| 1. |
- Bylund, Nicklas, et al.
(author)
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Usability in industry of methods from design research
- 2003
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In: Research for practice - innovation in products, processes and organisations. - Glasgow : Design Research Society. - 1904670008 ; , s. 631-632
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)
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| 2. |
- López-Mesa, Belinda, et al.
(author)
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A study of the use of concept selection methods from inside a company
- 2011
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In: Research in Engineering Design. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0934-9839 .- 1435-6066. ; 22:1, s. 7-27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Design methods have been studied by researchers for decades. Academia considers their impact on industry to be insufficient. The objective of this research is to understand the use and impact of design methods in the context of a specific company, Volvo Car Corporation (VCC), by describing the behaviour of engineers in relation to methods, to assist in the future development of design methods and tools. We mainly concentrate on concept selection methods because of their relevance in this company. The data presented is the result of qualitative research carried out during 4 years at VCC, where the authors were located as researchers. The research shows that many methods are employed besides those with an academic name, that some in-company methods used contain improvements to methods researched by academia, that some modifications to academic methods lead to unreliable results, and that there is a lack of objectivity in method modification. For these reasons, the authors suggest further research on understanding the principles of successful and unreliable modification of concept selection methods
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| 3. |
- López-Mesa, Belinda, et al.
(author)
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Effects of additional stimuli on idea-finding in design teams
- 2011
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In: Journal of engineering design (Print). - : Informa UK Limited. - 0954-4828 .- 1466-1837. ; 22:1, s. 31-54
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studying the effects of idea-finding design methods experimentally can provide some light into their degree of usability. An experiment was carried out to study the effects that different stimuli proposed in idea-finding methods have on the design process and outcomes of four design teams, and to compare these effects with those produced by the problem-solving characteristic of the team members. Protocol analysis and outcome-based analysis were carried out. The results of the analysis show that stimuli can have a greater effect on the design activity than the influence of the designers' problem-solving styles in the conditions of the experiment. Stimulus with SCAMPER questions favours refinement of solutions, by using a solution as a frame and the questions as sub-frames. Stimulus with images (related in shape and function with the designed object, and displayed in intervals of time) leads teams to be in a continuous flux of generation of partial solutions.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- López-Mesa, Belinda, et al.
(author)
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On the significance of cognitive style and the selection of appropriate design methods
- 2006
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In: Journal of engineering design (Print). - : Informa UK Limited. - 0954-4828 .- 1466-1837. ; 17:4, s. 371-386
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The paper considers the role of the person, process (including methods), product and design climate (press) to achieve effective, appropriate design solutions. It is insufficient to recruit ‘good' people; other attributes including their problem-solving style are also important to achieve competitive design solutions. It is important that engineering design methods are selected correctly by designers in industry, otherwise inappropriate or invalid results may be obtained. This paper reports the experiences of engineers in industry who use design methods and the problems they encountered. The concept of problem-solving style is then explored as a principle on which to base method selection in order to match the solution generation characteristics of the methods with the desired solution requirement characteristics. Finally, a brief comment is made on the elements that make for a creative design environment.
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| 8. |
- López-Mesa, Belinda
(author)
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Selection and use of engineering design methods using creative problems solving principles
- 2003
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Many modern products require the careful planning of a vast number of aspects of their life cycle to succeed in the market, such as, financing, functionality, quality, reliability, environmental impact, manufacturing process, relationship with suppliers, etc. Potentially, the numerous domain- independent design methods generated for decades in the fields of engineering design and creative problem solving (CPS) have much to offer in today's complex multi-objective product design activity. However, the number of methods used in industry is relatively small, especially in early stages of design. Of those that are used, some are practised at the wrong stage or incorrectly. Incorrect selection of methods occurs often. It leads to poor results and to distrust of design methods generally, and has been identified as one of the main causes for the lack of design methods in industry. This thesis deals with the development of a strategy to undertake correct selection and use of methods in industry. It covers design methods to explore problems, to generate ideas and to evaluate concepts. Three papers, A-C, have been included in this licentiate thesis. The first paper, Managing uncertainty in the design and development process by appropriate methods selection, is of a theoretical nature and investigates a principle to help engineers in the correct selection of methods. The second paper, The application of the 4Ps model to the management of creativity & innovation in product development, explains a case study conducted at Volvo Car Corporation that explores the characteristics of engineering practice and the problem and need of implementing methods in industry. Finally the third paper, Exploring the need for an interactive software tool for the appropriate selection of engineering design methods, explains how the principle of method selection can be applied in industry so that engineers learn with the minimum of difficulty how to select and use methods correctly.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- López-Mesa, Belinda
(author)
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The use and suitability of design methods in practice : considerations of problem-solving characteristics and the context of design
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Design by teams involves a variety of activities, such as prioritisation of projects, ideas generation, problem resolution, and concept selection. These activities are often practised in an intuitive manner. Companies generally feel insecure about the efficiency of their intuitive team design procedures, especially at the early stages of design. Traditionally, the engineering design field has developed design methods, many of which derive from observations of best practices in well-performing companies. Potentially, these methods have much to offer in the complex multi-objective product design activity; however, their impact on industry is considered insufficient. The reasons for a lack of transferability have largely been explored. Part of the research community has reported reasons like lack of computerised support, inadequate definitions, unsuitable scalability of examples, and inappropriate selection. Another part of the research community has abandoned the rational view and embarked upon the definition of a new paradigm of design, as initiated by Schön. Researchers embracing the ‘new’ constructivist paradigm do not see prescription as the primary way to support designers. Instead, they contend that the aim of research should be to understand design and assist what already exists. The objective of this thesis is to explore the impact of design methods in industry, and to study the use and suitability of design methods in practice, with an emphasis on the relationships between the design problem, the characteristics of design methods used, and the results from methods. The end goal with this research work is to explore the suitability of methods in practice, and how the design methodology field could be enhanced for a better support of designers in the world of practice. Early in the project, it was found that when designers use explicit methods, the results are not always satisfying, and that this dissatisfaction is sometimes caused by a mismatch between the explicit method used and design problem. A framework was created for matching design methods to design problems. In the case of convergent methods, the research has mainly been done while being located in industry, including active and passive searches. The research included studies of the use of methods, design problems, and the design context. Design methods were found to be used with modifications, sometimes leading to unreliable results, others to increased value of the method. The studies show that it is improbable that all possible problem conditions can be modelled and design steps prescribed, without overlooking important aspects of the design situation, and without inhibiting the unique creativity of designers. Therefore, the key to successful use of methods for concept selection cannot be on prescribing steps, but on properly educating designers who understand the need for good design practices, who know where to find good practice examples when required, and who know how to adapt (or even redefine) good practice examples to specific situations without risking the reliability of results. In the case of divergent methods, experimental research has been conducted to study the effects of idea-finding methods. In the experiment the effects that two types of methods, SCAMPER and visual stimuli, produced in team design were analysed by means of protocol analysis and outcome-based analysis. These effects were also compared to the effects of the traits of the team members. The methods were found to have a strong relative influence on team design. Aspects of the suitability of methods that are subjective, and aspects that are objective, have been found. The objectivity in the concept of suitability of methods is related to their problem solving capabilities and the characteristics of the problems at hand. There is also subjectivism in the concept of suitability of methods. They are only suitable if the potential users feel a need to use them. The methods are dependent on the individual and his needs.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Vidal, Rosario, et al.
(author)
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Exploring the inclusion of design factors in Computer Aided Inventing
- 2004
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In: Building the information society. - Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers. - 9781402081569 - 9781402081576 ; , s. 453-459
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper we present three experimental research studies that examine the use of different means of expression, the methods used to obtain solutions and additional stimulation; the results of this work can affect the design of future CAI systems.
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