Envisioning ‘anthropology through design’: A design interventionist approach to generate anthropological knowledge

The literature on Design Anthropology (DA) is skewed towards discussion exploring anthropology's potential for design. In contrast, discourse on how design can contribute to anthropology is somewhat limited. This article proposes an ‘Anthropology through Design’ (AtD) approach by reflecting on a study on the emergent phenomenon of ‘energy...

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...

Design capability in a software SME: Report from an embedded design innovation catalyst

<br/>Recent studies on the added value that design provides to firms has led to widespread interest amongst the business community to develop design. However, knowledge of how organizations of varying industry types actually make use of design to generate competitive advantages remains limited. This study investigates a small- to medium-sized...

PeerPost, a peer-to-peer PostNL service

PeerPost: a peer-to-peer PostNL delivery service This graduation project, executed for PostNL, started with the need for a future proof PostNL location. The aim was to give an advice and vision on what such a location should entail. Furthermore, the elements needed to make it function were to be designed. The design brief raised the question...

OV-betalen for international travellers

This study presents the development of a future vision and service proposition to improve the experience of international travellers when using public transportation in the Netherlands in a user-centred way. The focus is set on international travellers, who arrive at an airport in the Netherlands. Purchasing public transportation tickets in the...

A flexible and personal domotica system for apartment buildings

This report describes the process and the results of an Industrial Design (DfI) graduation project which was carried out for Nspyre in Eindhoven. The project served as a demonstration on applying user centred design in a traditionally technology driven product domain: domotica (home automation). The assignment was to create a tablet-based...

Method Selection Tool for User Centred Product Development

This thesis describes the development of a method selection tool to support product development teams in finding the most suitable method for their situation. The project results include a detailed design of a webapplication in which methods can be searched in a visual manner based on the researchers' product type, research goal, resources and...

Smart grids: Changing consumer interaction

Today, the supply of energy is based on fossil fuels, which is often considered as an important cause of climate change. Moreover, the supply of energy is increasingly dependent of a few, sometimes political instable regions. An energy transition is needed for the maintenance of our welfare and environment. The needed energy transition will...

A Culture-Inspired Approach to Gaining Insights for Designing Sustainable Practices

This paper explores a design method to generate insights for designing less resource-intensive forms of everyday life. This study takes the assumption that looking at cultural diversity can widen the variety of insights which can be used as a source of inspiration for designing sustainable practices. However, there is a lack of clear-cut...