Elin Olander

Interdependency between average novelty, individual average novelty, and variety

Idea generation is an important part of the engineering design process, and therefore significant research efforts have focused on developing methods to support designers in generating ideas. A key factor is the measurement of ideation effectiveness. The effectiveness of idea generation methods can be measured using metrics such as novelty, variety, quantity, and quality. Average novelty (AN) of a set of ideas is also used as one of the ideation metrics. However, the interdependency between AN and variety has been given little attention. An investigation of the interdependency between these metrics is important to enhance our understanding of the metrics of ideation, and thereby to develop methods for improving ideation effectiveness. This article examines the interdependency between AN and variety. In addition, the metric ‘individual average novelty (IAN)’ has been introduced, and the interdependency between ‘IAN’ and variety has been investigated.

Good Taste vs Good Design : A tug of war in the light of Bling

ABSTRACT Some products are considered to be ‘bad taste’ and therefore of less value. However, if we focus on what a product does to and for its users, rather than on what a product is, we can disregard superficial statements based on taste, and instead reach a better understanding of design. This reasoning is based on the relationship between ‘good taste’ and ‘good design’, terms which are sometimes confused and treated as synonyms. In this paper we explore the tension between ‘good taste’ and ‘good design’, and how designers can use that tension in the design process. We consider ‘good taste’ to be rooted in a subjective context of inherent values, whereas ‘good design’ arises from competence and is based on professional skill. ‘Bad taste’ is here exemplified by products associated with the lifestyles of rap artists and the subculture of bling. Inspired by de Bonos PO (1972, 1973) we created a thought-provoking brief for a design workshop for students. In the context of a course on trends, industrial design students were given the task of exploring how bling products are perceived in everyday life and proposing future bling scenarios. Their views on bling were compatible with how bling is presented in the media. However, when the students began to consider what the product does rather than what it is, they were able to use bling as a source of creativity for their own bling projects. What other design opportunities are overlooked by regarding products as being ‘bad taste’?

Characteristics of Jewellery Design: An Initial Review

Previous studies in jewellery design have primarily focused on the techniques of the jewellery design process, such as the use of tools including computer aided design, rapid prototyping and other design technology. However, limited attention has been devoted to understanding the jewellery design practice itself, including methodologies and rationale of the work. Therefore, the focus of this position paper is to understand the nature of the practice, how designers reason about jewellery making, and how they create the knowledge they need in the design process. A literature review on the topic revealed that the characteristics of jewellery design can be described by three aspects; the practice of the jewellery designer, characteristics and rationale of jewellery designers, and knowledge creation in jewellery design. In conclusion, jewellery design can be understood as an intuitive practice with an artistically driven standpoint and experimentally based approach, focusing on resolving design challenges related to the object itself.