Journal articles by Mariano Ramirez
Journal of Developing Societies, 2024
This article presents a case study of the application of human-centered design (HCD) as a codesig... more This article presents a case study of the application of human-centered design (HCD) as a codesign approach to address complex problems in slum communities in Jakarta, Indonesia. Through a review of relevant literature, we examine how the HCD methodology embraces a participatory framework but retains a certain degree of control not found in pure participatory approaches. We explain why HCD was selected for this study and describe the methods used, including sort cards, solution cards, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and product usability interviews. These methods were employed to generate a solution that addressed the issue of sourcing clean water in Jakarta’s slums, which was then prototyped, tested, and implemented. The study contributes to the development of a cohesive and applicable methodology by integrating codesign and HCD in designing solutions for people at the Base of the Pyramid.
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International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2006
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She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 2021
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Sustainability, 2011
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Cogent Social Sciences, 2023
This research paper presents the framework for a research study that aims to define and evaluate ... more This research paper presents the framework for a research study that aims to define and evaluate the design requirements and the related feasibility of a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) system concept within a maximum-security prison in Australia. A co-design methodology will guide the study so that the views of a broad range of stakeholders can contribute to the conceptualization of a CEA farm system that is appropriately suited to correctional settings. The unique aspect of this research lies in the application of a bottom-up consultative process involving both prison administrators and inmates. Stakeholders will initially be asked to consider what CEA typology would be most suitable for a prison environment and then use this as a basis for developing a more extensive system design. As open-field agriculture represents a lower-cost alternative to CEA, this will also be considered to complement CEA. The co-design sessions will run in tandem with current growth trials of lettuce within the prison environment using different growing environments. The research is aimed at assisting to reduce the impacts of climate change, by growing produce locally. Growing produce within the prison walls reduces food miles and improves the nutritional quality of produce, which benefits longer-term inmate health. Growth trials that complement the co-design study are aimed at evaluating the ease of use for each of type growing environment. This research contributes significant new knowledge for the application of co-design in prisons, aimed at developing implementation guidelines for a CEA ecosystem that would supply fresh vegetables to pre-cooked inmate meals. The researcher has a unique perspective as an inmate. Outside community groups wishing to try CEA may also benefit from this study.
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Design Studies, 2009
In the product development process, cultural influences arguably come into play, such that the co... more In the product development process, cultural influences arguably come into play, such that the concepts created by industrial designers are partly shaped by the designers' own cultural and societal values. This study investigates the integration of the cultural ...
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Materials & Design, 2013
ABSTRACT The present study examines the suitability of particleboard made from ground macadamia n... more ABSTRACT The present study examines the suitability of particleboard made from ground macadamia nut shells bonded with castor oil derived resin as an environmentally sustainable substitute for conventional wood fiber/urea formaldehyde particleboards. The properties of the macadamia shell castor oil resin particleboard were compared with those of a wood fiber/castor oil resin particleboard and a conventional wood fiber/urea formaldehyde particleboard.The density of the macadamia shell particleboard was 43% higher than that of its wood fiber counterpart, in keeping with the higher density of the macadamia shells. Water absorption and water-induced swelling were much lower in the macadamia shell particleboard, being only one quarter of the value obtained for the wood fiber particleboard. This is consistent with the lower moisture absorption reported previously for macadamia shells.The internal bond strength was similar for the macadamia shell and wood fiber particleboards bonded with castor oil based polyurethane. The modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity were however about 50% lower for the macadamia shell particleboard than for its wood fiber counterpart. This is considered to be due, at least in part, to the lower cellulose content of macadamia shells.Formaldehyde emissions from the castor oil resin particleboards were less than 5% of those typical of urea formaldehyde particleboards.Based on these findings it is considered that macadamia shell/castor oil particleboards have acceptable properties for use in the built environment. Their good moisture resistance makes them particularly attractive for use in humid environments, such as in bathroom and kitchen applications. Moreover, they have much lower environmental impact than conventional particleboards.
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MIX Sustentável, 2022
This paper proposes a new comprehensive Design for Sustainability (DfS) tool, called Design for A... more This paper proposes a new comprehensive Design for Sustainability (DfS) tool, called Design for Amelioration, with which designers can assess the sustainability level of all pillars of sustainability: people, planet, and profit, at every stage of the design process. DfS tools are used adjacent to the Human-Centered Design (HCD) process to determine the sustainability level of the proposed solution; be it a product, service, or a combination of both. HCD process is mainly chosen due to its focus on the people pillar of sustainability which is often overlooked in DfS tools. Thirty different types of DfS tools are cataloged and compared and the findings show that the majority of them are underdeveloped while others are still in a theoretical stage. The underperformed ones in one or two pillars of sustainability, thus, can only be categorized as partial DfS tools. These tools are then fitted into the known HCD’s framework of inspiration, ideation, and implementation. While many tools are suitable to be used in one particular stage of a design process, analysis shows that only a small number of them are comprehensive enough to be used throughout the entirety of the design process.
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Spektrum Industri, 2018
Pengajaran desain produk industri yang berbasis keberlanjutan (sustainable product design) adalah... more Pengajaran desain produk industri yang berbasis keberlanjutan (sustainable product design) adalah aspek pendidikan desain produk industri yang penting dalam pendidikan desain pada umumnya saat ini. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk memberi pemahaman lebih lanjut mengenai desain produk industri yang berkelanjutan dalam lingkup perguruan tinggi dengan menerapkan metode Okala pada proyek desain mahasiswa Product Design Engineering untuk memperoleh desain-desain yang berkelanjutan dan yang lebih berwawasan lingkungan. Okala Eco-Design Strategy Wheel merupakan metode life cycle assessment yang memberikan pandangan lebih luas bagi desainer produk industri untuk sehingga dapat memperkirakan dampak yang mungkin terjadi dalam masa hidup sebuah produk mulai dari pembuatan hingga saat produk tersebut habis masa pakai/siklus hidupnya. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa metodologi Okala dapat secara cepat dipahami dan dengan waktu yang cukup singkat diterapkan oleh mahasiswa pada proyek desain mereka. Dengan demikian, dalam garis besarnya, metode Okala dinilai dapat memberikan pemahaman lebih kepada mahasiswa khususnya terkait dengan topik desain produk industri yang berkelanjutan.
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Book chapters by Mariano Ramirez
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World Sustainability Series, 2014
By the act of signing the Talloires Declaration, university presidents and chancellors worldwide ... more By the act of signing the Talloires Declaration, university presidents and chancellors worldwide committed themselves to educate young people towards being more sustainability focused, with a lofty ambition to change the world for the better. A good number of these higher education institutions offer degrees in industrial design, a career which has often been implicated for its sizable contributions to the mountains of short-lived products and packages in landfills around the world. This paper investigates whether the promises made in this declaration are permeating in the education of industrial designers in signatory universities. It looks into the curricula and student portfolios of industrial design degrees and uses content analysis to understand how sustainability thinking is integrated into product design pedagogy.
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Conference papers by Mariano Ramirez
Designing Sustainability for All: Proceedings of the LeNS World Distributed Conference, 2019
Considered innovative and radical due to the way they disrupt consumerist lifestyles, 'sustainabl... more Considered innovative and radical due to the way they disrupt consumerist lifestyles, 'sustainable product service systems' (s.PSS) can reduce the negative environmental impacts from wasteful consumption. An inventory of existing s.PSS solutions in Oceania was carried out to help inspire entrepreneurs and innovators to champion alternative ways of needs fulfilment and to offer added value to customers with less ecological damage. The search encompassed cases of collaborative consumption lifestyles, redistribution markets, distributed production, and the circular economy. Over 140 innovative cases were found. Analysis showed that the majority of cases found were use-oriented PSS, such as product sharing, renting, leasing or pooling, and there were hardly any innovative cases of product-and result-oriented PSS. While many of the PSS cases in the study demonstrated environmental improvement through minimized resources and waste, others in fact were more material and energy intensive and therefore negated the sustainability advantage.
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Unmaking Waste, 2018
Since the 1970s the industrial design profession has been criticized for promoting wasteful consu... more Since the 1970s the industrial design profession has been criticized for promoting wasteful consumption through such irresponsible practices as 'designing for the dump', fad-driven obsolescence, unnecessary gadgets, over-packaging, short-lived products, and so on. Most manufactured products still follow a 'cradle-to-grave' or 'linear-economy' lifecycle. This paper seeks to examine how the tide could be reversed by educating young designers to be more conscious of their agency in promoting sustainable consumption via their innovative design ideas. Submissions of third year UNSW Industrial Design students in response to a 'Circular Economy Challenge' studio brief written by the author have been analyzed, alongside their reflections on experiencing such a design challenge. The students were tasked to design a tangible product that would enhance or enable a 'collaborative consumption' or 'sustainable product service system', such that community members are encouraged or empowered into adopting more environmentally beneficial and socially responsible consumption behaviors. Their design proposals should be system innovations that shift the focus from the design of physical products for private ownership to that of an integrated mix of products and services for publicly shared access. Submissions received from students were highly varied, ranging from amenities and facilities for community members or for the general public; some free-of-charge and some pay-per-use; some fully-automated and some requiring personnel to operate and maintain the service; and some were systems which required returnable containers and refilling equipment. Post-project reflections evidenced that students had generally positive experiences in learning how to design for a circular economy.
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável
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Sustainable energy for all by design: Proceedings of LeNSES2016 Conference of the Learning Network on Sustainable Energy Systems, 2016
Product service systems (PSS) have broadened sustainability agendas within industrial design (ID)... more Product service systems (PSS) have broadened sustainability agendas within industrial design (ID) education in Australia. In building PSS capacities for ID practice the relationships between need and use (service) and the mediating nature of tangible products and their attunement to cultural and contextual conditions get amplified. This article reflects on our work in accentuating the nature of ID in PSS through education. We discuss how we have adapted the original notion of PSS; retaining its principles but taking new approaches in the design of products that are central to a service proposition. A series of case studies of PSS in ID education from members of the LeNS Oceania network are conveyed to illustrate systemic concerns of design in product and service making. The authors describe a variety of ways in which PSS innovations have been framed and might be furthered within the Australian ID education context.
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável, 2021
Product service systems (PSS) have the potential to radically reduce the negative environmental i... more Product service systems (PSS) have the potential to radically reduce the negative environmental impacts of wasteful consumption. An inventory of existing solutions in the Philippines was carried out to inspire entrepreneurs and innovators with alternative ways of needs fulfillment that are less ownership-centric, and to offer new forms of added value to consumers via everyday solutions that can be more ecologically beneficial. The search encompassed cases of collaborative consumption lifestyles, redistribution markets, and the circular economy.
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável, 2021
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SDS2021 Simpósio de Design Sustentável, 2021
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Journal articles by Mariano Ramirez
Book chapters by Mariano Ramirez
Conference papers by Mariano Ramirez