Drivers of usability in product design practice: Induction of a framework through a case study of three product development projects

In a case study of the development of three electronic consumer products, we traced the origins of usability issues. Based on the data collected, an initial, explanatory framework was induced of important drivers of usability in product design. We conclude that – while usability methods mostly focus on gaining knowledge about users and...

Barriers to and Enablers of Usability in Electronic Consumer Product Development: A Multiple Case Study

This study identified practitioner-reported barriers to and enablers of usability in the development of electronic consumer products. Barriers and enablers are properties, situations, or conditions in the product development process, team, or context that negatively or positively influence the usability of a product. Based on a review of...

Examples of educational practice: The esquisse

Sustainability curricula in design education

While sustainability in Design finds much attention in the literature, the education of sustainability in Design courses lacks discussion regarding curricula and importance. In an attempt to map the way sustainability is taught in Design Bachelor and Master Courses in the European Union, we began analysing faculties from a number of EU countries...

Teaching conceptual design

This paper presents the first observational study of an ongoing research project. The research focuses on ‘teaching conceptual design’ and on the investigation of new teaching methods and strategies. Presently, in the commonly established educational setting, students practice the role of designing during design exercises while being tutored by...

Retail design: A new discipline

This paper has the aim to address Retail Design as a new research and education discipline that because of its multidisciplinarity asks for a holistic approach. Although retailing as commerce is timeless, Retail Design is one of the most challenging new fields of design, embracing both design disciplines of architecture, industrial design and...

Sustainable value chains for bamboo working communities: Integrating the tenets of sustainability through the Rhizome approach

There is a growing demand globally for products which impact sustainability positively. Bamboo fulfills these criteria, since it is a highly renewable timber replacement material which does not cause deforestation. It simultaneously has the potential to create livelihood opportunities for both the urban and rural poor. The eco-friendly potential...

Sustainable value chains for bamboo working communities: Integrating the tenets of sustainability through the Rhizome Approach

There is a growing demand globally for products which impact sustainability positively. Bamboo fulfills these criteria, since it is a highly renewable timber replacement material which does not cause deforestation. It simultaneously has the potential to create livelihood opportunities for both the urban and rural poor. The eco-friendly potential...

Virtual microscopy: Merging of computer mediated collaboration and intuitive interfacing

Ubiquitous computing (or Ambient Intelligence) is an upcoming technology that is usually associated with futuristic smart environments in which information is available anytime anywhere and with which humans can interact in a natural, multimodal way. However spectacular the corresponding scenarios may be, it is equally challenging to consider...

Voertuig

Gaining insight into unfamiliar contexts: A design toolbox as input for using role-play techniques

This paper presents a design toolbox developed for Philips Design in commission of Philips Medical Systems that provides insight into the healthcare context of rural India. Creating products for this context requires an understanding of the needs of the people within it. This paper discusses contextual design through the combination of different...

Creativity in design: The role of domain knowledge in designing

Ondernemen en vernieuwen: Hommage aan de kleine en middelgrote industrie naar aanleiding van 75 jaar Rijksnijverheidsdienst