Julian Paul Malins

The Digital Thesis: Recent Developments in Practice-Based PhD Research in Art & Design

This paper describes the recent developments in the use of digital media in the research process. It concentrates on the use of these media in practice-based PhD research in Art & Design, drawing on the experience gained at the Centre for Research in Art & Design, Grays School of Art. The digital thesis is now a reality. The features of two examples of a digital thesis are described. The paper discusses the key considerations in developing such a document: benefits and limitations; general issues concerning planning, structure, and content; specific considerations for the design of the digital thesis, including navigation, required technology and support, different formats and development time. The paper concludes by speculating on issues for future developments.

Making collaboration work: application of a conceptual design stages protocol for pre-BIM stages.

This paper presents the application of a Conceptual Design Stages Protocol during feasibility stages within a multidisciplinary design team, for the purpose of bridging the gap between ideas generation and their representation in later and more advanced design stages. Increased effort during the early and conceptual design is a prerequisite for effective and sustainable overall design and construction. Consequently, shift of the effort towards feasibility stages aims to tackle problems with workflow, education and organisation of design teams at the very beginning of a project. Furthermore, the application of an organised process during conceptual design could further support a multi-party agreement, hence enhancing the potentials of collaboration and coordination for the entirety of a project. This paper demonstrates the Conceptual Design Stages Protocol as an organised process encompassing different professionals, technologies and means for communication that has been tested in a conceptual stage study and the outcomes have been incorporated within BIM. The impact of this Protocol on designers cognitive, physical, perceptual and collaborative actions is presented and the first pre-BIM Protocol is established. This was a paper presented at the International Conference on Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Design, Construction and Operations, held in Bristol, 9-11 September 2015.

IT-Based Tools to Support New Product Design: A Case Study of a Design Consultancy Firm

Product design and development processes do not always proceed in a linear step-by-step manner, starting with the initial problem leading to a solution consisting of a number of clearly defined steps in between. As such the development of IT-based tools to support this process is also far from straightforward. It requires considerable creativity to design IT-based systems that can enhance product designer’s capabilities without detracting from the creative process. In this chapter, we offer insights into the use of various IT-based systems that have been developed in response to the requirements of a contemporary design consultancy. Specifically, we examine the various stages in the design process based on a case study of a London-based design consultancy, Studio Levien. The case study is used to illustrate the key IT-based elements required to support the design process and their implications for research and practice.

Collaboration in Creative Design

This book presents a number of new methods, tools, and approaches aimed to assist researchers and designers during the early stages of the design process, focusing on the need to approach the development of new interactive products, systems and related services by closely observing the needs of potential end-users through adopting a design thinking approach. A wide range of design approaches are explored, some emphasizing on the physicality of interaction and the products designed, others exploring interactive design and the emerging user experience (UX) with a focus on the value to the end-user. Contemporary design processes and the role of software tools to support design are also discussed. The researchers draw their expertise from a wide range of fields and it is this interdisciplinary approach which provides a unique perspective resulting in a flexible collection of methods that can be applied to a wide range of design contexts. Interaction and UX designers and product design specialists will all find Collaboration in Creative Design an essential read.

COnCEPT developing intelligent information systems to support colloborative working across design teams

Rapid developments in hardware and software are creating opportunities to enhance the user experience. For example, advances in social analytics can provide near instant feedback. State of the art information extraction tools, filtering, categorization and presentation mechanisms all greatly facilitate knowledge exploitation activities. However, these technologies are not yet fully integrated into modern business systems. This paper describes research being undertaken in order to develop a new collaborative creative design platform (COnCEPT) aimed at investigating of new data-mining and collaboration technologies in order to enhance the information systems of future businesses. This paper describes the software architecture and the components, together with the design principles which underpin the design of the new COnCEPT platform, which is being developed to address the needs of professional design teams working collaboratively in a professional context.