Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Design studios'

In this study, considering the changes and the needs of the architectural medium in today’s conditions, the development and the change of the formation of education in the design studios is studied. Through the current debates in the architectural world, the profession, the product and the educational frame of architecture are examined. The basic principles of an architectural education are classified. With this vision, the history of architectural education, the importance and the contents of postgraduate education in the formation of an architect are exposed. The members that form the architectural design studios are defined and depending on the students’ way of dealing with projects, the design studio structures are classified into “individual” and “collaboration” based design studio structures. With the use of the interrelations of the members that form the design studios, these two postgraduate studio structures are explained. The medium that these two structures create are dealt with comparisons through the mediums, the design product and the process. In the conclusion / discussions section, supported by the questionnaire, the positive and the negative contributions of collaboration based design studio structures to the design process are examined. The necessity of these studio structures that use diagrammatic design process as a tool for research based design in today’s requirements are put forward.

In this study, considering the changes and the needs of the architectural medium in today’s conditions, the development and the change of the formation of education in the design studios is studied. Through the current debates in the architectural world, the profession, the product and the educational frame of architecture are examined. The basic principles of an architectural education are classified. With this vision, the history of architectural education, the importance and the contents of postgraduate education in the formation of an architect are exposed. The members that form the architectural design studios are defined and depending on the students’ way of dealing with projects, the design studio structures are classified into “individual” and “collaboration” based design studio structures. With the use of the interrelations of the members that form the design studios, these two postgraduate studio structures are explained. The medium that these two structures create are dealt with comparisons through the mediums, the design product and the process. In the conclusion / discussions section, supported by the questionnaire, the positive and the negative contributions of collaboration based design studio structures to the design process are examined. The necessity of these studio structures that use diagrammatic design process as a tool for research based design in today’s requirements are put forward.

Design is a multidimensional activity involving a variety of skills and thought processes, including analytic reasoning, intuition, and creative expression. Learning how to design can be a frustrating and confusing process that some students find difficult to understand. Professors employ a range of strategies when teaching design. These strategies are often based on how their professors taught them with little or no theoretical basis in how students learn. For students, the failure to grasp the process of designing can challenge their willingness to stay motivated and actively engaged in the studio project. The result is less than optimal learning and students that do not achieve their full potential. One important factor that influences design learning is the process of self-regulated learning. Self-regulated learning (SRL) refers to a student's self-generated thoughts, strategies, and goal-directed behaviors. This study examined SRL in landscape architecture design studios in order to find out how students self-regulate their learning and performance on studio projects. Interviews with landscape architecture students were used to answer the research questions. Study findings suggest that landscape architecture students self-regulate their learning on studio projects through a process of engaging in design, then using SRL to address issues that arise during design, then generating more design issues that require additional SRL, and so on. The findings indicate that a student's ability to engage in SRL is based on their understanding of design as a complex set of behaviors and activities. Since students in each year have a different understanding of what designing entails, they use and engage in SRL differently. The findings suggest that high achievement in a design studio is a result of advanced knowledge that comes from the freedom to pursue additional issues beyond the basic requirements of the project. The freedom comes when a student attains the expertise to shift cognitive resources away from learning how to design and redirects them towards risk-taking, personal interests, and learning new information. The study sheds light on how students learn, engage, and self-regulate their learning in design studios and provides design educators with a basis for effective design teaching strategies.
Ph. D.

The design studio is an important part of design and architectural education, because of the unique approach of pedagogy used (Dutton, 1987, Salama, 1995, 2012). This research uses this space to examine the physical characteristics and properties of the design studio as a space, considering the ways it influences the behaviours and emotions of its users towards learning and collaborating with one another. Starting from the Sheffield School of Architecture, where the focus towards engaged and reflective learning. Trying to answer the research question ‘How do the physical characteristics of the Design Studio influence certain behaviours of the studio user, relevant to collaborative learning?. Ultimately, attention is directed towards looking at their experience, which is created with the influence of the space, and the curriculum of architectural education, with both referred to as the ‘design studio’ (Crowther, 2013). This research has ‘empowered’ users of the design studio (Literat, 2013), notably ‘students’ of four different universities in the context of the United Kingdom, through creating a hybrid research methodology that revolves around capturing their experience in relation to the physical space of the design studio. Under the umbrella of case study, using ethnography and focus groups, which were consisting of ‘Student Designer Engagement Map’, a method created based on a service design tool (Stickdorn and Schneider, 2011) to capture the current and aspired experience. These have then been analysed and interpreted through different lenses, i.e. the interior designer, tutor and the researcher. The findings of the research were themed around spatial features in terms of social aspects, environmental control aspects and in terms of design organisation and furniture. The findings were related to the emotions experienced in the design studio through the project phases and stages. The hybrid methodology used and the methods have helped in creating a framework of propositional guidelines of design considerations, which may be beneficial for the stakeholders of the learning design studio and beyond.

In this thesis the industrial design studio has been investigated with particular reference to studio thinking and learning and project-based activity. This investigation has been set in the context of a final-year, degree program in industrial design that includes a substantial research and development project. From a critical review of the relevant literature the characteristics of studio culture have been identified, together with its role in the teaching of both creative and systematic endeavour. In addition, the history and context of the role of the industrial/product designer is reviewed in order to understand the nature and the required skills of the discipline. In this thesis, an initial study surveyed academics involved in teaching industrial design in Australia, and overseas. The study sought to determine the approach of students, in various industrial design degree programs, to their final-year projects and the extent to which design process and design methods were incorporated in their project reports. The findings revealed a number of operational needs associated with studio-based learning, particularly those associated with final-year, project-based activity. These findings, together with teachings from the literature concerning how students go about design in the studio and the needs associated with project activity, led to the proposal of a generic model, entitled the Major Project Development Model "MPD Model". The operational criteria in the MPD Model guided the development of a computer-integrated system of design methods allocated to the respective phases of the process. This system, called the "MPD System", is designed to support and enhance student design work in major projects. A second study was conducted that analysed: student performance in their project reports; the extent to which their design research conformed to the MPD Model; and the extent to which design methods were used in their final-year projects. Criteria and guidelines for the successful conduct and evaluation of such projects have been proposed and set up as part of the experimental programme. The experimental work, reported in this thesis, is based on an in-depth, comparative investigation of a range of major project reports, firstly those produced in the year 2003 during which final-year students did not have access to or knowledge of the MPD System and secondly, those produced in 2004 where students were provided with the MPD System, hence providing two cohorts for comparative purposes. The theoretical and experimental work have been related, with appropriate results and conclusions, to the following issues: Design theory � an MPD Model has been proposed and applied in keeping with a set of operational criteria; design methods - a model reflecting a range of methods aligned to phases of the MPD Model have been established in keeping with needs of designers in their execution of phases of the process; brainbased learning theory � a model of the integration of the MPD System as a means of linking systematic and creative thinking in the studio process is proposed; academic performance � the academic performance of students has been studied and data have been derived which provide valuable information for the design educational process. The results of this research will encourage use of a more structured teaching and learning approach and the employment of design methods in major projects. This comprehensive research thesis provides a framework for further research and recommendations for further research.

This is an adaptive reuse thesis project of an old warehouse on the south side of Richmond, Virginia. Through this project, the possibility of designing an art center to occupy the space is explored. This art center houses artist studios, gallery space as well as open studio space for art classes. The design concept establishes a building language and varies that language based on the space and its requirements. The final design also deals with the spaces in between, where one rule set meets another.

Computers are used in sociable situations, for example during customer meetings. This is seldom recognized in design, which means that computers often become a hindrance in the meeting. Based on empirical studies and socio-cultural theory, this thesis provides perspectives on sociable use and identifies appropriate units of analysis that serve as critical tools for understanding and solving interaction design problems. Three sociable situations have been studied: customer meetings, design studios and domestic environments. In total, 49 informants were met with during 41 observation and interview sessions and 17 workshops; in addition, three multimedia platforms were also designed. The empirical results show that people need to perform individual actions while participating in joint action, in a spontaneous fashion and in consideration of each other. The consequence for design is that people must be able to use computers in different manners to control who has what information. Based on the empirical results, five design patterns were developed to guide interaction design for sociable use. The thesis demonstrates that field studies can be used to identify desirable use qualities that in turn can be used as design objectives and forces in design patterns. Re-considering instrumental, communicational, aesthetical, constructional and ethical aspects can furthermore enrich the understanding of identified use qualities. Witha foundation in the field studies, it is argued that the deliberation of ynamic characters and use qualities is an essential component of interaction design. Designers of interaction are required to work on three levels: the user interface, the mediating artefact and the activity of use. It is concluded that doing interaction design is to provide users with perspectives, resources and constraints on their space for actions; the complete design is not finalized until the users engage in action. This is where the fine distinctions and, what I call 'shades of use' appear.

Housing projects assigned in architecture design studio are considered as an exercise having several pedagogical objectives which constitute a suitable ground of maturation for students after completing their first and second year design studio. The aim of the research is to make an overview of the way housing design projects are conducted in the third year architectural design studio at the Middle East Technical University Department of Architecture, focusing on the last five years in particular. But in the first place, the background of housing assignments is reviewed in order to understand how teaching methods and problem definitions have evolved in the past. The objectives and the learning outcomes expected from these studio exercises, the approaches and tendencies that determine the way the project exercises are examined and lastly the teaching methods, strategies and tools are studied depending on the written and visual documents related to the studio works and interviews with the studio critics.

Thesis (Master of Architecture)--University of Cincinnati, 2007.
Advisor: Michael McInturf . Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed May 31, 2010). Includes abstract. Keywords: Detroit; visual spectacle; mediated subject; satellite design studios. Includes bibliographic references.

The basis of F.A.CE project.lon was the competition for an future Academy within the spirit of the former Bauhaus Dessau. The competition provided the opportunity to introduce my thoughts for an educational establishment in art, architecture and design. The Essence of F.A.CE project.Ion was to extend the myth of the former Bauhaus utopians. Several artists were active either together or in succession and made valueable contributions to the Bauhaus through their own work. Their names and faces are form together the multifaced image that refers silently as a memory to a former Bauhaus idea. The Identity of the Bauhaus seemed to live as much in the hidden cracks on the facades of a celebrated architecture as in the portraits of the former Bauhaus faces. Through juxtaposing the faces with the Bauhaus Idea I created an dialogue that moved toward a 'corporate identity - Mies v. d. Rohe' and found its ownF.A.CE - F.uture A.rts CE.ntre .Finally, F.A.CE project.Ion led toward a specific spirit ofplastic elements embodying facial aswell as spatial forces with an important contribution to a visual re-education.
Department of Architecture

This thesis investigates the influence of the Tiffany Studios in ecclesiastical stained glass windows of Indianapolis, Indiana. The Tiffany Studios was a leading stained glass manufacturer at the turn of the century and popularized the use of opalescent glass in stained glass commissions. The following study will briefly look at the history of stained glass, discuss the life of Louis Comfort Tiffany, characterize the work of the Tiffany Studios, and evaluate the ecclesiastical stained glass windows located in Center Township commissioned between 1880-1930. The evidence contained within the stained glass summaries suggests that Tiffany Studios did influence the commission of stained glass windows in Indianapolis during the period under review.
Department of Architecture

The subject of thesis is urban design of the Film Studios, its recovery, opening this area to the public, the use of film themes and to design the new functional use. The area, where the Film Studios have been built, is located in the city Zlín – Kudlov. The area has size of 10,11 ha and it is defined by the built-up area in the south, north and west and from the east street Vrchy. The area is crossed by street Filmová, which is divided into two parts, on the part of the bulit-up area of the Film Studios and the undeveloped part of gardening and unmanaged areas. The vision of the project is to revitalize the area using the new functional use, simplify transport structure and supplement the existing buildings by new buildings.

The thesis is focused on the revitalization of the Zlín film studios, with maximum respect for the principles of the investor, using the area in the long term. Idea thesis consists in consolidating the roots of film history, familiarity with film themes and issues for every generation. It also ensures that the area live 24 hours a day. For this reason, in the area of proposed areas not only public facilities, manufacturing, sport but also areas for housing. Campus should become a place where everyone would like to return, whether for entertainment, recreation, leisure and entertainment

FPO Studio is based in Stockholm, Sweden. The structure was founded in 1996. We work for clients in both cultural and commercial fields with a focus on editorial design, communication concepts, brand identity, graphic production as well as website design and development. FPO offer a complete range of services that can be applied to all communication media. We manage to carry out your projects through an expanding network of specialized experts in a vast range of services. For more than 20 years, we have built our profile and maintained high skills and knowledge in terms of visual conception, graphic design, production and Art Direction.

Information technology offers many tools for promoting collaboration and communication in architectural design. A growing number of companies and individuals are adopting computer-based techniques to facilitate remote collaboration between geographically distributed teams. Thus, it is important to investigate the use of technology in developing collaborative tools for architects, especially as required training in architectural education. This research explores the feasibility of augmenting communication in the design studio using a web-based collaboration tool. A prototype was developed for an integrated system that allows for streaming media, real-time collaboration, and multi-way video, audio and text messaging, tailored specifically to the needs of a distributed architectural design studio. The Collaborative Online Architectural Design Studio (COADS) is based on a three-tier client-server structure consisting of an interface tier, an application-logic tier and a data tier. COADS allows role-based participation for students and teachers, facilitating collaboration over design sketches and presentations using personal computers equipped with a microphone and a web-cam. The system was developed and subjected to usability testing in a design studio consisting of graduate-level students of architecture. The participants were required to use COADS for conducting peer evaluations of designs for their class project and subsequently, to answer a questionnaire assessing the usability of the system. The analysis showed that COADS has definite advantages as a tool to augment communication in the design studio. The biggest advantage was that participants could get immediate feedback about their designs from their peers, irrespective of their location. COADS was also relatively easy to set up on end-user machines and provided an integrated point for accessing relevant studio resources from a single location. The disadvantages were mostly due to the limitations of the hardware on end-user machines such as small screen sizes, low quality microphones and web-cams. Further, the collaborative whiteboard within COADS lacked essential tools, such as pan/zoom and erase/undo tools, which reduced its usability. In conclusion, systems such as COADS can effectively augment communication within the architectural design studio. However, they need to be integrated closely with the course structure, right from the introductory stage of the project to the final presentation stage.

An arts education space, focusing on concepts of design thinking aimed at providing low income middle and high school teens of color the opportunity to learn about interior design, architecture and crafts. Ultimately, Boomerang Studio hopes to engage students in the world of design as a means of creating greater diversity within these disciplines.

How could public institutions like art museums open up a conversation with their audience? The intent of the project was to explore the influence and potential of digitalization in the physical space of a non-commercial public institution, if the audience and the institution would both benefit from technology, if the political structure of the institution would become more democratic and if the audience would take the initiative and be willing to generate their own voice in the institution. The project took an explorative approach starting with questioning the status-quo, understanding the design context, analyzing, proposing and validating design directions in the end. The result was considered as the very first proposal and suggestion of how art museums could keep themselves relevant in the digital era. The result is a service called <open studio>. It enables visitors to contribute to and interact with a virtual exhibition constructed by the creations they made in workshop programs in the art museum. It provides an overtime engagement with the visitors by illustrating the invisible dimension of time in tangible creations on a digital canvas. Project website: http://www.openstudio.io

Within a globalised world (where trade crosses almost any natural boundary) the greatest need for any manufacturing company is to stay competitive. One way of achieving this with minimal effort and cost is to extend the life of a design (both the concept and embodiment) by re-using it in future products. This is called Platform Design- a long lasting "core design" is established onto which a series of derivative products are built. Whilst existing literature supports this philosophy, this thesis is focussed on the development of a systematic methodology to guide engineering designers in practically establishing a platform from one of their existing products. The new methodology comprises the following six distinct stages: 1. Market Analysis: to enable the company to identify common market sectors in which to position a Platform Design. 2. Requirement Analysis: to determine what individual customers within these sectors want from future products. 3. Function Analysis: to promote fresh inquiry into the existing products in the market place by defining and grouping their underlying functions. 4. Concept Generation: to enable divergent thinking by using guided Mind-mapping and Brainwriting tools to generate and consolidate a number of new concepts. 5. Concept Selection: to filter the many concepts generated to find those that can best form a Platform Design. 6. Platform Architecture: to display the arrangement of the platform concept and to show the interface points with unique elements. The thesis also describes a supporting industrial case study to demonstrate the methodology and to allow the testing of the research hypothesis. The case study involved two UK manufacturing companies who designed and manufactured powered wheelchairs. The methodology was used to develop an appropriate "core design" to accommodate a range of future products. Finally, the thesis contains a critical evaluation of the research through the application of five tests to the hypothesis. A framework is given for these tests together with a discussion of the evidence.

This case study aims at showing how longer field studies can influence the design process. The design case is a redesign of the GUI of software for cell phone network simulation. The study explores the potential of a long field study, presenting it in a way that makes it possible for the reader to follow every step of the process and thus evaluate the merits of this long fieldstudy, and of longer field studies, in general.

Data for the study was collected and an initial analysis performed during a four weeks field study. Participant observation was the primary method, but other methods were also used. After the field study was completed, further analysis led to the formation of a design rationale, sorted according to three identified usage groups and one general category.

This study argues that a long field study, with design measurements, informs the design significantly. Week one was needed for creating the necessary rapport with the users/informants, while new information decreased during week four. This confirms the argument of earlier studies that the time span of field studies for focused design cases may be shorter than for more wide-aiming social research. However, one main finding is that the most significant data for the design rationale was unevenly collected, mainly in weeks two and three. Thus, the study argues that design cases may benefit from longer fieldstudies than is the standard within the design community of today.

Aquesta tesi doctoral tracta sobre Enginyeria Kansei (EK), una tècnica per traslladar emocions transmeses per productes en paràmetres tècnics, i sobre mètodes estadístics que poden beneficiar la disciplina. El propòsit bàsic de l'EK és descobrir de quina manera algunes propietats d'un producte transmeten certes emocions als seus usuaris. És un mètode quantitatiu, i les dades es recullen típicament fent servir qüestionaris. S'extreuen conclusions en analitzar les dades recollides, normalment usant algun tipus d'anàlisi de regressió. L'EK es pot situar en l'àrea de recerca del disseny emocional. La tesi comença justificant la importància del disseny emocional. Com que el rang de tècniques usades sota el nom d'EK és extens i no massa clar, la tesi proposa una definició d'EK que serveix per delimitar el seu abast. A continuació, es suggereix un model per desenvolupar estudis d'EK. El model inclou el desenvolupament de l'espai semàntic – el rang d'emocions que el producte pot transmetre – i l'espai de propietats – les variables tècniques que es poden modificar en la fase de disseny. Després de la recollida de dades, l'etapa de síntesi enllaça ambdós espais (descobreix com diferents propietats del producte transmeten certes emocions). Cada pas del model s'explica detalladament usant un estudi d'EK realitzat per aquesta tesi: l'experiment dels sucs de fruites. El model inicial es va millorant progressivament durant la tesi i les dades de l'experiment es van reanalitzant usant noves propostes.Moltes inquietuds pràctiques apareixen quan s'estudia el model per a estudis d'EK esmentat anteriorment (entre d'altres, quants participants són necessaris i com es desenvolupa la sessió de recollida de dades). S'ha realitzat una extensa revisió bibliogràfica amb l'objectiu de respondre aquestes i altres preguntes. Es descriuen també les aplicacions d'EK més habituals, juntament amb comentaris sobre idees particularment interessants de diferents articles. La revisió bibliogràfica serveix també per llistar quines són les eines més comunament utilitzades en la fase de síntesi.La part central de la tesi se centra precisament en les eines per a la fase de síntesi. Eines estadístiques com la teoria de quantificació tipus I o la regressió logística ordinal s'estudien amb detall, i es proposen diverses millores. En particular, es proposa una nova forma gràfica de representar els resultats d'una regressió logística ordinal. S'introdueix una tècnica d'aprenentatge automàtic, els conjunts difusos (rough sets), i s'inclou una discussió sobre la seva idoneïtat per a estudis d'EK. S'usen conjunts de dades simulades per avaluar el comportament de les eines estadístiques suggerides, la qual cosa dóna peu a proposar algunes recomanacions.Independentment de les eines d'anàlisi utilitzades en la fase de síntesi, les conclusions seran probablement errònies quan la matriu del disseny no és adequada. Es proposa un mètode per avaluar la idoneïtat de matrius de disseny basat en l'ús de dos nous indicadors: un índex d'ortogonalitat i un índex de confusió. S'estudia l'habitualment oblidat rol de les interaccions en els estudis d'EK i es proposa un mètode per incloure una interacció, juntament amb una forma gràfica de representar-la. Finalment, l'última part de la tesi es dedica a l'escassament tractat tema de la variabilitat en els estudis d'EK. Es proposen un mètode (basat en l'anàlisi clúster) per segmentar els participants segons les seves respostes emocionals i una forma d'ordenar els participants segons la seva coherència en valorar els productes (usant un coeficient de correlació intraclasse). Com que molts usuaris d'EK no són especialistes en la interpretació de sortides numèriques, s'inclouen representacions visuals per a aquests dos nous mètodes que faciliten el processament de les conclusions.
Esta tesis doctoral trata sobre Ingeniería Kansei (IK), una técnica para trasladar emociones transmitidas por productos en parámetros técnicos, y sobre métodos estadísticos que pueden beneficiar la disciplina. El propósito básico de la IK es descubrir de qué manera algunas propiedades de un producto transmiten ciertas emociones a sus usuarios. Es un método cuantitativo, y los datos se recogen típicamente usando cuestionarios. Se extraen conclusiones al analizar los datos recogidos, normalmente usando algún tipo de análisis de regresión.La IK se puede situar en el área de investigación del diseño emocional. La tesis empieza justificando la importancia del diseño emocional. Como que el rango de técnicas usadas bajo el nombre de IK es extenso y no demasiado claro, la tesis propone una definición de IK que sirve para delimitar su alcance. A continuación, se sugiere un modelo para desarrollar estudios de IK. El modelo incluye el desarrollo del espacio semántico – el rango de emociones que el producto puede transmitir – y el espacio de propiedades – las variables técnicas que se pueden modificar en la fase de diseño. Después de la recogida de datos, la etapa de síntesis enlaza ambos espacios (descubre cómo distintas propiedades del producto transmiten ciertas emociones). Cada paso del modelo se explica detalladamente usando un estudio de IK realizado para esta tesis: el experimento de los zumos de frutas. El modelo inicial se va mejorando progresivamente durante la tesis y los datos del experimento se reanalizan usando nuevas propuestas. Muchas inquietudes prácticas aparecen cuando se estudia el modelo para estudios de IK mencionado anteriormente (entre otras, cuántos participantes son necesarios y cómo se desarrolla la sesión de recogida de datos). Se ha realizado una extensa revisión bibliográfica con el objetivo de responder éstas y otras preguntas. Se describen también las aplicaciones de IK más habituales, junto con comentarios sobre ideas particularmente interesantes de distintos artículos. La revisión bibliográfica sirve también para listar cuáles son las herramientas más comúnmente utilizadas en la fase de síntesis. La parte central de la tesis se centra precisamente en las herramientas para la fase de síntesis. Herramientas estadísticas como la teoría de cuantificación tipo I o la regresión logística ordinal se estudian con detalle, y se proponen varias mejoras. En particular, se propone una nueva forma gráfica de representar los resultados de una regresión logística ordinal. Se introduce una técnica de aprendizaje automático, los conjuntos difusos (rough sets), y se incluye una discusión sobre su idoneidad para estudios de IK. Se usan conjuntos de datos simulados para evaluar el comportamiento de las herramientas estadísticas sugeridas, lo que da pie a proponer algunas recomendaciones. Independientemente de las herramientas de análisis utilizadas en la fase de síntesis, las conclusiones serán probablemente erróneas cuando la matriz del diseño no es adecuada. Se propone un método para evaluar la idoneidad de matrices de diseño basado en el uso de dos nuevos indicadores: un índice de ortogonalidad y un índice de confusión. Se estudia el habitualmente olvidado rol de las interacciones en los estudios de IK y se propone un método para incluir una interacción, juntamente con una forma gráfica de representarla. Finalmente, la última parte de la tesis se dedica al escasamente tratado tema de la variabilidad en los estudios de IK. Se proponen un método (basado en el análisis clúster) para segmentar los participantes según sus respuestas emocionales y una forma de ordenar los participantes según su coherencia al valorar los productos (usando un coeficiente de correlación intraclase). Puesto que muchos usuarios de IK no son especialistas en la interpretación de salidas numéricas, se incluyen representaciones visuales para estos dos nuevos métodos que facilitan el procesamiento de las conclusiones.
This PhD thesis deals with Kansei Engineering (KE), a technique for translating emotions elicited by products into technical parameters, and statistical methods that can benefit the discipline. The basic purpose of KE is discovering in which way some properties of a product convey certain emotions in its users. It is a quantitative method, and data are typically collected using questionnaires. Conclusions are reached when analyzing the collected data, normally using some kind of regression analysis. Kansei Engineering can be placed under the more general area of research of emotional design. The thesis starts justifying the importance of emotional design. As the range of techniques used under the name of Kansei Engineering is rather vast and not very clear, the thesis develops a detailed definition of KE that serves the purpose of delimiting its scope. A model for conducting KE studies is then suggested. The model includes spanning the semantic space – the whole range of emotions the product can elicit – and the space of properties – the technical variables that can be modified in the design phase. After the data collection, the synthesis phase links both spaces; that is, discovers how several properties of the product elicit certain emotions. Each step of the model is explained in detail using a KE study specially performed for this thesis: the fruit juice experiment. The initial model is progressively improved during the thesis and data from the experiment are reanalyzed using the new proposals. Many practical concerns arise when looking at the above mentioned model for KE studies (among many others, how many participants are used and how the data collection session is conducted). An extensive literature review is done with the aim of answering these and other questions. The most common applications of KE are also depicted, together with comments on particular interesting ideas from several papers. The literature review also serves to list which are the most common tools used in the synthesis phase. The central part of the thesis focuses precisely in tools for the synthesis phase. Statistical tools such as quantification theory type I and ordinal logistic regression are studied in detail, and several improvements are suggested. In particular, a new graphical way to represent results from an ordinal logistic regression is proposed. An automatic learning technique, rough sets, is introduced and a discussion is included on its adequacy for KE studies. Several sets of simulated data are used to assess the behavior of the suggested statistical techniques, leading to some useful recommendations. No matter the analysis tools used in the synthesis phase, conclusions are likely to be flawed when the design matrix is not appropriate. A method to evaluate the suitability of design matrices used in KE studies is proposed, based on the use of two new indicators: an orthogonality index and a confusion index. The commonly forgotten role of interactions in KE studies is studied and a method to include an interaction in KE studies is suggested, together with a way to represent it graphically. Finally, the untreated topic of variability in KE studies is tackled in the last part of the thesis. A method (based in cluster analysis) for finding segments among subjects according to their emotional responses and a way to rank subjects based on their coherence when rating products (using an intraclass correlation coefficient) are proposed. As many users of Kansei Engineering are not specialists in the interpretation of the numerical output from statistical techniques, visual representations for these two new proposals are included to aid understanding.

This thesis began as an exploration of the idea of home, a study that revealed the importance of place. Seeking to understand what makes a successful place, I studied neighborhoods with which I was familiar, identifying characteristics of both the vital and the lifeless. As a foundation for architectural exploration, this study helped me to recognize the dynamic qualities of denser, more urban neighborhoods, and to establish rowhousing as the vehicle through which to undertake my exploration of urban living. While providing the genesis for the project and further defining certain elements as worthy of further study, this initial exploration was nonetheless lacking. I had to do more than just speak of the conditions I hoped to achieve and of the characteristics of the elements with which to make the conditions manifest. I had to make the conditions, make the elements. It was essential for me to establish a clear order, so that these conditions could be brought together to form a cohesive whole. I was able to arrive at a fully conceived expression of the project by structuring the conditions that I identified through the application of three dimensional grids. The interrelationships among the grids helped structure the relationships among various conditions, ensuring that they enhanced one another, and were, in fact, stronger together than separately. Working with the grids taught me that in order for them to be effective regulators the grids had to be intelligible while still being flexible; that they should help define but never dictate. It exposed the tension between the regulating devices we, as architects, utilize as tools for design and the three-dimensional material with which the designs are constructed, as well as the obligation of reconciling the two. Not only must the device accommodate the material and the material reveal the device, but indeed all facets of the design must be considered in relation to one another and to the whole. When philosopy, device, and material work in service of one another the possibility for architectural expression rather than simple building is created. One does not revere great architects solely for their philosophies of design, the functionality of the spaces they create, the materials with which they construct them, or the regulating devices they employ, but rather for the complexity with which these elements are brought together to form a whole so well designed that it seems that it could have been done no other way.
Master of Architecture

Globaliseringen och den ökande konkurrensen har gjort att svenska företag inte kan konkurrera med pris på mogna marknader. Mjuka värden har tagit teknikens plats som strategisk konkurrensfaktor. Teknikorienterade företag har tvingats att skapa mjuka värden i sina produkter för att konkurrera mot de utländska lågprisaktörerna.

För att tekniska företag ska kunna skapa mjuka värden krävs att de har ett nära samarbete mellan konstruktören och designern. Detta samarbete är beroende av flera faktorer för att uppnå ett tillfredställande resultat.

Denna studie belyser de faktorer i samarbetet mellan designer och konstruktör som är viktiga för att skapa mervärde vid produktutvecklingen på en mättad marknad. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in från tre fallföretag och deras kunder. Empirin har studerats och analyserats mot teorier som författarna ansett viktiga för ämnet.

Undersökningen är både av kvantitativ och av kvalitativ karaktär. Under denna intressanta studie har det skett sex stycken djupintervjuer med designers och konstruktörer på de tre fallföretagen. För att mäta validiteten i analysen av det empiriska materialet från intervjuerna har företagets kunder fått svara på en enkät om deras köpbeslut.

Resultatet av undersökningen bekräftar vår teoretiska modell över hur ett effektivt samarbete leder till mervärde i produkten. Detta kan uppnås genom en simultan produktutveckling som präglas av en lärande kommunikation där kundbehovet är känt av båda parter. Processtyrning skall avse båda parter i deras arbete för att skapa ett maximalt mervärde.

This research focuses on the emergence of 'digital walls' that can project images onto almost all or even the entirety of interior (and perhaps exterior) walls, and what implications this might have for how we arrange our rooms. It demonstrates the arrangement, i.e., the way that domestic products are arranged physically, of rooms changes in the domestic environment in a complex scenario when using large screens. Due to the fast-growing demand for large screens, this product could potentially be available to be used by people in their home environments; however, it does not yet exist in reality at this scale. Constructing large screens can be carried out using different production methods. Here, this concept is called the digital wall, a very thin wall-sized interactive screen. The characteristics of the digital wall will vary to be able to create different scenarios. One such scenario is a space in the home where the surface of the wall is covered with screens, which allows multiple possibilities to experience and interact with digital content.  In this research, the social gathering space of homes, nowadays called the living room, is considered as a highly relevant space for installing the digital wall. In this space, the conceptual framework outlines the basic elements of the research and demonstrates the relationships between people’s interactions with the digital wall and domestic products in the domestic environment. I show two examples from design history to understand how arrangement changes impact the home environment: the transformation of the parlor to the living room, and entry of the television into the living room. These two examples are focused on the place in the home where people gather for socializing. The discussion of these examples led to the elaboration of the relationships between the elements in the conceptual framework. I explored relevant design research methodologies to bring this future scenario into the present to understand the relationships between people and the digital wall. I applied research through design and the constructive design research approaches to frame the design research methodology. In this thesis, I set up seven series of design studies in two cluster groups: Supportive studies and Main studies. All of the design studies were conducted in the Design Research Lab, the actual space for carrying out the design experiments, prototyping the digital wall, and the setting of the experiments for user participation. The Lab was fully equipped with relevant technology and allowed me to use multiple methods to collect data while people were experiencing the design study sessions. The Lab was useful as a platform to understand user experiences, barriers for interactions as well as people's experiences in a simulated space of a domestic environment.  The main contribution of this research is to understand the forms of arrangement changes when people use the digital wall in homes. The research demonstrates two significant implications that are seen in two forms of arrangements: tangible arrangement and imperceptible arrangement. These findings are useful for both designers and users of the elements of domestic contexts and the relations that can be shaped by the presence of a digital wall in home environments. This understanding may provide design guidelines in future scenarios in which the digital wall is used in homes. The findings are also beneficial for designing the domestic environment, improving the arrangement of space, and raising the requirements for designing domestic products.

This research considers the possibility of a locally-centric design education curricula in Amman, Jordan by investigating the philosophies, theories, practices and models of curriculum and pedagogy most appropriate for design education. It describes perceptions of design and examines the possibilities for shifting these perceptions to move towards transforming design education. Jordan is a neopatriarchal society, and education re-enacts the dominant structures of the state within curriculum and pedagogy centred on the authority of the educator. This thesis argues for a decolonised design education based on a student-centred pedagogy drawn from the process and praxis curriculum models - a design education and design otherwise. Working with a range of designers, students and educators, it investigates the potential of these actors to contribute to the development of a pedagogy for design education in Jordan that is relevant to the milieu and locality. It poses the following questions: What philosophies, theories, practices, models of curriculum, and pedagogy are appropriate?; What potential shifts could this require and create?; How do we shift perceptions? This qualitative research uses interviews, focus groups, and design charrettes for data collection. Through participation and engagement with people that have most at stake in design education - designers, design educators and design students - I argue for an emancipatory design education that reflects on design beyond its traditional service-provider definition. Drawing on scholarship from design and education studies, and literature from fields such as history, decolonial studies, architecture and urbanism, political science, economics and philosophy, I argue for a curriculum model and student-centred pedagogy that considers design's role in society. Literature on Arab higher education is preoccupied with reforms to help the Arab region build a knowledge-society without considering the role of curriculum models and pedagogy nor addressing power structures. In addition, within design, little literature exists on the Arab region or Jordan, leaving its design culture(s) largely undocumented. My thesis investigates design education in higher education in Jordan by concentrating on models of pedagogy and curriculum and provides an overview of Jordan's contemporary design culture.

Innovation practice is a transdisciplinary field that aims to create a better world out of an existing one by pooling methods and mindsets of inquiry and creation. The field observes design contexts, assimilates the collected knowledge into problems to be addressed, ideates solutions to those problems, and iteratively tests those solutions in real environments to determine how they address these problems. Over the past decade, the field has become more accessible to a much broader collection of amateur designers. They utilize the field to understand more diverse contexts, to include and adapt more disciplines, and to address a wide variety of complex and seemingly intractable issues. Due to the evolution of the fields’ popularity, debates began to arise about the fields’ utility and place in society. Development professionals treated design thinking and related fields as a silver bullet that could easily address issues of global poverty. Critics asked if the field was different from existing disciplines, whether the field delivers demonstrable impact, and if the democratization of design practice to ‘amateur’ designers is even worthwhile. However, these debates revealed how little knowledge is collected about how practitioners conduct innovation practice in the first place. To learn about the activities, benefits, methods, and obstacles of beneficial development-focused design practice, I detail three studies that apply lenses of analysis to innovation narratives to see how various collectives of self-determined innovators actually practice their craft.

The first study outlines a systematic literature review of human-centered design for development. By applying design principles to a population of researcher-designers and their narratives, we learn if these designers actually practice innovation with these principles of human-centeredness in mind. I outline three previously conducted studies about the nature of this field, which describe the population, location, history, and methods these projects use across various contexts. and detail an analysis of the participatory nature of human-centered design for development. In so doing, I describe statistics about the prevalence of participatory design practice, reveal how the studies report the complexities of participation, and collect insights about the stakeholders who are allowed to design. The study then sums up the importance of investigative analysis methods across populations of design narratives, so that researchers can learn more about how ‘good practice’ is perceived.

The second study describes an ethnographic evaluation study of notable actors in the Botswana innovation community. This study begins with a reflection on epistemological frictions between the popular fields of innovation practice and impact evaluation. After revealing the theoretical and practical gaps in how innovators evaluate, I introduce the Botswana history, policies, and institutions that support innovation practice on the national level, while describing their activities and how innovation actors perceive them. I then detail the creation of a grassroots innovation community that practices participatory co-design of locally beneficial technologies by outlining the history of its indigenous stakeholders and describing an ethnographic narrative of two formative innovation workshops. I then describe the methods, approaches, purpose, and stakeholders involved in the evaluation of innovation in the local and national institutions. This analysis reveals evaluation tools applicable to many innovation contexts, and insights about how these evaluation approaches are aligned and misaligned with each other. Finally, I describe insights on the practice and facilitation of innovation in the country, to clarify cultural, institutional, and practical barriers and qualities that hinder the potential benefit of innovation.

The final study is a reflection on the inadequacies of ethics systems in Botswana to support beneficial innovation practice. While investigating the previous chapter, I happened upon narratives with no simple solutions, and few resources for development-centric designers to effectively navigate this ethics space. Moreover, while facing the country’s institutional review board system, I gained first-hand experience with the goals, dynamics, and limitations of the Botswana research system of ethics. This chapter unpacks how the ethical system fails to align with the needs of beneficial innovation practice and suggests theoretical alternatives to draw upon for future use.

This dissertation describes the complex possibilities of participatory design practice, the various goals, activities, and perceptions of the evolving Botswana innovation ecosystem, and details the frictions between the understudied field of ethics in design for development and existing institutions. These studies reveal how ‘good’ innovation practice is wholly based on the context it is applied: on its practitioners, their tools, their goals, the environment where it is used, and the stakeholders with whom the designers interact. Though these studies outline how the methods and mindsets of innovation practice are accessible to more communities than ever, it does not mean that innovation practice itself becomes simpler. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2015.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 124-129).
Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, federal, state, and local governments initiated a series of disaster relief and recovery programs. These efforts were criticized for their lack of coordination, and fueled the public opinion that not only were coastal cities increasingly at risk for storm events due to climate change, but also that the government is not equipped to adequately respond to or prevent future disasters. The Rebuild by Design urban design competition was the first implemented recommendation of the cabinet-level Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and the main goal for the competition was the procurement of innovative resiliency projects for the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the competition is an unprecedented use of urban design by the federal government, leading to the question of why HUD would turn to an urban design process in the midst of other recovery efforts. Through interviews with designers from the winning design teams, this thesis finds that design thinking, under-examined by the participants, management, and evaluations of the competition, is the underlying theory that explains the benefits of an urban design process in the context of responding to climate change. Design thinking theorizes design as an alternative decision making process that can address complex problems for which there is no correct solution. This leads to the use of design as a method of creative problem solving as well as a catalyst for organizational change. This thesis finds that the competition design teams practice characteristics of design thinking. The resulting design ideas synthesize across regional, social, and economic systems, and offer an improved approach to the current infrastructure practices of flood protection and water mitigation. At the same time, the ability of the design process to fulfill the organizational goals of the competition, such as capacity building for local governments, remains mixed. Finally, this thesis generates recommendations for future iterations of Rebuild by Design as well as cautionary lessons for designers in light of the politics of relying on design as a form of innovation.
by Kara Elliott-Ortega.
M.C.P.

Questa tesi si occuperà di analizzare e progettare per un settore sempre più centrale nell’economia dei giorni odierni: il settore Pharma. In questa tesi analizzeremo i competitor presenti all’interno di questo sconfinato comparto produttivo e cercheremo di comprenderlo a fondo considerando tutte le limitazioni che il “Pharma” presenta per poi riuscire, tramite un percorso progettuale, a ideare una macchina industriale per questo settore. Il compito di questa tesi è quello di sviluppare la scocca esterna di una macchina comprimitrice per l’industria farmaceutica. Questa tipologia di prodotto è già presente nel listino macchine IMA:la “famiglia” Prexima. Questo gruppo di macchine automatiche presentano 3 versioni: Prexima 80, Prexima 300, Prexima 800. Si differenziano per design e per produttività. Il mio compito è aggiungere a questi macchinari un altro modello, Prexima 150 che, come si intuisce, sarà un modello intermedio tra Prexima 80 e 300. Questa tesi non si concentrerà solo sulla creazione del modello Prexima 150, ma anche sul restyling di tutta la linea Prexima.

Designing successful commercial aircraft is a difficult business; the stakes are high and the risks numerous. Researchers in the past have developed methods that assist the designers in reducing these risks. In recent years such methods have benefited from improvements in computer technology. The work described in this thesis extends these methods to the design of commuter aircraft. These aircraft are more sensitive to operational requirements than other types due in part to their high zero-fuel mass ratio. It is essential that, for such aircraft, the best information possible is available to the designers. The identification of the optimum aircraft configuration and mission characteristics constitutes a vital part of this knowledge. A review of literature, involving both modem computer-based and traditional search methods, has shown continuing interest in aircraft project design methods from the earliest times to the latest conference. The work presented in this thesis is seen to compliment this interest in computer methods and to apply these techniques to the relatively neglected area of commuter aircraft design. A survey of commuter operation and aircraft types revealed the often conflicting requirements and regulations which govern the design process in this area. Detailed statistical analysis on a collection of commuter aircraft showed no consistent data patterns, but did indicate the bouyant state of the market. Earlier research work on the design of twin-engined turbo-prop aircraft had provided some experience in the design of short-haul aircraft. The new work improves these methods and applies them to larger and faster turbo-fan commuter aircraft. Since the turbo-prop work, the optimiser developed at RAE (Farnborough) has been rewritten to work more efficiently and allow larger problems to be tackled. This new optimiser s linked to a new synthesis routine which simulates turbo-fan aircraft design. The synthesis program was calibrated against industrial design calculations and shown to give acceptably accuracte predictions. The resulting design program is fully described and computer listings are presented. To illustrate the use of the optimisation methods in the devleopment of a new aircraft, a series of industrially related design studies is presented. These studies range from the selection of the initial baseline configuration, through various parameters sensitivity investigations, to the evaluation of aircraft and engine stretch options. To demonstrate more general types of design study, a series of optimisations in which the engine size is variable was conducted. This provides the designer with a knowledge of the absolute (optimum) design surface and allows him to judge the 'penalties' inherent in his chosen configuration.

Herbert Simon (1969) set out an ambitious programme of research for a science of design. This thesis examines the routes taken and the problems encountered with this programme as it is found in the flagship domain of Human-Computer Interaction. It examines the emergence of Human-Computer Interaction as a discipline and its problems (Chapter 1). It considers recent attempts to reformulate many of the foundations of HCI's design theory (Chapter 2) including work of my own (Chapter 3). It describes the development of a new field of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Chapter 4) and a new approach to understanding the environment from a social rather than a cognitive point of view by using ethnographic methods imported from sociology and social anthropology and now closely associated with the field of CSCW (Chapter 5). This new orientation is seen by many to offer new hope for informing design and overcoming some of the problems that have so far beset HCI. It represents one of the most significant contributions to design to have emerged from sociology and social anthropology. It is not, however, without its own difficulties in terms of being able to effectively 'speak to' the design process. Ethnographic methods have also been used to examine the very process of design itself and I report on a number of such studies and some of the issues which they raise (Chapter 6). In particular I will report in detail on an ethnographic study of my own which sought simultaneously to investigate the worth of this research orientation, to understand some of the ways in which ethnographic studies can contribute to system design and particularly the design of CSCW technologies and to do this through a study of another area of design work - fashion design (Chapter 7). Studies such as this of design in practice do, however, raise a number of challenging issues for the type of science of design envisaged by Simon and his associates. Empirically examining what design is and how design is done questions some of the abstract formulations of design. Additionally, I suggest that some care is needed in schematizing how a method such as ethnography can contribute to a design process. I consider these results in my concluding chapter (Chapter 8) where I argue that the ethnographic approach turns out to contrast fundamentally with Simon's view of design for his conception of design is also crucially a perspective upon action itself. It is this perspective which ultimately motivates Simon to claim that the proper study of mankind is the science of design, while it is an ethnographic orientation which motivates me to argue that design is practical action and that practical action is designed.

The production of fashion garments has negative environmental and social impacts that can potentially be reduced through decisions made in the design process. This research explores to what extent Australian mass-market fashion designers consider environmental sustainability within product design. The study presents three case studies from different market levels, assembled through interviews with designers, along with an analysis of the Australian mass-market fashion industry. The project provides insights into the workings of the fashion design process within mid and high volume companies, and identifies opportunities and barriers for consideration of sustainability.

GPS-enabled wayfinding interfaces (i.e. digital maps) are now commonly used as wayfinding devices in urban locations. While these wayfinding interfaces provide increasingly accurate geographic and routing information, little attention has been paid to how novel information design approaches may support particular user-experiences within particular use-contexts. This practice-based research focuses on the design of GPS-enabled wayfinding interfaces within the use-context of urban recreational walking/wandering. In particular, it investigates how these interfaces could be designed to visually support situation awarenessin use. That is, awareness of one’s embodied involvement in the surrounding environment while using the interface. The enquiry progresses through two phases. In the first phase, a programme of semi-structured interviews are conducted with urban recreational walkers/wanderers. Analysis of the data reveals participants’ motivations to walk, their experience of exploratory wayfinding, as well as their use of wayfinding materials in general and GPS-enabled technology in particular. With regard to the latter,attention is paid to ways in which these wayfinding interfaces are negatively perceived. Here, it is identified that, amongst the group as a whole, the undermining of situation awareness (SA) and the negation of exploratory wayfinding practices are seen as significant issues. Having made this identification, an area for experimentation is framed and, within this, a design hypothesis is formulated. Next, in the enquiry’s second phase, a series of design experiments are undertaken in order to develop a novel wayfinding interface in response to this hypothesis. Here, an iterative development cycle leads to the design and testing of a mixed-fidelity working prototype interface through the application of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. By integrating and assessing the results, it is possible to assert that,for the majority of participants, SA-in-use was supported, thus verifying the hypothesis. Thereafter, the interface is presented as a practical response to the primary research question of the enquiry and, as such, is positioned as an artefactual contribution to knowledge. Then, through a graphic syntax analysis (Engelhardt 2002) of this artefact, a contextualised graphic syntax for design is generated. In setting out a series of principles, it provides an outline for the design of a GPS-enabled WI to visually support an urban recreational walker’s/wanderer’s situation awareness in use and, so, may guide/inform future designs. Further to this, in graphic syntax analysis, a reflection on the dynamic and interactive aspects of the interface leads to an extension of Engelhardt’s graphic syntax framework(2002) being proposed. Here, by expanding the framework’s scope, the description of the dynamic and interactive aspects of graphic representations is now made possible. It is held that this, in turn, may support the development of an expanded theory of graphic syntax.

Over the last two decades a category of artefact has appeared that has come to be termed 'design art': highly expressive furniture and domestic products that are created as self-initiated, often limited edition designs, sold through galleries, exhibited in museums and collected in the manner traditionally ascribed to art. To date no in-depth theoretical analysis of the growth of such design has been conducted and key protagonists such as Droog Design have received little critical attention, as those involved have been largely left to write their own history. Consequently, the aim of this thesis is to account for the development of these objects as the products of particular cultural and historical conditions and ask what the implications of the rise of these particular practices of making, distribution and use may be. This thesis proposes that close analysis of the objects, their form and functional potential, reveals their dialectical qualities, in that in their materiality the tensions and conflicts of the period of their development can be discerned. Through an account of the development of the market for such goods it examines the way in which these things can be studied as commodities, in that they can clearly be understood as status symbols or a form of cultural capital. It is also asserted that by regarding such design as having the potential to impact upon everyday life, and not just as existing as something to be consumed by an elite, such practices illuminate broader problems of the ethics of design in a wider sense. In this way it is argued that these communicative objects, in their ambiguous form and problematic relationship to function, can give an insight into the way we live with performative things: the ideological products of modernity that act upon us as we use them and which contain in their being the protocols and disciplinary forces of their time. The intention therefore is to ask whether design art can be seen as a politically radical practice that suggests ways in which both makers and users can assert a new relationship to the things with which we live.

Media Architecture design, although visually prominent and involving interdisciplinary collaboration, rarely succeeds in creating urban situations of contextual relevance beyond temporary effects. This research understands Media Architecture as a communication medium and proposes the need to engage with its multi-stakeholder audience from early on in the conceptual design stage. This practice-led design research presents a broad critical investigation into the emerging field of Media Architecture (Jaschko & Sauter 2006; Foth 2008; Haeusler 2009) spanning conceptions of media space, experience, participation and design as discourse (Scollon & Scollon 2003; Fatah gen. Schieck 2006). Its findings contribute a new perspective on Media Architecture as experiential visual design process, based on an analysis of design methods, principles of participatory design and reflection, as well as an overview and classification of Media Architecture practice. Following a related literature review, the thesis identified experiential learning and the notion of troublesome knowledge (Meyer & Land 2003; Perkins 1999) as a distinguishable new perspective on design for Media Architecture. By connecting exploratory and generative design research tools (i.e., interviews, collaborative expert workshops, visual prototyping) with theoretical constructs of learning theory (Schön 1983; Kolb 1983), experience (McCarthy & Wright 2004) and ownership in urban design (McDonnell 2009; Townsend 2013; Lange & Waal 2013), this thesis developed an experimental design methodology for stakeholder involvement in Media Architecture. An iterative review and reflection process led to methods evolving from initial research tools for analysis to self-reflective design process outcomes. The findings of this study were used to create the Media Architecture Archive (MAA), a digital participatory database using a comprehensive classification system of Media Architecture practice. It is complemented by an experiential method framework based on visual design for contextual research, envisioning and prototyping in Media Architecture. Thus, the research contributes a novel approach to visual communication in Media Architecture, by applying visual design to encourage stakeholder involvement, discourse and reflection at early stages in the design process. The self-reflective structure of the study contributes to our knowledge of how practice-led learning processes applied through visual communication can serve as an extension of the Media Architecture experience as both process and outcome.

I detta arbete undersöks äldre personers förhållande till den teknik de möter i vardagen. Statistik visar att det i åldersgruppen 65–84 år, jämfört med de yngre åldersgrupperna, är betydligt färre personer som har hemdator. Avsikten med studien var att kvalitativt utforska vad som ligger bakom sådana och liknande förhållanden. Omständigheter som kan vara av betydelse vid utveckling av teknik för äldre människor.

Etnografiskt inspirerade fallstudier genomfördes hos fyra ej yrkesverksamma personer i åldrarna 65 till 75 år. Det empiriska arbetet har i huvudsak inneburit observationer tillsammans med deltagarna och halvstrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Momenten har genomförts i deltagarnas hem.

I syfte att göra resultaten lättillgängliga har dessa utformats som porträtt skrivna i jagform. Tanken med porträtten är att de ska kunna användas som idé- och designstöd i samband med utveckling av teknik för personer i situationer som liknar deltagarnas.

Praktiskt, estetiskt, symboliskt, socialt och affektivt bruk har varit utgångspunkter vid analysen som genomförts med porträtten som underlag. Ur analysen framträdde ett antal bruksvärden. Dessa avser de positiva eller negativa värden som bruk av någon teknik innebär för brukaren. Bruksvärden som umgänge, åtnjuta information och nöje, effektivitet och trygghet, avgör brukarens förhållande till tekniken.

Några av slutsatserna i studien är: att trygghet är ett centralt bruksvärde deltagarna upplever i mobiltelefonbruket, att deltagarna har ett mycket begränsat intresse för hemdatorer, att barnen spelar, som anskaffare, påverkare och stöd, en viktig roll för deltagarna vad gäller tekniken i vardagen.