sumberdaya dan pelaksanaan otonomi daerah. Secara historis pengelolaan sumberdaya alam dengan pendekatan sentralistik (top down) telah berdampak pada memudarnya kelembagaan lokal dan inefisiensi pengelolaan sumberdaya alam dan air. Secara teoritis, pengelolaan air irigasi yang efisien membutuhkan pendekatan simultan yakni dari penyediaan air(supply management) dan dari sisi pemanfaatan (demand management). Secara empiris, pendekatan dari sisi pemanfaatan masih sangat membutuhkan perbaikan mempunyai peluang yang besar untuk dapat memberikan  kontribusi yang nyata dalam peningkatan produksi pangan dan pendapatan petani. Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk melakukan tinjauan historis kelembagaan irigasi, mengidentifikasi faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi kinerja kelembagaan irigasi, menarik benang merah yang merupakan simpul-simpul kritis dalam pengembangan kelembagaan irigasi, dan merumuskan pengembangan kelembagaan irigasi di era otonomi daerah.</p>

Informing Early Design via Crowd-Based Co-Creation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devarajan Ramanujan ◽  
Vinayak ◽  
Yash Nawal ◽  
Tahira Reid ◽  
Karthik Ramani
Keyword(s):  
Main Idea ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Computer Mouse ◽  
Design Attributes ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
And Function

Customer inputs in the early stages of design can potentially lead to completely new outlooks in concept generation. We propose crowd-based co-creation as a means to this end. Our main idea is to think of the customer as a source of initial design concepts rather than a means for obtaining preferences towards designer-generated concepts. For analyzing a large collection of customer-created prototypes, we develop a framework that focuses on generating hypotheses related to customer perception of design attributes. We demonstrate our approach through a web interface to gather design requirements for a computer mouse, a bicycle seat, a pen holder, and a cola bottle. This interface was used in a crowdsourcing study with 253 users who represented potential end users for these products. Results from this study show that web-based co-creation allows designers to capture a variety of form and function-related design requirements from user-created virtual prototypes. We also found that such studies can be instrumental in identifying innovative product concepts, and gaining insights about how user perception correlates with product form. Therefore, we make the case that customer creation through distributed co-creation platforms can reinforce concept exploration in future early design processes.

A Conceptual Tool Kit

2021 ◽  
pp. 31-86
Author(s):  
James V. Wertsch
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Conceptual Tool ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
National Memory ◽  
Narrative Truth ◽  
Individual Memory ◽  
The Difference

The chapter begins with a section on methods and forms of evidence that outlines the difference between top-down and bottom-up analyses of national memory and notes that the latter will be given more emphasis in this book than is the case in many studies of national identity and memory. The section also argues that by understanding how narrative tools can “co-author” individuals’ speaking and thinking, it is possible to avoid misguided notions of “primordialism” that are part of the rhetorical claims of nationalists. The next section examines the sense in which national memory is memory and argues for the need to focus on remembering individuals as members of groups. This involves a review of ideas from figures such as Maurice Halbwachs and Frederic Bartlett on collective and individual memory. This is followed by a section on “Flashbulb Memories as Memory in the Group,” which uses a body of literature in psychology to develop a conceptually grounded notion of national memory that includes the observation that Bartlett’s notion of schema underpins much of the entire discussion. The next section, on “symbolic mediation,” reviews the origins of this idea in the writings of several European and Russian scholars and goes into the case of literacy as an illustration as outlined in empirical studies by Luria and Vygotsky. It then poses an analogous line of reasoning for narratives as symbolic mediation. This includes a discussion of the “inner logic” of narrative tools, “narrative truth,” and two levels of narrative analysis (“specific narratives” and “narrative templates”).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document