Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design, Volume 5: Design for X, Design to X, 2017
Design is increasingly viewed as a key driver of global sustainability improvement. Accordingly, ... more Design is increasingly viewed as a key driver of global sustainability improvement. Accordingly, a range of sustainability-oriented design approaches have emerged over the past decades, all sharing the same high-level goal: the delivery of sustainable artefacts. Developing a shared vision of sustainability is positioned as a crucial first step in sustainability-oriented design processes; however, there is a lack of clarity regarding what the terms sustainable and sustainability fundamentally mean when applied to technical artefacts. To address these issues, we present a conceptual exposition of sustainability, beginning with three fundamental theoretical viewpoints on the concept and translating these to engineering design. Using the first generic model of systems sustainability (the S-Cycle) and an industrial case study, we then explain the basic constitution of sustainability of technical artefacts and discuss goals and metrics for sustainability-oriented engineering design. Some implications of the work for future research are briefly discussed, highlighting that sustainable design is not inherently 'good' and should therefore be conducted with caution and responsibility.
This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifi... more This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifically on conceptual design cognition, aiming to answer the following research question: What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? We reviewed 47 studies on architectural design, engineering design and product design engineering. This paper reports 24 cognitive processes investigated in a subset of 33 studies aligning with two viewpoints on the nature of designing: (V1) design as search (10 processes, 41.7%); and (V2) design as exploration (14 processes, 58.3%). Studies on search focused on solution search and problem structuring, involving: long-term memory retrieval; working memory; operators and reasoning processes. Studies on exploration investigated: co-evolutionary design; visual reasoning; cognitive actions; and unexpected discovery and situated requirements invention. Overall, considerable conceptual and terminological differences were observed among the studies. Nonetheless, a common focus on memory, semantic, associative, visual perceptual and mental imagery processes was observed to an extent. We suggest three challenges for future research to advance the field: (i) developing general models/theories; (ii) testing protocol study findings using objective methods conducive to larger samples and (iii) developing a shared ontology of cognitive processes in design.
This paper reports the first systematic review and synthesis of protocol studies on conceptual de... more This paper reports the first systematic review and synthesis of protocol studies on conceptual design cognition. 47 studies from the domains of architectural design, engineering design, and product design engineering were reviewed towards answering the following question: What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? Studies were found to reflect three viewpoints on the cognitive nature of designing: design as search; design as exploration; and design activities. Synthesising the findings of individual studies revealed ten categories of executive and non-executive function studied across the viewpoints: visual perception; mental imagery; semantic association; long term memory; working memory; selective attention; creative thinking; evaluation and decision making; externalisation; and reasoning and problem solving. The review highlights several avenues for future research, centering on the need for general formalisms, more objective methods to supplement protocol analysis, and a shared ontology of cognitive processes.
SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its app... more SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its approach to the engineering, design and manufacture of complex warships. Through a partnership with the University of Strathclyde, research is underway on the implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to meet organisational objectives. An overview of PLM is provided highlighting the challenges specific to the characteristics of Engineering to Order (ETO) products. These challenges relate to understanding PLM organisational objectives and aligning these with the relevant technology. Central to BAE Systems Naval Ships PLM approach is the Integrated Bill of Materials (iBoM) which is a critical enabler for the organisations transformational objectives. The implementation of the iBoM will be used to develop a framework for implementing PLM to ensure that the technology supports the business objectives of ETO product development, i.e. the integration of business and technology architectures.
The EURO Working Group on Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), in cooperation with Birkbeck-Univer... more The EURO Working Group on Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), in cooperation with Birkbeck-University of London, had the pleasure to organize the EWG-DSS London-2011 Workshop on Decision Systems on the period of June 23rd to June 24th, 2011, at the School of Business, Economics and Informatics at Birkbeck, in London. This Workshop’s main purpose was to provide a setting in which the professionals of the research and application areas related to Decision Making and Decision Support, could have the opportunity to meet and discuss about technical, methodological and social aspects for developing Decision Systems in an informal way. Based on this main aim, we have tried to find the ideal place for the Workshop to happen. We were lucky! We had the honor to count with the great support of one of the EWG-DSS founding members: Philip Powell, who is currently Executive Dean and Professor of Management at the School of Business, Economics and Informatics at Birkbeck. Philip enabled the EWG-DS...
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
... 4. Bar-Yam, Y.,(1997) Dynamics of Complex Systems, Addison-Wesley (Reading PA). 5. Basem EL, ... more ... 4. Bar-Yam, Y.,(1997) Dynamics of Complex Systems, Addison-Wesley (Reading PA). 5. Basem EL, and Kai Y.(1999), The components of complexity in engineering design, IIE Transactions No 31 (1999) pp 925-934. 6. Calinescu. ...
Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design, Volume 5: Design for X, Design to X, 2017
Design is increasingly viewed as a key driver of global sustainability improvement. Accordingly, ... more Design is increasingly viewed as a key driver of global sustainability improvement. Accordingly, a range of sustainability-oriented design approaches have emerged over the past decades, all sharing the same high-level goal: the delivery of sustainable artefacts. Developing a shared vision of sustainability is positioned as a crucial first step in sustainability-oriented design processes; however, there is a lack of clarity regarding what the terms sustainable and sustainability fundamentally mean when applied to technical artefacts. To address these issues, we present a conceptual exposition of sustainability, beginning with three fundamental theoretical viewpoints on the concept and translating these to engineering design. Using the first generic model of systems sustainability (the S-Cycle) and an industrial case study, we then explain the basic constitution of sustainability of technical artefacts and discuss goals and metrics for sustainability-oriented engineering design. Some implications of the work for future research are briefly discussed, highlighting that sustainable design is not inherently 'good' and should therefore be conducted with caution and responsibility.
This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifi... more This paper reports findings from the first systematic review of protocol studies focusing specifically on conceptual design cognition, aiming to answer the following research question: What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? We reviewed 47 studies on architectural design, engineering design and product design engineering. This paper reports 24 cognitive processes investigated in a subset of 33 studies aligning with two viewpoints on the nature of designing: (V1) design as search (10 processes, 41.7%); and (V2) design as exploration (14 processes, 58.3%). Studies on search focused on solution search and problem structuring, involving: long-term memory retrieval; working memory; operators and reasoning processes. Studies on exploration investigated: co-evolutionary design; visual reasoning; cognitive actions; and unexpected discovery and situated requirements invention. Overall, considerable conceptual and terminological differences were observed among the studies. Nonetheless, a common focus on memory, semantic, associative, visual perceptual and mental imagery processes was observed to an extent. We suggest three challenges for future research to advance the field: (i) developing general models/theories; (ii) testing protocol study findings using objective methods conducive to larger samples and (iii) developing a shared ontology of cognitive processes in design.
This paper reports the first systematic review and synthesis of protocol studies on conceptual de... more This paper reports the first systematic review and synthesis of protocol studies on conceptual design cognition. 47 studies from the domains of architectural design, engineering design, and product design engineering were reviewed towards answering the following question: What is our current understanding of the cognitive processes involved in conceptual design tasks carried out by individual designers? Studies were found to reflect three viewpoints on the cognitive nature of designing: design as search; design as exploration; and design activities. Synthesising the findings of individual studies revealed ten categories of executive and non-executive function studied across the viewpoints: visual perception; mental imagery; semantic association; long term memory; working memory; selective attention; creative thinking; evaluation and decision making; externalisation; and reasoning and problem solving. The review highlights several avenues for future research, centering on the need for general formalisms, more objective methods to supplement protocol analysis, and a shared ontology of cognitive processes.
SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its app... more SUMMARY BAE Systems Naval Ships is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of all aspects of its approach to the engineering, design and manufacture of complex warships. Through a partnership with the University of Strathclyde, research is underway on the implementation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to meet organisational objectives. An overview of PLM is provided highlighting the challenges specific to the characteristics of Engineering to Order (ETO) products. These challenges relate to understanding PLM organisational objectives and aligning these with the relevant technology. Central to BAE Systems Naval Ships PLM approach is the Integrated Bill of Materials (iBoM) which is a critical enabler for the organisations transformational objectives. The implementation of the iBoM will be used to develop a framework for implementing PLM to ensure that the technology supports the business objectives of ETO product development, i.e. the integration of business and technology architectures.
The EURO Working Group on Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), in cooperation with Birkbeck-Univer... more The EURO Working Group on Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), in cooperation with Birkbeck-University of London, had the pleasure to organize the EWG-DSS London-2011 Workshop on Decision Systems on the period of June 23rd to June 24th, 2011, at the School of Business, Economics and Informatics at Birkbeck, in London. This Workshop’s main purpose was to provide a setting in which the professionals of the research and application areas related to Decision Making and Decision Support, could have the opportunity to meet and discuss about technical, methodological and social aspects for developing Decision Systems in an informal way. Based on this main aim, we have tried to find the ideal place for the Workshop to happen. We were lucky! We had the honor to count with the great support of one of the EWG-DSS founding members: Philip Powell, who is currently Executive Dean and Professor of Management at the School of Business, Economics and Informatics at Birkbeck. Philip enabled the EWG-DS...
... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author... more ... Information , E-mail The Corresponding Author , AHB Duffy a , E-mail The Corresponding Author , P. York b , E-mail The Corresponding Author , D. Vassalos b , E-mail The Corresponding Author and P. Kaklis c , E-mail The Corresponding Author. a Leonardo Centre, University ...
... 4. Bar-Yam, Y.,(1997) Dynamics of Complex Systems, Addison-Wesley (Reading PA). 5. Basem EL, ... more ... 4. Bar-Yam, Y.,(1997) Dynamics of Complex Systems, Addison-Wesley (Reading PA). 5. Basem EL, and Kai Y.(1999), The components of complexity in engineering design, IIE Transactions No 31 (1999) pp 925-934. 6. Calinescu. ...
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