Jaap Daalhuizen

COMPREHENDING A HAND MOTION LANGUAGE IN SHAPE CONCEPTUALIZATION

This paper reports on a study concerning the comprehension of an experimental hand motion language in shape conceptualization. Hand motion is regarded as a prospective input mechanism for computer aided conceptual design systems for initial shape design of consumer durables. Our hand motion language has been developed based on the analysis of the (a) information necessary to describe shape concepts, (b) descriptive and indicative capabilities of human hands, and (c) cognitive and perceptive aspects of processing hand motions. This language was used in designed experiments to describe simple, compound and hybrid shapes for designers and tested with respect to comprehensibility. The subjects were asked to reconstruct the presented shapes by sketching on paper. Comprehension of the hand motion language has been evaluated in terms of fidelity and efficiency. Fidelity was expressed in terms of the number of deviations of the sketches of the test shapes from the existing CAD models. Efficiency was expressed as the proportion of the time needed to understand the test shapes communicated by hand motions and the time needed for the presentation. The results clearly indicate the potentials of a HML in shape conceptualization. In addition, the experiments revealed several new issues related to the application of the hand motion language in a multi-modal interface. The most important one is the need of chunking of the hand motion sequences in a way that enables the computer system to reliably reconstruct shapes and the designers to understand the formation of shapes on a higher semantic level. These issues will be addressed in our future research.Copyright

Towards a Designer-Centred Methodology: Descriptive Considerations and Prescriptive Reflections

Design methodology aims to provide structure that supports designers dealing with complex and complicated problems in varying projects, contexts and environments. For decades, the technique for transferring methods into practice has been discussed, mainly in reference to the limited use of methods in practice. This paper addresses three issues: past, present, and future. ‘What is methodology good for?’ is asked in reference to the past and provides a brief overview of arguments from recent decades that question the benefits of design methodology. The second part elaborates on the claim that designers should be the source of information about their use of design methods. To support the plea for a designer-centred methodology, results are presented of an interview study that aimed to find out what kind of situations the users of design methods - the designers - experience as non-routine situations and how they cope with these kinds of situations. It is assumed that this information helps to determine when designers need what kind of support. Finally, the third section discusses the extent to which the new design thinking movement as a business strategy will influence the development of design methodology in the future, and closes with a summary of the implications of future trends for design methodology. The emphasis throughout is a plea for substantial methodological support in an individually personalised and situation–oriented manner to meet the demands of the user, and thus increase design performance.

The use of methods by advanced beginner and expert industrial designers in non-routine situations: a quasi-experiment

The transfer and application of methods into practice is problematic. We studied the effect of ‘situated’ methodological support on performance in non-routine situations. Practising expert and advanced beginner designers were compared. Design methods and support to select methods were provided for solving a design-planning problem under time pressure. Results point to improved performance through using methods up to a level where experts and advanced beginners perform equally well. Further research is needed to understand the relation between the designers’ behaviour under uncertainty and the need for methodological support. Implications for development and transfer of methods are expected.