Social Robot Co-Design Canvases: A Participatory Design Framework

Design teams of social robots are often multidisciplinary, due to the broad knowledge from different scientific domains needed to develop such complex technology. However, tools to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration are scarce. We introduce a framework for the participatory design of social robots and corresponding canvas tool for participatory design. The canvases can be applied in different parts of the design process to facilitate collaboration between experts of different fields, as well as to incorporate prospective users of the robot into the design process. We investigate the usability of the proposed canvases with two social robot design case studies: a robot that played games online with teenage users and a librarian robot that guided users at a public library. We observe through participants’ feedback that the canvases have the advantages of (1) providing structure, clarity, and a clear process to the design; (2) encouraging designers and users to share their viewpoints to progress toward a shared one; and (3) providing an educational and enjoyable design experience for the teams.

“Nizhegorodskaya” (Ryazanskaya) transport hub in Moscow

The article features the architectural solution and purpose of the Nizhegorodskaya transport and interchange hub, as well as the importance of interaction between the leading design teams of different profiles. It describes the symbolic and artistic component of the project and its implementation.

Knowledge capitalization in mechatronic collaborative design

In mechatronic collaborative design, there is a synergic integration of several expert domains, where heterogeneous knowledge needs to be shared. To address this challenge, ontology-based approaches are proposed as a solution to overtake this heterogeneity. However, dynamic exchange between design teams is overlooked. Consequently, parametric-based approaches are developed to use constraints and parameters consistently during collaborative design. The most valuable knowledge that needs to be capitalized, which we call crucial knowledge, is identified with informal solutions. Thus, a formal identification and extraction is required. In this paper, we propose a new methodology to formalize the interconnection between stakeholders and facilitate the extraction and capitalization of crucial knowledge during the collaboration, based on the mathematical theory ‘Category Theory’ (CT). Firstly, we present an overview of most used methods for crucial knowledge identification in the context of collaborative design as well as a brief review of CT basic concepts. Secondly, we propose a methodology to formally extract crucial knowledge based on some fundamental concepts of category theory. Finally, a case study is considered to validate the proposed methodology.

Design and development of a large Business School core interdisciplinary unit to foster blended learning during the pandemic

The paper provides a process and design overview of a large Master of Commerce unit (from hereon referred to as 'The Unit') at a University in Australia. The skills flowing from a creative and analytical mindset have been noted as crucial in the future. The Unit develops these two mindsets as complimentary by taking a multidisciplinary approach to curriculum design. By outlining the theoretical frameworks applied in the curriculum design and development and the approaches to teaching and learning, especially during the Pandemic, it is hoped that other academics and learning design teams will be able to draw inspiration that they can apply to their contexts. It is possible that the challenges that have arisen during this process may be applicable and have been experienced by other teaching teams in higher education institutions and certainly during the emergence of online learning during the Pandemic. This paper first discusses the approach we took in the curriculum design, informed by the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Principles and Biggs' 3P's model of teaching and learning. The paper then focuses on design principles utilised to create the online learning management system for students.

Using Virtual Reality (VR) Mock-Ups for Evidence-Based Healthcare Facility Design Decisions

(1) Background: There are many complexities and trade-offs that design teams consider when designing or renovating a built environment for healthcare. Virtual reality (VR) mock-ups can allow design teams to evaluate the planned design. This study aimed to examine the overall value of using VR mock-ups to conduct a simulation-based mock-up evaluation. (2) Methods: Data collected from scenario enactments within a VR mock-up was compared to data collected from an existing medication room with the same design to assess predictive validity. Outcomes regarding quality and patient safety were also examined as a result of design modifications to the VR mock-up which were identified through a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of the existing medication room. Survey data from participants, hospital design stakeholders, and POE recommendation recipients captured perceptions regarding the evaluation process. Specifically, this included perceptions regarding mock-up and scenario realism as well as utility of the evaluation process. (3) Results: Evidence-based data collected using the VR mock-up accurately assessed workflow (link analysis), bumps, impediments, interruptions, and task completion times. Collecting data pertaining to selection errors and equipment placement were identified after procuring the VR software and therefore the accuracy of these measures was not assessed. Searching behaviours were not possible to capture using the VR software. A 506% return on investment was achieved through the VR mock-up evaluations. (4) Conclusion: Organizations should consider what evaluation objectives are planned and how they will be measured for a mock-up evaluation to determine if VR is appropriate.

Problems and Challenges in the Interactions of Design Teams of Construction Projects: A Bibliometric Study

There is no comprehensive understanding of the problems that may impact the performance of the different actors that participate in the design of construction projects. In the absence of clarity about the problems and challenges that may impact the interactions, it is not possible to propose action plans to optimize the performance of the design teams. Therefore, this study proposes to identify the main problems and challenges in the interactions of design teams in building projects. A mixed review method is used to integrate bibliometric reviews, systematic reviews, and social network analysis to build a complete picture of the reviewed topic while highlighting certain key areas to ensure in-depth research. To achieve the objective of this work, the research was divided into three stages: (1) study of interactions in design teams; (2) identification of problems in design team interactions; and (3) study of problems in design team interactions. Through this study, four current major trends of research were identified: (1) Collaboration and BIM; (2) Design teams in the construction industry; (3) Design management; and (4) Collaborative design methodologies and processes. In addition, the most relevant problems or challenges within design team interactions arise in communication, collaboration, coordination, trust, and role identification.

Comparing Team Interactions in Traditional and BIM-Lean Design Management

There is qualitative evidence showing that design teams that use BIM-lean management have a higher level of interaction than design teams that do not use this management approach. However, there is no quantitative empirical evidence of this higher level of interaction. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to present quantitative empirical evidence of the differences among the various types of interactions of a design team. Two case studies were analyzed, and their design management was assessed from a lean BIM perspective while their team interactions were assessed using social network analysis (SNA). To achieve the aim of this paper, four steps were performed: (1) case study selection; (2) description of the design management of the projects from the lean design management and BIM perspectives; (3) assessment of design team interaction; and (4) comparison using SNA. The results show that the project that applied BIM-lean management exhibited higher levels of interactions among its design team members than the traditional team; transparent, orderly, and standardized information flows; a collaborative, trusting, and learning environment; and commitment management. None of these interaction elements were visible in the project that did not apply BIM-lean management. It is suggested that an analysis be performed on a representative sample of projects in the future so that conclusive statistical inferences could be made.

The Story is in the Structure: A Multi-Case Study of Instructional Design Teams

Although instructional designers are experienced and positioned to be leaders in online learning (Shaw, 2012), it was not previously known how organizational structures influenced their ability to act as leaders in their institutions. This problem warranted a deep exploration of the organizational structures for instructional design teams in higher education. This qualitative, multi-case study consisted of 3 individual universities each with a different organizational structure profile. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and document analysis with participants in 3 key roles at each institution: dedicated instructional designer, online faculty member, and online learning administrator. The research culminated in within-case analyses of each institution and a comparative case analysis of all 3 studied institutions. The results of the study revealed that the organizational structure that most positively influenced instructional design leadership was a centralized instructional design team with academic reporting lines. The results also showed that decentralized instructional designers experienced significant disempowerment, role misperception, and challenges in advocacy and leadership, while instructional designers with administrative reporting lines experienced a high level of role misperception specifically related to technology support. Positional parity between dedicated instructional designers and faculty, in conjunction with implementation of the recommended organizational structure, was found to be critical to empowering designers to be partners and leaders.