J. of Design Research 

About: J. of Design Research is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Design education & Product design. It has an ISSN identifier of 1748-3050. Over the lifetime, 293 publications have been published receiving 3592 citations.

Product-service systems: using an existing concept as a new approach to sustainability

Abstract: Product Service Systems (PS systems), though not new, are relatively new to be used as an approach to reach sustainability This perspective of PS systems is presented A PS system can be defined as a business innovation strategy offering a marketable mix of products and services jointly capable of fulfilling a client's needs and/or wants - with higher added value and a smaller environmental impact as compared to an existing system or product A major element of a PS system is that a consumer's need is met by selling utility instead of providing a product In essence the right of product ownership is shifted from a client to the producer or service provider PS systems are reviewed in light of other environmental managementstrategies, and they are described in general Company examples illustrate the potential benefits and motivations for a company to consider a shift to PS systems The examples are classified in three categories: 1) Services providing value added to product: in which a company can sell additional services, such as a warrantee, to guarantee functionality and/or durability of a product which is owned by the consumer 2) Services providing final results: in which a company can offer a customised mix of services, as a substitute for the purchasing and use of single products providing of a specific final result with a low-level of client participation; and 3) Services providing enabling platforms: in which a company can offer access to products, tools, opportunities or capabilities (platforms) that enable clients to get the results they want Furthermore, it is discussed how PS systems are applicable in developing countries, and how PS systems, as an innovation strategy can present an opportunity to facilitate the process of industrialisation with less environmental impact, by jumping over or by passing the stage characterised by individual consumption/ownership of mass-produced goods towards the more advanced service-economy

Enabling distributed multi-disciplinary design of complex products: a knowledge based engineering approach

Abstract: In this paper, it is discussed how knowledge based engineering has been exploited to develop a flexible design system, able to integrate a heterogeneous set of distributed discipline-specific design and analysis tools into a modular design framework. This system, called Design and Engineering Engine (DEE), demonstrated its capability to support designers in performing what-if studies and accelerate Multi-disciplinary Design and Optimisation (MDO), through the automation of those lengthy and repetitive activities typically hampering the design process. Design quality and innovation are also supported by enabling the use of high fidelity analysis tools in the early design phase.

Problem structuring and information access in design

Abstract: In order to design proper information systems for designers, it is important to understand how they enrich their knowledge base during the design process, what triggers their queries for information, what strategies they use and what factors influence their behavior in relation to information seeking. Exploring these questions requires a closer look into the design process and the factors that influence information intake. In this paper different aspects of the design process will be considered that are relevant to information access during the early stages of this process. The implications of such aspects in the design of information systems to support designers will be discussed.

The emergence of design research in information systems in North America

Abstract: Information Systems (IS) is a relatively new field of study that investigates information and communications technology (ICT) in organisational settings. Originally a branch of management science, IS became an independent field in the late 1960s. Only recently in North America has IS design research (ISDR) become a distinct line of inquiry within the field. This paper details the emergence of ISDR within North American IS research and outlines its current state. ISDR, as currently conceived in North America, is narrower in scope than design research in fields where it has a longer history. With reference to the literature, we expose directions of research highly germane to ISDR that are precluded by the current common understanding, which requires an artefact as the output of all design research efforts. We propose suggestions for relaxing this constraint on research output while still retaining a focus on research relevance and ICT artefacts.

Visual analogy as a cognitive strategy in the design process. Expert versus novice performance

Abstract: This study investigated the use of visual analogy in architectural design. Its purpose was to provide some understanding of the way experts and novices apply visual analogical thinking to generate satisfactory solutions during the design process. Although there are several anecdotal examples in the design literature that have reported the use of analogy, few studies have empirically explored the relationship between analogy and expertise in design problem solving. In order to provide empirical evidence, a series of controlled experiments were conducted to examine how this cognitive strategy contributed to the enhancement of design problem solving in each group of subjects. Students and architects were asked to solve a set of non-routine design problems stimulated by exposure to between-domain and within-domain visual displays, and were given explicit instructions to use analogy. Results showed that both novices and experts were able to reason by visual analogy and use deep analogs. It was found that experts identified and retrieved analogs from between-domain displays. Novices, however, identified a large number of between-domain displays, but retrieved analogs from between-domain and within-domain displays in the same measure. Novices, in contrast to experts, did not add constraints to the design problem, but produced a large number of solutions. These findings have important implications on design education. It is proposed that training novice students in the use of visual analogy can play a significant role to develop design skills in the architectural design studio. What are the differences between expert and novice performance in the domain of design? How can we help designers solve non-routine design problems while using familiar knowledge structures? The production of an unlimited number of unexpected solutions that are significantly different from earlier designs is a characteristic of non-routine design. Design problems are described as major examples of non-routine problems (Gero and Maher 1993). In design, visual analogy is a powerful problem solving strategy that can help explain new and non-routine problems in terms of familiar ones. Although there is some evidence that problem solvers have difficulty in making spontaneous use of this strategy, references concerning the use of analogy are mostly anecdotal. Moreover, differences in expertise as regards the use of visual analogy in design have rarely been reported. The main goal of this study is to provide empirical evidence regarding differences and similarities in the performance of expert and novice designers whose reasoning process involves visual analogy. Qualitative and quantitative results in the use of visual analogy during the design process are presented following a brief literature review.