Briede Westermeyer, Juan Carlos

In this exploratory study a teaching experience in which conceptual design was addressed using the systemic approach by Hernandis and Briede of 2009, but covering the integration of the theoretical attributes of the product in a physical model of the design's space is described and analyzed. This strategy aims at facilitating the management and transfer of the theoretical attributes that are integrated in the design's space for the final design proposal. In the study, a perception survey was applied to students of the user-centered design workshop of the year 2013, offered by the Dept. of Art and Design Technologies of the University of Bío-Bío, in Chile. The results indicate that the construction process allowed students to connect theory with their application in the final design. The physical modeling, as didactic support, facilitated the analysis and decision-making process related to the application of the theoretical concepts already studied.

Mobile phones have caused diverging opinions regarding the change in communication patterns and the isolation among young people. However, in the case of the elderly, there are positive effects related to their use, their social activity, and their environmental awareness. This study connects these three variables beginning with the mobile telephone use by the elderly. A sample of 399 self-reliant elderly people was interviewed in Chile, where 159 had mobile phones. They answered the Usefulness, Satisfaction and Ease of Use Questionnaire (USE) and a series of questions about the environment and social life developed from previous studies. The results were analyzed using a multiple correspondence and correlation analysis. A high correlation between the three variables was found. Hence, a higher usability of mobile phones was associated with higher social activity and a higher environmental concern. These results showed that a design approach for the elderly could increase satisfaction regarding the use of a product and, as a result, improve communication with their social setting. From an environmental point of view, an indirect relationship was seen between the selection, use, and expectations of the end of life of the products.

AbstractUser integration is a key aspect of new product development. When applying corresponding methods, however, there is a communication gap that needs to be overcome by the designer. Prototyping is a means to bridge this disjunction, yet brings its own set of hermeneutic limitations. Taking a closer look at the processual information exchange, we propose the concept of the user-driven minimum feasible product (UD-MFP). It describes the artefact generated by the users themselves in their specific context, which contains the essence of the problem's solution as a possible source of validation.

El presente artículo muestra el proceso de diseño de productos de una empresa prestadora de servicios de diseño, desde un enfoque de procesos materializado en un mapa de procesos. El estudio propone una mirada complementaria a los actuales modelos teóricos que representan el proceso de diseño, los cuáles abordan el perfil funcional de la disciplina desde una mirada autónoma, aislada de relaciones interfuncionales que apoyen su aplicación empresarial. En este sentido, el mapa de procesos diseñado representa la globalidad del accionar en el diseño de productos, a través de la incorporación de actividades creativas, comerciales y productivas, y el énfasis en la relevancia del diseño conceptual y de detalle como operaciones que impulsan las vinculaciones entre dichas actividades; para fomentar por consiguiente, una perspectiva de la acción del diseño como un conjunto de actividades, recursos y relaciones interfuncionales que instan la exploración colaborativa de conocimientos.

There are two types of occupants in nursing homes: older adults and caregivers. Because the former has different physiological qualities, they are more sensitive to high and low temperatures, presenting discrepancies with caregivers regarding thermal sensation. The objective of this exploratory research was to determine to what extent the range of thermal comfort differed between older adults and caregivers in three nursing homes in Gran Concepción. Indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity were monitored during winter and spring. Simultaneously, a thermal sensation and preference survey was applied while clothing insulation, metabolic rate, and adaptive responses were observed. Neutral temperature was calculated using Griffiths’ method for both groups to determine the comfort ranges and compare them. The older adults presented a higher neutral temperature than the caregivers with a difference of 0.8 °C in winter and 1.74 °C in spring. Regarding the adaptive response, both occupant types performed the same actions to achieve comfort, but older adults had less control over these. It is hoped that this study can lay the groundwork regarding comfort temperatures for older adults in Chile and integrate a discussion regarding their well-being on a local and global scale.

Introduction: By 2050, older adults will constitute 16% of the world population; hence, there is an urgent demand and challenge to design solutions (products and services) that meet the needs of this age group. This study sought to analyse the needs that impact the well-being of Chilean older adults and present possible solutions through the design of products. Methodology: A qualitative study was used, where focus groups were held with older adults, industrial designers, health professionals, and entrepreneurs on the needs and design of solutions for older adults. Results: A general map was obtained that linked the categories and subcategories related to the relevant needs and solutions, which were then classified in a framework. Conclusions: The resulting proposal places the needs in different fields of expertise; and thus, enables positioning, broadening, and expanding upon the map to share knowledge, between the user and key experts, to co-create solutions.

Conceptual design is one of the earliest stages of product development, and is responsible for defining key aspects of the final product. The systematic approach addresses this stage by using a disaggregate model of product attributes and their corresponding geometries. This ultimately serves as a starting point for exploring conceptual proposals. Research into the emergence of various sketch typologies shows that they are labeled according to aim rather than technical utility. The proposed sketch-based model is intended to serve as a comprehensive version of the systematic model for conceptual design (Hernandis & Briede, 2009). Sketch outlines are used during various stages of the model in order to enable and visually assist with cognitive processes and decision-making during the initial theoretical stages, which are abstract and poorly defined.

This paper describes the development and implementation of a visual model that allows organization of the morphological referents, starting from the conceptual proposal, for a new product design. The study of the context and its referent objects are recognized and taken into consideration within the initial stage of the design process. Much of the information gathered in this stage is often relegated and not actively considered in the conceptual development of a product. On the other hand, the freedom and lack of systematization that exists to address the formal development, starting from the conceptual proposal stage, triggers an uncertain and unclear development scene. This visual model seeks to associate morphological referents in their diverse levels with the concepts and attributes that define the conceptual proposal stage and present them in an integral diagram that furthers and expands the exploration of formal development. A 4th year design workshop in the industrial design major was implemented at the Universidad del Bío-Bío, wherein the utilization of the model within the proposal phase and its comparative impact with other traditional thematic workshops was carried out and evaluated. The application allowed for the expansion and diversification of creative development design solutions, oriented towards the innovation, in addition to serving as a map that could register the decision making in the design process, within the design team standpoint or from the point of view of the client. The following paper presents a description and application of this model in the teaching of design and discusses its implications on an educational and professional level.

This article describes the use and application of a new methodology that has been developed for the conceptual design of new products, which emphasizes those innovating characteristics in design processes, thus fostering creative development. This is a dynamic model based on a cyclic thought that keeps the prescriptions that have been applied or decided without restrain by the designer. It comprises a broad range of disjointing and development degrees regarding their definition, while making it possible to record information during the whole process. Its application and further analysis for product conceptual development, such as their use in research works makes it feasible to undertake fundamental issues with respect to design and to have them transferred as the design own characteristics. Likewise, a teaching practice where the design has been used in engineering is shown, along with the outcomes that have been achieved. This model was applied in two groups of students who had some experience in product design. The model has assumed timing decrease, which in turn brought about results when compared with previous years. The use of this model manages knowledge on a separate fashion while using drawings as a representative synthesis, based on theoretical models that make up the product theoretical features according to the objectives that had been established. This model can be used as a guideline, since it completely states working patterns and, therefore, providing greater benefits, since in besides guiding students/designers in its application, it also implies an organized and structured manner of information gathering, thus making the suggested product further introduction and reasoning easier.

Abstract Objective: Describing the results of a User-Centered Design workshop using Challenge Based Learning or CBL, where students from Chilean industrial design and health degrees, developed solutions to resolve health problems among the elderly. Method: It was a pre-experimental study; 45 university students took part in a workshop: 39 from Industrial Design, 3 from Speech Therapy, 2 from Medical Technology and 1 from Medicine. In this workshop, the students, using CBL in disciplinary heterogeneous groups, faced a 3-week challenge to develop products to overcome a health problem for an elderly person. Once the product was presented, the professors and students assessed the conceptual proposals, using a semantic differential. The students also evaluated the workshop with a perception survey. Results: Both the students and professors positively evaluated the usefulness and functionality of the conceptual proposals; although, the industrial design students were more critical about these aspects. The originality of proposals evaluated was the worst. Regarding the workshop, all students (100%) felt that instructions were clear as were the three moments of design, with problem definition stage best evaluated. Conclusions: The CBL is shown to be an educational tool that allows training professionals in product design and in developing health technology that is suitable for the users' needs. Regarding the process, heterogeneous make-up of the groups and clear external guide appear as essential for CBL to work well. Keywords: challenge-based learning, elderly, interdisciplinary, higher education. Continuous...