| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
A comparison of Diary Method Variations for Enlightening Form Generation in the Design Process
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Design Research Society conference 2012, Bangkok, 1-4 July 2012.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents two studies in which an empirical approach was taken to understand and explain form generation and decisions taken in the design process. In particular, the activities addressing aesthetic aspects when exteriorizing form ideas in the design process have been the focus of the present study. Diary methods were the starting point of this research for investigating the form generation process through collecting self-reflective comments from the participants. The main focus of this paper is to address potentials and limitations of the three variants of diary method used for data collection, namely, unstructured diaries, structured diaries and visual diaries. A set of method evaluation criteria was developed to compare the structure of the diary variants. By qualitative analysis of the results and comparison of the diary variants, strengths and weaknesses of each variant were identified. One of the prominent factors in the diary variants was pegged to be due to the logging delay after the occurrence of the activities.
|
|
| 3. |
- Rahe, Ulrike, 1964, et al.
(författare)
-
Creating Novel Product Form Based on Formal Aesthetics – A Method for Advanced Form Design Education
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Antwerp, 6-7 September, 2012..
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the most distinct aspects of creativity in design is an aesthetic sense, an indubitable determinant of product success in the market. It is therefore of great importance to nurture creativity in terms of formal aesthetics in design education. However, the focus of design education has shifted away from product form and instead towards user-centred design (UCD) practices. An intrinsic challenge in the tradition of user-centred design is that it initiates creating products from the definition of some user needs, educing design solutions that are, to some extent, already known by the user, as familiarity factors are favoured. In our research, we turn the established UCD process around and propose an approach for exploring and creating novel product form with a focus on formal aesthetics. This paper elaborates on the Formal Aesthetics Design Approach that has been explored during a three-year case study, performed within a Masters programme in Industrial Design Engineering. A deep exploration of aesthetic form opportunities, consciously without any respect to user demands, was carried out by a structured five-step method. There was no ‘given’ or predefined aim for the form design process, which lead to a creative and experimental yet structured generation of formal solutions beyond the functionality of use. Hence, a variety of novel and unexpected form ideas emerged, broadening the morphological form repertoire as a result of the suggested method of work. This research illustrates benefits offered by applying a formal aesthetic design approach as a creative form generation process in design education.
|
|
| 4. |
- Rahe, Ulrike, 1964, et al.
(författare)
-
Innovative Form Design - A Formal Aesthetics Design Approach for Creative Form Generation
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Design Research Society conference 2012, Bangkok, 1-4 July 2012.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- An intrinsic challenge in user-centereddesign approach is that it educes designsolutions that are, to some extent, alreadyknown by the user, since familiarity factorsare favoured. In our research, we turnthe established UCD process around andpropose an approach for exploring andcreating novel product form based onformal aesthetics, unconstrained by convention,function, use and context.
|
|
| 5. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Activity Theory. A framework for understanding the interrelations between users and workplace design.
- 2021
-
Ingår i: A Handbook of Theories on Designing Alignment Between People and the Office Environment. - London : Routledge.
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Activity theory (AT) is a conceptual framework for the study of human activity. From this theoretical perspective, an activity system is the primary unit of analysis and is broken into three analytical components: (i) the subject - the person, group or organisation being studied, (ii) the mediating tools by which the activity is carried out, and (iii) the object that the provides the meaning and purpose for which subjects engage in activities. As the concept of tool mediation is central to the theory, its application in workplace studies has enabled an understanding of the interaction between employees as users, their activities and workplaces as mediating tools. AT has been applied in workplace studies to examine the implications of relocating to flexible offices, offering a holistic and contextual method of discovery that has informed use(r)-centred workplace design. Qualitative and interpretative research is recommended for examining the components of activities and their interdependencies. To this end, contextual inquiries are recommended, with a triangulation of methods such as interviews, observations and walkthroughs to ensure a comprehensive understanding of activity systems. The chapter concludes with a step-by-step guide for conducting workplace studies, using AT as an analytical framework.
|
|
| 6. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Adoption of ergonomic features in a new reach truck cabin design – a usability study
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Work. - 1051-9815. ; 41:Supplement 1, s. 1486-1492
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The task of handling reach trucks frequently involves poor working postures. The location of the steering wheel in most reach trucks is in front of the operator which requires the drivers to bend forward and stretch their hands for holding onto the steering wheel. To overcome visibility restrictions, this posture is aggravated by twisting and bending their torso sideways. This paper presents a usability study which was conducted to compare adoption of ergonomic features in a new reach truck cabin with the way they were intended to be employed for improving physical working conditions. Participants drove the reach truck on a test track performing tasks of varying complexity. Video recordings were utilized to facilitate the observations. The results indicate that improved ergonomics features of the reach truck are not used as intended. The test subjects instead adopted postures that they were accustomed to when driving common reach trucks. The possible contributing factors to this posture regression are discussed. The procedure used in this study is recommended for the companies to determine the effectiveness and adoption of ergonomics solutions.
|
|
| 7. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Appropriation of an Activity-based Flexible Office in Daily Work
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. - 2245-0157. ; 8:S3, s. 71-94
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, there has been growing interest in collaborative consumption of office environments and thereby implementation of Activity-based Flexible Offices (A-FOs). Relocating to an A-FO introduces a desk-sharing policy as well as a multitude of new workspaces with different speech policies into the employee’s work context. This paper describes how employees appropriate desk-sharing and speech policies in an A-FO. The data were collected over a period of 6 months in a case organization by means of 18 shadowing sessions. The different ways in which employees appropriated the A-FO solution were (i) adopting, experimenting with, or rejecting the desk-sharing policy, and (ii) modes of interaction arising from spatial configuration and redefining speech policies. The discussion outlines the reasons behind appropriation or nonappropriation of the desk-sharing and emergent speech policies. The insights from this study provide support for organizations considering A-FOs to develop strategies for facilitating individuals’ work in these settings.
|
|
| 8. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Bridging the Discrepancy between Reflective Practice and Systematic Form Generation Approaches
- 2013
-
Ingår i: International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, 5 & 6 September 2013, Dublin Institute Of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. ; , s. 778-783
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Systematic form development frameworks help the students and designers to broaden their form repertoire. Nevertheless, when they are encouraged in classroom activities, several aspects must be considered. For example, over-reliance on them limits the students’ ability to reflect on the process and actively look for alternative ways of finding solutions. This paper presents a classroom experiment that encouraged adopting a systematic yet reflective approach for developing product form alternatives. In a Master course (7,5 ECTS) in Advanced Form Design, twelve student teams, first introduced to the theoretical framework, were asked to find their own approaches for applying the theory on a product form design assignment.This paper reports on the general structure of students’ different interpretations for the form generation process, and discusses its contribution to the overall learning experience. An overall description of the assignment as well as a conclusive summary of the produced results is presented here. Further, an exemplifying case will be used to demonstrate the great form variety in the results of the assignments. The outcomes of the course put to proof that there is a need to encourage reflection-on-action when applying systematic form design theory.
|
|
| 9. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Contextual user research methods for eliciting user experience insights in workplace studies
- 2020
-
Ingår i: FUTURE WORKSPACES. ; , s. 265-275
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to contribute with experiences and reflections on user research methods that we have tested in our studies of users' experiences in office environments. Theory : Previous workplace studies with qualitative data approaches mainly rely on traditional methods such as interviews and observations. Based on user-centered design research, we outline methods that can be used to facilitate understanding the interrelations between users and their surrounding environment. Design : Three methods and their variations were applied in different case studies to facilitate understanding of user experiences in office environments: (i) spatial walkthroughs, (ii) card sorting, and (iii) experience curve mapping. Findings : Spatial walkthroughs were more immersive and provided most insights on the actual context with respect to spatial design qualities. The card sorting enabled exploring user experiences with respect to predetermined aspects. The experience curve mapping enabled understanding the temporal aspects of the user experience. The latter two methods were less immersive and less disruptive in the organisational context than the spatial walkthroughs. The flexibility of these methods allows for tailoring the application depending on the purpose of the workplace studies. We recommend using a combination of these methods to capture a more holistic understanding of user experiences and improving the workspace design to better fit the users. Originality : The outlined methods required user involvement and participation and provided insights for making evidence-based recommendations for designing or redesigning office environments that fit users' needs and preferences.
|
|
| 10. |
- Babapour Chafi, Maral, 1983, et al.
(författare)
-
Ergonomics of Office Work in a VR Environment: A State-of-the-art Literature Review
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Conference Proceedings of the 51st NES Conference: Work Well - Ergonomics in an unpredictable world. - 9789150629750
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Virtual Reality (VR) holds promise as a potential professional work tool – one such potential is to support office work tasks. VR is a simulated environment accessed via head-mounted displays and hand-controlled devices for interacting with the virtual interface. This paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review of empirical research on VR-based office work, focusing on ergonomics. A structured literature database search and criteria-based exclusion led to a total of 5 papers addressing office work in a VR environment. The research on VR-based office work identifies potentials and drawbacks relevant to consider for future research and developments. The identified studies examine technical solutions, task performance, user experience and comfort when using VR-based solutions. The fast pace of technology development, e.g lighter headsets, increased field of vision and screen resolution, new controls, and the emerging plethora of new software may resolve many identified challenges, while perhaps introducing new problems.
|
|
