Bahar Sener

Product design, semantics and emotional response

This paper explores theoretical issues in ergonomics related to semantics and the emotional content of design. The aim is to find answers to the following questions: how to design products triggering ‘happiness’ in ones mind; which product attributes help in the communication of positive emotions; and finally, how to evoke such emotions through a product. In other words, this is an investigation of the ‘meaning’ that could be designed into a product in order to ‘communicate’ with the user at an emotional level. A literature survey of recent design trends, based on selected examples of product designs and semantic applications to design, including the results of recent design awards, was carried out in order to determine the common attributes of their design language. A review of Good Design Award winning products that are said to convey and/or evoke emotions in the users has been done in order to define good design criteria. These criteria have been discussed in relation to user emotional responses and a selection of these has been given as examples.

The Potential for the Bespoke Industrial Designer

Through the combination of innovative and emerging design and manufacturing technologies, a new bespoke industrial design methodology is emerging whereby there will be the ability for individuals to cost effectively control the design and manufacture of individual customized products. The use of novel design devices such as haptic modelling systems that can be used to create a customized three-dimensional model of a desired object, and the subsequent ability to three-dimensionally ‘print’ the design via rapid manufacturing technologies, will see the emergence of a breed of bespoke industrial designer. This paper introduces research work being undertaken at Loughborough University that is investigating these technologies and the effects and opportunities that they will have on the design and manufacturing community.

Creating Awareness of Sleep-Wake Hours by Gamification

Gamification can be used to motivate people to carry out hard-to- perform tasks. It can help in changing undesirable habits and in improving a persons subjective well-being. Sleep-wake behaviors are important determinants of day-to-day well-being. This study aims to find out whether it is possible to modify sleep-wake habits using gamification. To this end, a gamified alarm clock app, Sleepy Bird, was designed and tested in a user study with thirteen participants using gamified and thirteen participants using non-gamified versions for two weeks. The results indicate that the participants of the gamified version were more motivated to start the day at required times than the participants of the non-gamified version. The participants of the gamified version were also observed to have made desirable modifications to their sleep-wake habits.

Appraisal of Augmented Reality Technologies for Supporting Industrial Design Practices

Having become widespread and easily accessible with the rapid advancements in technology, augmented reality (AR) offers potential uses for industrial designers, especially for design students. Some design stages, during which traditional tools and methods are used, may not fully communicate the total experience that a product offers. AR can provide a digital layer in which designers can present information and make their presentations more interactive. With this aim in mind, design practice fieldwork with three progressive studies was conducted. The results show that AR can be utilized mainly in presentation and prototyping stages of a design process, to show details such as audiovisual feedback and digital interfaces. With further developments, AR has potential use for several other design activities.