Nested affordance-based intuitive design tool: Affordance interaction matrix

Affordances serve as design cues, facilitating users in effortlessly identifying the intended use of objects. However, due to the phenomenological nature of the affordance concept, its application and understanding in the human-computer interaction (HCI) domain remain uncertain, resulting in limited utilization in design practice. This study...

Towards the maturation of design: From smart to wise products

Recent years have shown the introduction of several types of smart products. These products gather data about user behaviour and try to determine an optimal response, in order to make the user’s life easier. However, some smart products also lead to user behaviour that is undesirable. Hence, we would like to introduce a new design paradigm...

Theoretical underpinning and prototype implementation of scenario bundle-based logical control for simulation of human–artifact interaction

This article presents a new methodology that enables designers to include in simulations not only the physics aspects of artifact behavior, but also human actions. The motivation for this research came from the fact that none of the conventional approaches to engineering simulations includes manipulative control of products by users as foreseen...

Managing Product Usability: How companies deal with usability in the development of electronic consumer products

Problem statement: Even though there is a large amount of methods for user-centred design, the usability of electronic consumer products (e.g., portable music players, washing machines and mobile phones) is under pressure. Usability is the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness,...

Audio-visual interactions in product sound design

Consistent product experience requires congruity between product properties such as visual appearance and sound. Therefore, for designing appropriate product sounds by manipulating their spectral-temporal structure, product sounds should preferably not be considered in isolation but as an integral part of the main product concept. Because visual...

Synthetic environments as visualization method for product design

In this paper, we explored the use of low fidelity Synthetic Environments (SE; i.e., a combination of simulation techniques) for product design. We explored the usefulness of low fidelity SE to make design problems explicit. In particular, we were interested in the influence of interactivity on user experience. For this purpose, an industrial...

Testing virtual use with scenarios

To enhance the effectiveness of engineering simulations in product development, this thesis presents a new approach that enables designers to include human responses and reactions to artefact behaviour in their investigations. It does so without requiring deployment of real human subjects or investing in interactive virtual environments. The new...

Selecting materials in product design

This thesis exists of several studies and design steps that resulted in a new material selection technique for user-centred design, which is supported by tools. The tools use examples of materials in products and stimulate the discussions about the user-interaction aspects of those materials desired in a new product. The sensorial properties of...

For Inspiration Only; Designer interaction with informal collections of visual material

Designers surround themselves with visual material as a source of inspiration. The images are used in collages and moodboards to define and communicate the direction of a design project at an early stage of the design process. This thesis describes how designers interact with their collections of visual material and how new tools can support...

Designing with precedents

Every year designers are challenged to generate new and unique product forms. Often, the design and form of previous products constitutes a basis for the generation of new ones. What role then do existing products play in the generation and development of new product forms? How can this role be influenced by means of new design techniques? And...