William Collinge

Stakeholder interpretations of design: semiotic insights into the briefing process

Briefing phase interactions between clients and designers are recognized as social engagements, characterized by communicative sign use, where conceptual ideas are gradually transformed into potential design solutions. A semiotic analysis of briefing communications between client stakeholders and designers provides evidence of the significance and importance of stakeholder interpretation and understanding of design, empirical data being drawn from a qualitative study of NHS hospital construction projects in the UK. It is contended that stakeholders engage with a project through communicative signs and artefacts of design, referencing personal cognitive knowledge in acts of interpretation that may be different from those of designers and externally appointed client advisers. Such interpretations occur in addition to NHS client and design team efforts to ‘engage’ with and ‘understand’ stakeholders using a variety of methods. Social semiotic theorizations indicate how narrative strategies motivate the formulation of signs and artefacts in briefing work, the role of sign authors and sign readers being elucidated as a result. Findings are contextualized against current understandings of briefing communications and stakeholder management practices, a more socially attuned understanding of breifing countering some of the process-led improvement models that have characterized much of the post-Egan report literature. A stakeholder interpretation model is presented as one potential method to safeguard against unforeseen interpretations occurring, the model aligning with the proposal for a more measured recognition of how designs can trigger interpretations among client stakeholders.

Information architecture of a telecare system

An information architecture is a high-level, conceptual design for a system which describes the fundamental requirements and principles of a system, and details its essential elements and characteristics. I conducted a comprehensive review of published literature on telecare, including government reports and case study papers. This enabled a complete picture to be constructed of telecare system components. The components can be divided into four separate categories: human components, ICT components, telecare operational units and supportive elements. The system requirements cover functional, non-functional and informational requirements. Telecare holds great potential for all sectors of society. Its true value may only be realised when the nature of information within the telecare system is fully understood. The thorough analysis, manipulation and usage of system data are the key to the future success of telecare services.

Infection control in design and construction work.

Objective: To clarify how infection control requirements are represented, communicated, and understood in work interactions through the medical facility construction project life cycle. To assist project participants with effective infection control management by highlighting the nature of such requirements and presenting recommendations to aid practice. Background: A 4-year study regarding client requirement representation and use on National Health Service construction projects in the United Kingdom provided empirical evidence of infection control requirement communication and understanding through design and construction work interactions. Methods: An analysis of construction project resources (e.g., infection control regulations and room data sheets) was combined with semi-structured interviews with hospital client employees and design and construction professionals to provide valuable insights into the management of infection control issues. Results: Infection control requirements are representationally indistinct but also omnipresent through all phases of the construction project life cycle: Failure to recognize their nature, relevance, and significance can result in delays, stoppages, and redesign work. Construction project resources (e.g., regulatory guidance and room data sheets) can mask or obscure the meaning of infection control issues. Conclusions: A preemptive identification of issues combined with knowledge sharing activities among project stakeholders can enable infection control requirements to be properly understood and addressed. Such initiatives should also reference existing infection control regulatory guidance and advice.

Client requirement representations and transformations in construction project design

Purpose This paper aims to examine how client requirements undergo representational and transformational shifts and changes in the design process and explore the consequence of such changes. Design/methodology/approach A series of design resources relating to hospital departmental configurations are examined and analysed using a social semiotic framework. The findings are supplemented by practitioner opinion. Findings Construction project requirements are represented and transformed through semiotic resource use; such representations deliver specific meanings, make new meanings and affect project relationships. Requirement representations may be understood as socially motivated meaning-making resources. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses on one set of project requirements: hospital departmental configurations from a National Health Service hospital construction project in the UK. Practical implications The use of semiotic resources in briefing work fundamentally affects the briefing and design discourse between client and design teams; their significance should be noted and acknowledged as important. Social implications The findings of the paper indicate that briefing and design work may be understood as a social semiotic practice. Originality/value This original paper builds upon scholarly work in the area of construction project communications. Its fine-grained analysis of briefing communications around representations of specific requirements is novel and valuable.

A conceptual valuation framework (VF) for home telecare system devices

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual valuation framework to allow telecare service stakeholders to assess telecare devices in the home in terms of their social, psychological and practical effects. The framework enables telecare service operators to more effectively engage with the social and psychological issues resulting from telecare technology deployment in the home and to design and develop appropriate responses as a result.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a contextual background for the need for sociologically pitched tools that engage with the social and cultural feelings of telecare service users before presenting the valuation framework and how it could be used.Findings – A conceptual valuation framework is presented for potential development/use.Research limitations/implications – The valuation framework has yet to be extensively tested or verified.Practical implications – The valuation framework needs to be tested and deployed by a telecare service operator...

Slovak Search Engines

ABSTRACT This article describes some of the most popular Slovak search engines, discusses their merits, and assesses their performance on some sample search queries.