Crossing cultural borders: A case study of conceptual design outcomes of U.S. and Moroccan student samples

There has been a plethora of design theory and methodology research conducted to answer important questions centered around how ideas are developed and translated into successful products. Understanding this is vital because of the role creativity and innovation have in long-term economic success. However, most of this research have focused on U.S. samples, leaving to question if differences exist across cultural borders. Answering this question is key to supporting a successful global economy. The current work provides a first step at answering this question by examining similarities and differences in concept generation and screening practices between students in an emerging market, Morocco, and those in a more established market, the U.S during a design thinking workshop. Our results show that while students in the U.S. sample produced more ideas than the Moroccan sample, there was no difference in the perceived quality of ideas generated (idea goodness). In addition, while U.S. women were found to produce more ideas than U.S. men, there were no gender effects for students in the Moroccan sample. Finally, the results show that ideas with low goodness had a higher probability of passing concept screening if it was evaluated by its owner regardless of the population studied – identifying the potential impact of ownership bias across cultures. As a whole, these results suggest that key aspects of design theory and methodology research may in fact translate across cultures but also identified key areas for further investigation.

A FORMALISATION APPROACH FOR COLLABORATIVE USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

We propose to combine Collaborative User Experience Design (CUXD) projects with the integrated product and process modelling theory CPM/PDD to formalise the CUXD process model. CPM/PDD is discussed as a Design Theory and Methodology (DTM) to describe a product as well as the product development process based on a clear distinction of characteristics and properties. CUXD is presented as a cross-disciplinary, human-centred development model. It focuses on team collaboration, relates to concepts of Design Thinking, Agile Development as well as Lean UX and it highlights user experience metrics.

Proposal of Delta Design Map Based on Function, Behavior, Structure and User Experience for Design Ideation Support

In the present competitive business environment, designers and engineers need to come up with creative, innovative and valuable design ideas. In engineering design, the function (F), behavior (B) and structure (S) of a product are discussed using design theory and methodology. On the other hand, the concept of user experience (UX) is becoming important in product design. In this paper, we first discuss the relationship among F, B, S, UX and the value of a product. Then we propose a delta design map as a framework for a systematic method and computational tool for design ideation support. A delta design map does not describe F, B, S and UX for design examples but describes their differences (delta) between design examples. This approach makes the descriptions efficient and gives clear criteria on what needs to be described and what need not be described. By preparing a delta design map, we can systematically and exhaustively analyze the potential similarity among all design examples from the viewpoint of F, B, S and UX and obtain triggers for ideation. The results of a simple trial of the proposed method are presented and discussed in this paper.

What is a Prototype?: Emergent Roles of Prototypes From Empirical Work in Three Diverse Companies

This paper explores the nature of prototypes from three diverse companies in the fields of consumer electronics, footwear, and medical devices. It is part of a larger qualitative research study developing a prototyping framework grounded in the emergent findings from practice and detailed inductive inquiry. In this paper, we describe the methods for setting up an appropriate research design, highlighting the conceptual framework, means for data collection and analysis, and validity. Then, we describe the emergent findings, introducing a modified definition of a prototype and the three roles of prototypes. This research is a contribution to the field of design theory and methodology by adding new knowledge about prototypes from companies. Prototyping is an essential part of product development, and yet it is one of the least formally explored areas of design. The significance of this work lies in its ability to gain insights into the role of prototyping in the natural work environment, which has not been holistically documented. By using diverse industries, we will build and test our framework across them all to ensure validity.