INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EDUCATORS NETWORK
~ issue 3 design research EDITED BY: BERTO PANDOLFO, MILES PARK & CHRISTIAN TIETZ
JOURNAL REVIEWERS Beck Davis
Jonathon Allen
Bill Green
Malte Wagenfeld
Blair Kuys
Oya Dimerbilek
Cara Wrigley
Peter Schumacher
Carlos Montana Hoyos
Selby Coxon
Christine Thong
Shayne Beaver
Elivio Bonollo
Vasilije Kokotovich
Jennifer Loy
~ issue 3 design research EDITED BY: BERTO PANDOLFO, MILES PARK & CHRISTIAN TIETZ
IDEN ISSUE #3
JOURNAL REVIEWERS
www.idenjournal.com
Beck Davis
Jonathon Allen
Published by IDEN
Bill Green
Malte Wagenfeld
© 2015 all rights reserved.
Blair Kuys
Oya Dimerbilek
ISSN:
2200–6834
Cara Wrigley
Peter Schumacher
Editors:
Berto Pandolfo Miles Park Christian Tietz
Carlos Montana Hoyos
Selby Coxon
Christine Thong
Shayne Beaver
Elivio Bonollo
Vasilije Kokotovich
Designer: Briedy Mahar Printer:
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Digitalpress, Sydney Australia
Jennifer Loy
editorial Welcome to the third issue of IDEN: Design Research. Issue 3 continues a learning and developmental path to find its best fit for our contributing authors and readership. Each issue is reshaped to explore a chosen theme, new opportunities and possibilities. The theme for this issue is Design Research. It contains a new section of blind peer reviewed papers, examples of recently completed PhD research and recent student industrial design research. For each issue a graphic designer is commissioned to interpret the theme. Issue 3 was designed by Briedy Mahar, a trained industrial designer and highly experienced graphic designer. Briedy managed the process from initial concepts to print production, taking a product design approach in keeping with the philosophy that each print issue of IDEN is conceived as a product.
Much attention has been placed on how graphic design and production (paper stocks, inks and binding) interact to create an outcome much greater than the sum of individual parts. Design research is carried out at various levels across a spectrum from commercial design practice to academic or philosophical enquiry. Practical solution oriented research is often part–and–parcel of daily commercial design practice, and then there is the academic research that can span from the applied to the abstract. This can involve intellectual academic endeavours that are more philosophical in nature or oriented towards investigating broader opportunities for design and its agency. But commercial and academic design practice remain united by a product development design process that is embedded, discussed or applied in various modes of design research enquiry.
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In putting this issue together we note and share concerns about the quality of academic writing. Amongst many of us, design academics will quietly acknowledge that we don’t relish the task of writing, reviewing and revising work for conferences and journals. We would much prefer doing design rather than reflecting upon its processes, outcomes and meaning. The rigidity of academic writing can lead, unintentionally, to a writing style and structure that is not our natural voice. Despite these observations, IDEN aims to offer industrial design educators in our region a platform to share their research. But, equally we seek to offer research that is accessible, engaging and relevant to the wider research and industrial design community.
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In this issue we present three research articles. The first paper investigates women’s experiences of studying industrial design at university. The second paper discusses work destinations of design graduands and how this can inform their design education. By ‘closing the loop’, design education can be tailored towards their eventual destinations. The editors’ choice paper explores how the academic designer can articulate design research through two reflective case studies. We also feature an overview of three recently successfully completed design PhDs. Each offers us a snapshot of their approach and process to their chosen areas of research. To bookend this issue we present a small selection of recent industrial design graduate work, including the overall winner of the 2015 Hills Young Australian Design Award.
about INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EDUCATORS NETWORK [IDEN] IDEN has over the last several years evolved as an informal grouping of Industrial Design program heads from across Australia and New Zealand. It first formed as the Industrial Design National Network in 2005 at a meeting in Canberra hosted by Stephen Trathen. The Network discussed a range of shared concerns and initiatives around benchmarking curriculums, graduate standards and employer expectations. Its new name, IDEN, was formulated as an inclusive acronym for our NZ colleagues from across the ditch, and to include in the future the greater Asia Pacific region.
IDEN JOURNAL EDITORS Miles Park (UNSW)
milesp@unsw.edu.au
Berto Pandolfo (UTS)
berto.pandolfo@uts.edu.au
Christian Tietz (UNSW)
christian.tietz@unsw.edu.au
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PEER REVIEW 11 STUDYING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN : EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCE OF FEMALE STUDENTS
55 ILLUMINATING DESIGN RESEARCH : SHINING LIGHT ON THE ACADEMIC DESIGNER
Rina Bernabei, UNSW, Australia
Dr. Jacqueline Power, UTAS, Australia
Cathy Lockhart, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia Evonne Miller, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
27 DISCERNING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FUTURES: HOW UNDERSTANDING GRADUATE STORIES CAN HELP
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EDITORS’ CHOICE
Dr. Stephen Trathen University of Canberra, Australia
Dr. Soumitri Varadaraja RMIT University, Australia
DOCTORAL RESEARCH
RECENT WORK
Recently completed phd design research
Student projects
79 AN INVESTIGATION OF INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS WITH RESPECT TO EVALUATION CRITERIA, RELATED SEMANTICS AND AN AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY
92 MONASH UNIVERSITY
XO wearable, Pamela Ablang
FreeDive, Edric Verbeek –Martin
FIREFRONT, Max Glanville
Dr. Brandon Gien
83 DESIGN AND CONTEXT: AN INVESTIGATION INTO HEALTH HARDWARE FOR REMOTE AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Dr. Christian Tietz
85 A DESIGN STUDY OF METROPOLITAN RAIL CARRIAGE INTERIOR CONFIGURATION TO IMPROVE BOARDING, ALIGHTING, PASSENGER DISPERSAL AND DWELL TIME STABILITY
IMPALA Bike Tent, Tom Millward
ORA, Stephanie Tan
94 UNSW AUSTRALIA
97 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
WORKSTATION, P Townsin
HIVE, Nick Jolly
99 UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY
YOLK, William Duong
Dr. Selby Coxon
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peer review
11 STUDYING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN : EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCE OF FEMALE STUDENTS
Cathy Lockhart, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Evonne Miller, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
27 DISCERNING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FUTURES: HOW UNDERSTANDING GRADUATE STORIES CAN HELP
Dr. Stephen Trathen University of Canberra, Australia
Dr. Soumitri Varadaraja RMIT University, Australia
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STUDYING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN : EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCE OF FEMALE STUDENTS Cathy Lockhart, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia Evonne Miller, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia Keywords: industrial design, design education, women
INTRODUCTION 1. Buchanan, R. 1998, ‘Education and Professional Practice in Design’, Design Issues, 14(2), pp. 63–66.
Industrial design focuses on the design of products. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) defines it as a ‘creative activity whose aim is to establish the multi–faceted qualities of objects, processes, services and their systems in whole life cycles’. For those educating the next generation of industrial designers, the challenge is to find the balance between the teaching of the traditional foundational design skills and the new, emerging elements and technologies needed to prepare students for the changing world. These changes are not only technology focused, but include a greater need for the understanding of human interaction.1 In Australia, most Industrial Design courses aim to develop design ‘all–rounders’ whose understanding and skills are developed across all roles, including form giving, materials and production, commercial and user appropriate designs. The learning environment is the design studio, providing a context and teaching space for the exploration of the principles, practices and possibilities of designing.
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For students to be prepared for the profession, they need to develop ways to define and resolve different types of design problems that are often ill–defined and based on real–world problems.2 To date, however, little research has explored the learning environment for industrial designers. This research addresses this knowledge gap, focussing on the experience of female students.
2. Talbot, J. 2007, ‘Collaborative and multidisciplinary designing: contemporary challenges for design studio teaching’, Paper presented at the Connected 2007 International conference on design education, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
We focus on females because, despite a large body of literature documenting females’ experience in other traditionally male–dominated fields – the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – little is known about design. Critically, this STEM research identifies a wide array of psychological, sociocultural, contextual and biological factors that intertwine to reduce female participation in STEM educational and career achievement pathways.3,4,5
3. Ceci, S. J., Williams, W. M., & Barnett, S. M. 2009, ‘Women’s underrepresentation in science: sociocultural and biological considerations’, Psychol Bull, 135(2) pp. 218–261.
4. Hill, C., Corbett, C., & St.Rose, A. 2010, ‘Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics’, AAUW, Washington, DC., pp. 1–134. 5. Wang, M.–T., Eccles, J. S., & Kenny, S. 2013, ‘Not Lack of Ability but More Choice: Individual and Gender Differences in Choice of Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics’, Psychological Science, 24(5), pp. 770–775.
6. Anthony, K. H. 2001, Designing for diversity : gender, race, and ethnicity in the architectural profession, Urbana: University of Illinois Press. 7. Fowler, B., & Wilson, F. 2004, ‘Women Architects and Their Discontents’, Sociology, 38(1), 101–119. 8. Clegg, S., Mayfield, W., & Trayhurn, D. 1999, ‘Disciplinary Discourses: a case study of gender in information technology and design courses’, Gender & Education, 11(1), pp. 43–55. 9. University of Technology Sydney, T. C. S. 2009, ‘Creating a career in Design. Sydney’, University of Technology Sydney.
To date, little empirical research has investigated women’s experience in either design education or the workforce, although significant anecdotal reporting suggests that women are under–represented in senior leadership roles and at high profile design awards.6,7 In the UK, focusing on one higher education institution, Clegg, Mayfield and Trayhurn8 compared low level female engagement in information technology and design courses. They found both discipline areas had resisted equal opportunity initiatives, suggesting that the technical competencies required in some design disciplines (specifically the use of a workshop with tools and machines) led women to be under– represented in “hard design” areas (e.g., furniture and product design) and over–represented in “soft design” areas (e.g., fashion and jewellery).
To date however, despite a few internal university reports,9 academic peer–reviewed publications documenting why students choose industrial design, their experience of the course and what happens when they graduate are non–existent. If we are to grow the industry, it is essential to understand the experience of females in design education and practice, and identify the key facilitators and barriers to participation. As is appropriate when knowledge is limited, this research utilised qualitative methods to generate specific textual descriptions and unique insight into the experience of nineteen women industrial designers who graduated from a large Australian university in the past decade. We focus on (a) the impact of gender on their undergraduate educational experiences and (b) the perceived strengths and weakness of their industrial design curriculum.
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METHOD Participants: An exploratory qualitative research approach was utilised, given the very small body of literature in this space. A phenomenological approach was adopted to better understand their unique ‘lived experiences’,10 with standard ethical protocols followed. At the time of interview (in 2011), the participants ranged in age from 21 to 37, almost all had graduated in the last ten years and the majority were practicing industrial designers.
Procedure: In keeping with our qualitative study design, we aimed not for statistical representativeness but rather for a diverse sample of industrial design graduates with knowledge or experience to provide in–depth insight into their educational experience. Non–probability purposive snowball sampling was utilised to identify and recruit participants, with initial contact through an email list generated from graduate publications, personal contacts and word of mouth. Potential participants were emailed an invitation to participate in an in–depth, semi–structured face–to– face interview exploring their personal motivations, experiences and reflections on their decision to study industrial design and their subsequent career experiences and choices. Interview questions (pilot tested with three female graduates to ensure appropriateness) explored their experience of studying industrial design and gaining employment.
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10. Liamputtong, P., & Ezzy, D. 2005, Qualitative research methods, (2nd ed.), South Melbourne, Vic. ; New York: Oxford University Press. 11. Bruce, M., & Lewis, J. 1990, ‘Women designers – is there a gender trap?’, Design Studies, 11(2), pp. 114–120.
Based specifically on a three–hurdle model developed by Bruce and Lewis 11 to explain the factors influencing career advancement for women: getting the qualification (hurdle 1), getting the first job (hurdle 2) and becoming a success (hurdle 3). This paper focuses specifically on the first hurdle, getting the qualification; and participants’ recollections of their undergraduate educational experiences in industrial design. At this juncture, it is important to acknowledge the role and limitations of qualitative research: it does not offer the numbers or causal prediction of quantitative research, but is about illumination, understanding of issues and in–depth analysis.
Data Analysis: To ensure participants’ views, experiences and feelings are accurately represented, all interviews were digitally recorded and then transcribed verbatim into text for analysis. In order to ensure anonymity, any specific identifying information has been changed and numbers replace participants’ names. Using a thematic approach, key themes and patterns were identified in the data. The emerging themes become the categories for analysis, which are reviewed, refined and named into main themes and sub–themes through a constant iterative analysis process.10 Critically, the themes purposely include multiple excerpts from the raw data, using the exact words of participants and enabling readers to evaluate our thematic structures.
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RESULTS Focussing specifically on their experience studying industrial design at university, the thematic analysis identified three key themes, which will be discussed in turn: navigating the design studio, learning through making – the design workshop experience, and design skill development. In reflecting on their undergraduate educational experiences, this cohort of female industrial design graduates openly discussed the highlights and lowlights they experienced with indicative quotes also displayed in Table 01 below. Theme 1: Navigating the design studio The structure of the course completed by the participants could be regarded as ‘traditional’, where the design learning is predominately offered through the studio. The studio is driven by project based learning, that facilitates the exploration of problem solving methodologies and knowledge through the design and realisation of an artefact.2, 12
This realisation can take a variety of forms, from digital form through to a physical working prototype, with the studio providing the opportunity to propose different types of problems to students and potentially catering to different learning styles through the nature of the problems or projects proposed.13 In reflecting on their experience navigating the design studio, the vast majority felt gender was not a major factor in their experience of the course or how they were treated. However, there was a strong sense that gendered life experiences and preferences did have some impact, specifically in terms of the nature of assigned projects and how confident males were with technical skills. A quarter described how they felt the course (and studio projects) were often aligned to more masculine interests, such as the design of power tools and cars. They felt this represented the traditionally male– orientated nature of the course, with one explaining how: “I remember thinking throughout the course: this is such a masculine project, I wish I could do something a bit more feminine”. (#3)
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12. Wormald, P. 2011, ‘Positioning industrial design students to operate at the ‘fuzzy front end’: investigating a new arena of university design education’, International Journal of Technology & Design Education, 21(4), pp. 425–447. 13. Green, L. N. 2005, ‘A study of the design studio in relation to the teaching of industrial and product design’, PhD, Canberra.
“I remember thinking throughout the course: this is such a masculine project, I wish I could do something a bit more feminine�.
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DESIGN SKILL DEVELOPMENT
WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE
I guess the technical aspects and some of the tutors that we got in for those subjects did seem to have that pre–conceived notion that, “Oh, they are a girl, they won’t get it anyway”, but I don’t think it was, you know, that bad or anything. But, yeah, there definitely was a sort of something. (#11)
Actually when I did enrol, I wasn’t expecting workshop. Only when we were doing orientation, “Oh, my gosh, there seems to be a lot of machines in here”. So I think that shook me and it kind of shook me a bit and that’s when I created some sort of bias or some sort of negativity towards that, but it changed. (#04)
I think technical drawing and doing basic engineering and there were certain things that I think men are very good at and love detail and love accuracy and stuff like that, or other people – well, I don’t. The projects that I was given, or we were given, I was just not interested in. You know, I wasn’t interested in drills and stuff like that. So it was hard to motivate myself. That would probably be the biggest hurdle. And understand all the machinery, all the manufacturing. (#9)
I think a lot of the boys are just more confident in the workshop. You know, if they were a little bit more familiar with the tools and things, they could just get on with the job, rather than having to ask someone or have you shown – I think that was one of my great weaknesses, the workshop and model–making. I think that that was probably a weakness in the course, too. (#13)
Projects that we did individually. So things where we’re given a briefing, you’re supposed to work on it from start to finish by yourself, not in groups or whatever because I still have to get to focus on every aspect of the process whereas if you’re doing it in groups, I understand the importance of it but yes, working individually you get to focus on everything. (#3)
I hated model making, I hated the workshop, I hated the mess, I hated the dirt, I hated the sound but it’s an experience that I’m so happy that I had because now I know I should not be doing anything with machines. So it’s a learning thing. (#3)
TABLE 01 NAVIGATING THE DESIGN STUDIO AS A FEMALE – DESIGN SKILLS AND THE WORKSHOP
Theme 2: Learning through making – the workshop experience Despite generally reporting no major issues affecting their participation in the studio setting, interviewees explained that industrial design has an embedded workshop culture where students are encouraged to develop their design skills through building and testing models. The workshop was, at least initially, perceived as a much more daunting and gendered environment. Interviewees reported feeling that this more mechanical side of industrial design was often a very gendered experience, with males just more immediately confident in the workshop, more familiar with the tools and more able to do things straightaway; essentially because they had more previous life experience with mechanical stuff. As one participant explained, the course was not gendered, but different gendered life experience had an impact in the workshop:
Guys were doing this mechanical stuff all their life... they have been fixing bikes and fixing up the car, they know what these parts do and they know what the basic mechanical terms are. The course itself didn’t differentiate female or male, but the knowledge and the kind of level of understanding that we knew as a female and a male, it was differentiated. (#8) I think we were all treated the same. The females were in a minority, but we – the females – also performed very well in our class. So I never felt, like, we were struggling or that I had to fight for our right to be there or anything. I did feel a little bit probably clumsy in the workshop, but that was maybe just a lack of experience. (#13)
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“The females were a minority, but we – the females – also performed very well in our class”.
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Theme 3: Design skill development – ‘growing in confidence’ The third theme captures how there was a strong sense that males (at least initially) had a better grasp of the three–dimensional aspects of design and were stronger in specific technical skills (such as model–making); as one explained, “it always felt like males just got it a bit better, like the 3D Solidworks side of it and the more technical things”.(#11) Fortunately, the majority of interviewees described how they ‘grew in confidence’ and developed their technical design skills throughout the course. I used to cry after those engineering drawing classes I used to be in… I had no idea because I had just never been exposed to anything like that and I suppose I find it incredibly intimidating.... but then because of that I had such a bad time in that class I went home and I really studied so hard at it that I apparently got it and was so proud of myself. It was like... it was those challenges... overcoming those hurdles [that] really made the course, but it was more of a personal thing. I really grew over the time. (#18)
Interviewees had fond memories of the ‘hands–on’ design learning process, valuing how the course frequently gave them the: “creativity and given the freedom to completely look at a project from conception, all the way to obviously design and manufacturing or at least to think about that”. (#3) They described the significant learning curve during their “major final year project” – where they had to develop their own independent project and were “on your own, to manage your time by yourself”. (#12) It was during this process that most realised that they actually had an aptitude and talent for industrial design, with major project the pinnacle of their degree. It was extremely challenging and stimulating, and was where they had to “consider all facets of the design process and make sure that what you were designing could actually work in reality. It was really rewarding to actually bring all those pieces of knowledge together into one project”. (#15)
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On reflection, just over half felt final project choices were critical to shaping their future careers, with one participant (who did her final year project on footwear) explaining: A lot of people seemed to think it was exciting and got quite a bit of press from it which was good and then I realised that maybe I did have a little bit of talent, not in terms of shoes or industrial design but I knew what I wanted to do and that if I put my mind to it I could be successful with that, and that’s when I thought.. I am still really proud of it... I think that it also made me realise that with all my hard work and research, I did so, it was really, really good and actually Adidas has subsequently purchased it from me this year, so that was really, so I think I realise that I am good at that kind of research, to develop a product idea stage. (#18)
As a third were now running their own businesses, there was a strong sense that what was missing from their course was not design skills but the training in the skills of small business management and entrepreneurship, specifically how to set up and manage a small business.
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DISCUSSION 14. Ball, L. 2002, ‘Preparing graduates in art and design to meet the challenges of working in the creative industries: a new model for work’, Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 1(1), 10. 15. Yang, M.–Y., You, M., & Chen, F.–C. 2005, ‘Competencies and qualifications for industrial design jobs: implications for design practice, education, and student career guidance’, Design Studies, 26(2), pp. 155–189.
To our knowledge, this is the first Australian study investigating females’ experience of studying industrial design at university. These findings highlight the critical role of the educational experience in developing the skills base and confidence of female designers, enhancing our understanding of the factors that best promote their sustained engagement with the field, as well as the limitations, constraints and implications for higher education. Critically, these female industrial design graduates have provided unique feedback about their positive and negative experiences, with their feedback providing significant insight that may help inform curriculum change. The aim of industrial design higher education is the development of graduates who are flexible and adaptable, with developed problem solving and design thinking skills – although these are not always recognised by the graduate.14 The design studio is used as the place to explore and develop these principles, practices and possibilities of designing, through the setting of projects or design problems.2 In the early years of study/education, the context of the project may be quite narrow, in order to encourage greater depth of understanding of particular issues.
Critically, however, this research highlights how a quarter of female students recalled project choices as being quite gendered, which hindered their engagement with the course. They described how a focus on masculine–orientated projects – such as car or tool design – negatively impacted their study experience. Such findings remind design teaching staff that it is important to ensure that the selected projects appeal to all students – regardless of differences in gender, ethnicity or age. As Yang, You and Chen (2005)15 argue, providing choice within the studio project is ideal as it allows the student to self– direct their learning, and there is greater opportunity for deeper engagement and satisfaction.
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The final year of the course is focussed on the development of a professional awareness, and aims to model the types of issues and projects that may be encountered when working as a designer. The students are required to engage in significant research as foundation to a well–resolved design problem. The final project provides a demonstration of the knowledge and methods developed over the course of their study.13 This final year project was identified by just over half as being the project of greatest impact and of significance in starting their design career.
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Most described how they greatly enjoyed this, noting how it shaped their future career focus and helped ensure they were confident in their design skills. Consistently with several other studies, however; these women designers felt that they lacked confidence in the skills of business, specifically how to set up and manage a small business.14,15,16 The reality is that – as there are relatively few design–specific jobs in Australia – many design graduates will set up their own business at some stage in their career; indeed, of this cohort, a third reported running their own design related business at the time of interview. Thus, this research highlights a critical weakness of the ID course curriculum, in that small business management skills (e.g., accounting, marketing, management, entrepreneurship) have not traditionally been a major focus of the course.
16. Lewis, W. P., & Bonollo, E. 2002, ‘An analysis of professional skills in design: implications for education and research’, Design Studies, 23(4), pp. 385–406.
17. Savage, S. M., Davis, R. M., & Miller, E. 2009, ‘Exploring graduate transition from university to workplace: employer, academic and graduate perspectives’, Paper presented at the 34th AUBEA Annual Conference: Managing change – challenges in education and construction for the 21st century, Barossa Valley, South Australia.
One recent Australian study of built environment and design students, focused on understanding the transition–to–work phase of new graduates and identified similar issues.17 It evaluated this transition– to–work phase with three major stakeholders: students, academics and industry professionals (i.e., employers); and found that both industry professionals and final year students agreed that the university was not doing enough to ensure that graduates developed appropriate lifelong learning skills that would allow them to pursue varied career paths. Similarly, this research found that many of these female designers also felt ill–prepared for the workforce on graduation. Whilst this feeling is quite common amongst new graduates, it highlights an opportunity for higher education to reinforce to students that their skills and abilities are relevant in a work or professional environment.
In conclusion, the limitations of this qualitative study must be acknowledged. First, the sample size is relatively small and specialised, restricted to female graduates from one Australian university over the past decade. Second, an industrial design educator who taught these students carried out the interview, which may have prohibited them from fully critiquing aspects of the course or university. Third, all that were interviewed were working as designers and those who have changed discipline area may not have responded due to the awkwardness of the change of career direction. Despite these limitations, as very little research to date has explicitly explored the industrial design educational experience (especially from the perspective of females) this study makes a significant contribution to knowledge. Our hope is that these findings will help inform industrial design educators, shape future curriculum change and encourage further focus on the experience of women studying design.
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DISCERNING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FUTURES: HOW UNDERSTANDING GRADUATE STORIES CAN HELP Dr. Stephen Trathen, University of Canberra, Australia Dr. Soumitri Varadaraja, RMIT University, Australia
INTRODUCTION 1. Trathen, S. & Varadarajan, S. 2009, ‘Taking on Australian industrial design education: current practice and future directions’, International conference on engineering and product design education, University of Brighton, UK.
This article describes research into the employment and the professional development trajectories of a group of industrial design graduates. These trajectories were analysed to gain insights into the changing role, expectations and education of design professionals. The analysis was undertaken as part of broader research into the separation between current industrial design practice, and industrial design education. 1,2,3
2. Trathen, S. & Varadarajan, S. 2013a, ‘Models of resilient adaptive practice’, International conference on engineering and product design education, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. 3. Trathen, S., and Varadarajan, S. 2013b, ‘Archetypes of design practice’, Australian Council University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) University of New South Wales, University of Sydney, National Art School. 25 – 27 September, 2013.
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BACKGROUND Like other developed countries, Australia has seen a shift of its manufacturing base to emerging economies with lower production costs.4 As manufacturing’s share of national GDP continues to decrease, the contribution of the service sectors, including education, banking and health; has correspondingly increased as described in ‘100 years of change in Australian Industry’.5 As these global changes gather pace, jobs in traditional industrial design – that is, roles focused on production and manufacturing industries – have dwindled. Contemporary graduates in countries such as Australia face an uncertain future, and debate regarding the skills and knowledge needed by 21st century industrial designers is increasing.6 Concepts of design and design practice are increasingly applied in non–traditional, non–manufacturing based settings; and new job descriptions such as interaction design, service design and sustainability design are appearing. The questions of ‘what is design?’, ‘where does industrial design sit within that context?’ and ‘how should undergraduate industrial design education be structured?’ have and continue to be debated.6,7,8,9,10 If industrial design is to continue to be relevant, fundamental reform of its educative processes and professional structures is urgently needed.
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4. McColl, G. 2009, ‘Why design means business’, BRW, January 22, pp. 26–33. 5. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005, ‘100 years of change in Australian industry’, ABS, Canberra, Year Book Australia 2005, viewed 10 February 2012. 6. Design Institute of Australia, 2005, ‘A collection of discussion papers outlining trends and conditions in the industrial design profession’, Industrial design industry overview 2005, Melbourne. 7. Kwon, E.S. 2007, ‘Design Education as a living organism: a case study of industrial design curriculum development’, ConnectEd 2007 International Conference on Design Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
8. Yang, D. S., You, M. and Chen, F.C. 2005, ‘Competencies and qualifications for industrial design jobs: implications for design practice, education, and student career guidance’, Design Studies, vol. 26, pp. 155–189. 9. Baggerud, B., Bonks C. and Rismoen J. H. 2011, ‘The Great Challenge, Staging The Design Education For The Next 20 Years’, International conference on engineering and product design education, City University London, UK. 10. Ryan L., Tormey D. and Perry S. 2013, ‘Transitioning product education to product service education’, International conference on engineering and product design education, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland.
FIGURE 01 AGENDA, APPROACH AND ARTEFACT MODEL
TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIAL
ANALYTICAL
CULTURAL
AGENDA INSTRUMENTAL
APPROACH
POLITICAL
INSTRUMENTAL INTUITIVE
INDIVIDUAL
OUTCOME MATERIAL / DIGITAL
ARTEFACT THING
EXPERIENCE
OBJECT
Agenda, Approach and Artefact model: The changing types of industrial design practice, the blurring of roles between design disciplines – and the educational and professional implications of these changes – is an area of ongoing research. Earlier investigations on this subject began with a situational analysis of industry and university contexts, which led to the proposal of a conceptual model that could be used in working through both current and future change.1 The model – termed the Agenda, Approach and Artefact model – was a triad exploring respectively the why, how and what of design (Figure 01). It was suggested as a research framework for constructing the negotiated meaning and purpose of design. In discussions with stakeholders it proved useful in clarifying issues and enabling shared understandings, helping to reconcile the perspectives of peak representative bodies, graduate designers and traditional industry as well as employers in emerging companies.
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The Adopter–Adapter–Departer (AAD model): The next step was the development of three post– graduation descriptors to explain and explore the career trajectories of industrial design graduates: Adopters, Adapters and Departers.2,3 The Adopter– Adapter–Departer (AAD) model illustrates three types of design graduate:
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Adopters, who cope with the uncertainties inherent in the profession of industrial design and maintain their connection to aspects of traditional industrial design.
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Adapters, who address the same professional uncertainties through a combination of resilience and career diversification and respond by developing new ways of design practice.
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Departers, who find the ambiguities of the profession outweigh their desire to stay and respond by moving to other employment, but who retain a philosophical connection to ‘design’.
The pathways encapsulated in the model represent how graduates respond to the real world post– graduation (Figure 02). In this model, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time from pre– university, through an industrial design education, the post–graduation phase and during on–going career development. The vertical axis represents the relative distance from adoptive, or traditional, forms of practice. At pre–university stages, the three types (Adopter, Adapter and Departer) are represented by three grey circles as at this stage they are all identical. The three remain relatively undifferentiated as they go through their industrial design education with a conventional Design for Manufacture (DFM) focus, and the circles are shown as almost merging. Then upon graduation, design practices across the three types begin to diverge, and the circles move apart. Differences in practice are shown by different colours along the timescale in relation to traditional forms of design practice. The research described in this paper was based on both the Agenda, Approach and Artefact model and the Adopter–Adapter–Departer (AAD) model.
FIGURE 02 ADOPTER–ADAPTER– DEPARTER MODEL
ADAPTER
ADOPTER
PRE UNIVERSITY
DISTANCE AWAY FROM ADOPTER
DEPARTER
AT GRADUATION
TIME
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METHOD A qualitative study based on in–depth semi–structured interviews11,12 with industrial design graduates from the University of Canberra was conducted to investigate how graduate experiences could inform an analysis of the changing industrial design profession.2,3 Research concerning industrial design education has generally had an employer–based perspective, and has primarily been concerned with discovering their employment needs and priorities.13 The Agenda, Approach and Artefact model (see Figure 01 and Figure 02) helped inform the development of preliminary themes for investigation and the questions to be used in participant interviews. The Adopter– Adapter–Departer (AAD) model (Figure 02) was used to guide participant selection, so that each role type was represented among participants.
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The target number of interviewees was initially set at around 9–12 as common qualitative interview studies are around 5–25 participants.14 This target indicated an estimated 3–4 people from each of the category headings of ‘Adopter’, ‘Adapter’ and ‘Departer’. This also allowed for a cross section of geographical locations and experiences to cover the three areas of local, national and international. Local respondents were working in Canberra, national respondents were located in an Australian state capital city, and international respondents were living and working overseas. The literature indicates the importance of avoiding over–sampling, and ensuring that sufficient time is allocated to analysis of findings in comparison to data collection. As noted by Kvale and Brinkman, some research studies ‘would have benefited from having fewer interviews... and instead having taken more time to prepare the interviews and analyse them’.14
11. King, N. and Horrocks, C. 2010, Interviews in qualitative research, Sage, Los Angeles. 12. Rubin, H. J. 2005, Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California. 13. Higgs, P., Cunningham, S., Hearn, G., Adkins, B. and Barnett, K. 2005, The ecology of Queensland design, CIRAC, Queensland University of Technology. 14. Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. 2009, InterViews: learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing, Sage Publications, Los Angeles.
15. Mason, J. 2002, Qualitative researching, London, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California. 16. Sarantakos, S. 2005, Social research, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. 17. Stern, P. N. and Poor, C. J. 2011, Essentials of accessible grounded theory, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek.
The issue of the ideal number of participants also relates to data saturation: the point at which no new information is obtained from further interviews. Rubin12 notes that greater numbers are not necessarily of primary importance; rather it is gathering sufficient diversity of input that is most critical. Subsequently, 12 interviews were conducted after reaching a data saturation point. Participants who graduated between 1996 and 2006 were selected to take part in the interviews. The selection of participants was an important component of the interview–based research method. The participants were selected using purposive, or strategic; sampling techniques.15,16,17 In this process, selection was not random but was instead based on careful consideration of desired attributes. As noted by Rubin,12 selection of participants must enable all relevant perspectives to be considered.
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RESPONDENTS TIMELINE FIGURE 03
1995
2000
2005
2010
GRADUATE RESPONDENTS TIMELINES
ADOPTER
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ADAPTER
DEPARTER
The selected time period met the criteria of the potential interviewees being knowledgeable about the area of topic.12 Further refinement of the selection involved the range and length of experience in their working life to bring their first– hand experience to the interview, and be able to discuss the issues. The 2006 graduates had at least 5 years’ experience at the time of the interviews. Their timelines are shown in Figure 03. The time period for date of graduation was selected because: ––
The majority of Australian industrial design degrees were four years duration during this time;
––
It was a period of comparative staff and core course stability at the University;
––
The researcher had begun employment at the University in 1993 and had established knowledge of potential participants.
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PRIOR TO UNIVERSITY
AT INTERVIEW
FIGURE 04 GRADUATE GEOGRAPHICAL PATHWAYS
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LOCAL
LOCAL
SYDNEY
NATIONAL
REGIONAL
OVERSEAS
Ethics approval for the research was gained through standard university human ethics processes. 12 Participants’ journeys into and after the experience of completing industrial design at the University of Canberra, were mapped as part of the interview process (Figure 04). The participants were drawn from a range of geographic areas. The University of Canberra’s industrial design course not only attracts students from the local Canberra environment, but from regional areas more than 200 kilometres away. Before starting their undergraduate industrial design course, participants came from: ––
Regional areas of NSW (NSW n = 5)
––
Major metropolitan (n = 3)
––
Canberra local area (n = 4).
Diversity of geographic location was also evident at the time of the interviews, with participants working in: ––
Canberra local area (n = 4)
––
Major metropolitan areas (n = 5)
––
Overseas locations, based in either North America or Europe (n = 3).
The participants were initially selected as three a priori groups based on the knowledge of each graduate prior to interview. These were categorised as Adapters (n= 4), Adopters (n = 6) and Departers (n = 2). The rich narratives of the graduates’ lived experiences were analysed to identify the education and application of industrial design to the range of possible employment and professional sectors of practice.
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“... I started my cabinet making apprenticeship... [But] After three days... I said no, this is not for me... [So] I started at uni a month later and loved it...” 38
SCHOLASTIC AND GEOGRAPHIC PATHWAYS
Generally, industrial design undergraduate students come from a range of scholastic backgrounds. In the period relevant to participants in this study, the University of Canberra course relied solely upon the relevant Universities’ Admissions Centre rankings, and administrative entrance mechanisms, in order to determine the allocation of student offers. In contrast, some other universities’ industrial design courses used additional mechanisms to assess students’ ‘design acumen’ through, for example, submitted portfolios. Participants’ responses about the subjects studied in high school, and what influenced them to study industrial design, were wide ranging. The following interview transcripts have been edited:
Aiden I was looking at trying to get into university, originally for architecture, but I had much more of an artistic bent than I ever did at mathematics or science or engineering, so I never really focused on those subjects at school. So I didn’t get a high enough TER to go into architecture and I thought industrial design was related. Geoff I was looking for an alternative which was a combination between engineering and art and it was my Auntie who said “Look at industrial design”. It was something I knew nothing about and I looked into it and that’s when I applied. So I got offered a place at an industrial design college the day before I started my cabinet making apprenticeship. After three days of cabinet making apprenticeship I said no, this is not for me and then I started at uni a month later and loved it from there, so it was my kind of journey, the balance between engineering and art, I think.
Seven participants began the industrial design course directly after finishing school, while others had commenced tertiary studies towards different qualifications. Of those who had commenced post– school qualifications, some had only briefly tried a course before leaving, while three others had completed a post–Year 12 qualification (including a trade, a diploma and a degree) before commencing industrial design. Five participants considered architecture before deciding on industrial design, while two had commenced forms of engineering studies before transferring to industrial design. Five participants spoke of their science and mathematics background in school and why this led to them initially considering engineering. Four discussed art in school, and one of these did both art and science/ mathematics. Three had participated in school– based design and technology programs.
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Several participants noted that they had limited awareness of industrial design as a career option before making the decision to undertake the course, with exposure to industrial design happening almost randomly. This highlights the lack of recognition in the general public and the secondary school system about the profession of industrial design. Lucy I’d always been into art and I like making things and so I’d originally been thinking about architecture. We had a family friend who was an architect and he was trying to convince me not to go into architecture because of how it fluctuates so much as an industry. As a result I was looking at other options as well and just happened to come across industrial design in a course guide book when I was at school. I read through it and it sounded like activities I like doing, so I thought I’ll do that. It was all the things that I enjoy.
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As illustrated by Figure 05, the direction of movement during post–graduation employment tended to be from smaller population centres to larger population centres. Participants originally from regional areas moved to Canberra (n = 3). Participants originally based in the Canberra local area moved to other major metropolitan areas in Australia or overseas (n = 3) – with the exception of one participant who remained in Canberra. Those originally from non– Canberra metropolitan areas tended to remain there or take positions overseas.
RANGE OF JOBS Investigations showed that the breadth of practice developed among participants, both geographically and in nature of employment, was considerable. Participants had held a variety of positions across approximately 25 different employment areas over a five to fifteen year period from the mid–1990’s to the mid–2010’s. Within some of these positions, further subsections of work types were evident, from concept development and ‘CAD monkey’ to project management within a design development process. Participants had worked in various geographical locations nationally and internationally in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and North America. Roles were extremely diverse, ranging from work for a traditional design consultancy or running one’s own design business, through to exhibition organization, marketing and point of sale activities, not necessarily connected with industrial design per se.
“...I had three days off since I finished Uni... [I was] thrown in the deep end...”
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AAD EXEMPLARS Lucy – an ‘Adopter’ Lucy represented the category of ‘Adopter’ graduates who were able to manage the uncertainties inherent in industrial design and maintain their connection to aspects of their traditional profession. Lucy originated from regional NSW, and after graduation moved to Melbourne and became self–employed. She undertook a number of design consultancies to a range of design firms on a freelance basis, both in Melbourne and during a period working in Sydney. At the time of interview, Lucy was based in Melbourne and was engaged in design for manufacture work carried out both locally and overseas. Lucy acknowledged the importance of computer–aided design (CAD) skills in initially finding work, and used the term ‘CAD monkey’ to describe roles primarily using CAD. For Lucy, a ‘CAD monkey’ position represented a useful entry level position.
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Well I had I think three days off since I finished uni before I started work. I got the job at[…] a couple of months before I finished university so it was pretty much based on the work experience that I’d done there. I just called them up and said “I’m almost finished, are there any jobs available?” And they eventually said yes, you can have a job as a CAD monkey. I think I pretty much had three days off, moved down to […] and started working there. And so I started off as a CAD monkey, thrown in the deep end.
Lucy successfully negotiated a transition from ‘CAD monkey’ to contract positions requiring significant design flexibility.
…in the first month that I was contracting I worked on four or five different projects but mainly they were just throwing me in from the development stage. So anywhere from where the client’s signed off on a concept for rough rendering and through to detailing and production. So it’s been quite fun actually, getting involved in this stuff with super short timeframes and now I know I can do it.
Lucy’s work experience and expertise has enabled her to sustain employment within a traditional DFM framework. …product design cannot just be a standalone thing. It’s got to be quite closely linked with marketing … and I guess I’ve learnt a lot more about how the manufacturing side of things works. I think I’ve been kind of lucky that I’ve worked on a lot of products that have gone through to production… I learned heaps more about quality control and setting up processes with manufacturers to minimise production problems, for example.
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Jane – an ‘Adapter’ Jane represented the category of ‘Adapter’ – graduates who responded to the ambiguities of industrial design by developing new ways of practice. Jane came to the University of Canberra industrial design course after a Sydney– based secondary school education with an art and languages background, and having completed a management degree. She came across the industrial design profession while working in manufacturing, having never heard of it prior to this. She was interested in pursuing something more creative and industrial design seemed to match her interests. Jane was also influenced by her previous travels to Europe where she met an industrial designer and this reinforced her desire to pursue industrial design. After graduating, Jane was methodical in her approach to job–seeking. So as soon as I left Uni I moved back to Sydney where I’m from and then I wrote a top five list of companies that I wanted to work for, and I called them all up....
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She initially worked as an intern for a major national design consultancy, and later obtained employment overseas in the area of digital technology and fabrics. Jane then gained experience in luggage design through a consultancy, and went on to secure longer term employment in this field. The role not only involved luggage design, but also monitoring overseas manufacturing processes – in other words, employment based on a relatively traditional DFM scope of practice. Subsequently Jane’s career began to diverge from traditional parameters and moved towards the category of Adapter. Her role in luggage design began to transition towards aspects of fashion, and the scope of work tended to focus on earlier conceptual designs as opposed to designs of sufficient detail to enable manufacturing. Jane was conscious that an important career choice was required.
“...as soon as I left Uni ...I wrote a top five list of companies that I wanted to work for, and I called them all up...”
It felt like a really amazing opportunity so I took the job, and that was my hardest decision, working with factories and products and actually designing stuff to go into a job which I’m doing now where I’m designing to a point, drawing and describing, and researching it all and I’m not actually going to factories any more.
An important distinction between this role and traditional adoptive practice relates to the analysis and forecasting of trends, and the development of design concepts in a way untrammelled by the practicalities of manufacturing considerations. Basically each season we… study catwalks and what’s going on in the industry, traveling to trade shows and then every season we come up with what are the key bag shapes for the next season. It’s like trend prediction. So it’s like the five new rucksack shapes for [the next season]. Then we do eyewear, for example, what the key shapes are for eyewear. It’s quite analytical and ….it is almost like designing things without any constraints of manufacturing in a way. That just seems a little bit fairy tale.
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Geoff – a ‘Departer’ Geoff represents the category of Departers – industrial design graduates who respond to the ambiguities of the profession by moving to other employment while retaining some connection to ‘design’. Geoff came from a local secondary school education with a design and technology background. He enrolled in the course after a family member suggested industrial design. After graduating he worked as a contract draftsperson before obtaining long term employment with a design company. His role during this period was varied and, while primarily undertaking design work, Geoff did not feel ‘pigeon holed’ to a narrow scope of practice. He became involved in a range of aspects of the business, including working with engineers as well as production employees, and eventually transitioned to the role of accounts manager. After a redundancy process, at the time of the interview Geoff was employed in the role of financial professional in the banking sector. Despite the apparent disconnect between industrial design and the financial services sector, Geoff took a different view.
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He made a strong claim that his design background was strongly linked to his current role and that this background continued to influence his career. ...that’s what I take to my current job. I sit down with a client and thoroughly discuss the pros and cons as opposed to how many of my colleagues approach a client which is “oh you’re Mrs A, B or C and this is what we do for you”. I really think this is probably one of my favourite parts of the job, when I get on a whiteboard after I’ve met with a client and just structure things in different possible ways. And I love that creative aspect of my job and if I didn’t have the creative aspect you know it wouldn’t be something I’d be doing. But that’s the thing I guess, in the [industrial design] training we learnt that there are 100 different ways of doing something and you should always flesh out the 100 different ways of doing things before you settle on the one best way of doing it. That’s what I applied.
DISCUSSION
“...one of my favourite parts of the job, after I’ve met with a client is to structure things in different possible ways...”
The population of industrial design graduates offers a uniquely placed data source for understanding current changes in the field of industrial design and emerging design roles. Recent graduates are navigating the complexities and tensions in the profession through their lived career trajectories: their perspectives are essential to understanding these changes. The graduate–centred approach highlighted in this paper yielded perspectives quite different from research conducted through the lens of traditional industrial design employers and professional bodies. The graduate–based investigation allowed the research to follow real–life applications of design and career paths, whatever the direction taken post– graduation, rather than being confined to potentially misleading labelling or preconceptions of the parameters of design roles.
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The Adopter–Adapter–Departer (AAD) model developed recently2 was used to select recent industrial design graduates as study participants. The categories of Adopters, Adapters and Departers proved robust and useful in explaining participants’ career trajectories. The findings highlighted the extent to which conventional forms of industrial design practice have shifted over the past 15 plus years. Adopters working in ‘core’ industrial design roles, such as designing electrical appliances, can deal first–hand with the implications of ‘over–specialisation’ (e.g. becoming a ‘CAD monkey’). Adapters working in small scale digital manufacturing demonstrate the breadth of non–traditional applications of design thinking. Finally Departers, who apply their design approach in the public service or business, show that apparent attrition from the design profession can be re–framed as a positive diffusion of design philosophy to the broader community.
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Additional examination of the interview data as part of the larger research project, included the development of the Thematic Map of Australian Industrial Design Practice, which depicts the themes of practice distilled from interview data.2 The model helps describe and analyse the complexities which emerged, and illustrates the depth of skills and knowledge which contemporary industrial design graduates draw upon in their various forms of practice (Figure 05).
FIGURE 05 THEMATIC MAP OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PRACTICE
CHANGE PRACTICE
DESIGN THINKING
SUSTAINABILITY
PROBLEM SOLVING
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
SOCIAL CONSCIENCE ECO INVOLVEMENT
The themes described by the Map are the:
APPROACH THINKING
DESIGN PROCESS
INTERNAL
MOBILITY EXTERNAL
LACK OF JOBS
MAKING
THEMES OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PRACTICE
RESILIENCE
OFFICE RELATIONSHIPS
––
Approach Thinking Theme, which includes design’s value in problem identification, problem solving and user–centred design.
––
Social Conscience Theme, which includes emerging design influences such as environmental issues and the desire to contribute to positive change.
––
Facilitator Theme, which includes design innovation, teamwork and interdisciplinary communication.
––
Mobility Theme, which includes external influences like the economy, employment opportunities and office relationships, and internal influences like passion, resilience and confidence.
––
Identity Theme, which includes the components influencing a sense of identity based on professional, personal and uniquely Australian elements.
SKETCHING
PASSION
CONFIDENCE
Communicator Theme, which includes design’s suite of communication tools such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), sketching, visualisation and model making.
USER CENTRED DESIGN
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BELIEFS
––
ECONOMY
VISUALISATION
COMMUNICATOR CAD
3D RAPID PROTOTYPING
COLLABORATION AUSTRALIAN TEAMS PROFESSIONAL
IDENTITY
FACILITATOR INNOVATIONS
PERSONAL
INTERDISCIPLINARY
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Future research could consolidate this graduate– focused work through an investigation of the career trajectories of graduates from industrial design courses at other Australian and New Zealand tertiary institutions. This could help establish the extent of commonalities or differences with the University of Canberra–based findings reported in this paper and elsewhere. In addition, these qualitative approaches would be complemented through quantitative investigations which could track the career progression of graduates via longitudinal studies.
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CONCLUSION The analysis of graduate narratives and trajectories outlined in this paper fed into the broader work conducted earlier.2,3 Ultimately the overall research revealed first, that pockets of traditional DFM still exist (the traditional understanding of industrial design, identified as Adopters). Second, roles that apply industrial design principles in novel design situations are increasing (stretching the boundaries of what is industrial design, identified as Adapters). Third, industrial design graduates are applying their skills and knowledge in roles normally defined as non–design (they are identified as Departers). These changes have already happened: patchwork employment, innovative adaptation of design principles to available work roles, off–shoots into small–scale and bespoke production ,and shifts to non–design jobs are the commonplace lived experience of industrial design graduates.
The resilience and flexibility exemplified by successful graduates needs to be recognised as the new critical success factors, and our educative models and professional structures must be re–modelled to advance these. First, consideration should be given to aligning the essentially conservative and manufacturing–based Industrial Design undergraduate curriculum with new realities. Second, a greater recognition of the value a design approach can bring to non–standard applications is also needed. In the design field, one of the few things we can be certain of is that change will continue. The best skill we can equip future designers with is the ability to adapt and respond to such change.
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editors’ choice
55 ILLUMINATING DESIGN RESEARCH : SHINING LIGHT ON THE ACADEMIC DESIGNER
Rina Bernabei, UNSW, Australia
Dr. Jacqueline Power, UTAS, Australia
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ILLUMINATING DESIGN RESEARCH : SHINING LIGHT ON THE ACADEMIC DESIGNER Rina Bernabei, UNSW, Australia Dr. Jacqueline Power, University of Tasmania, Australia
INTRODUCTION 1. Schön, D. A. 1983, The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action, Temple Smith, London. 2. Friedman, K. 2000, ‘Creating Design Knowledge: from research into practice’, IDATER 2000 Conference, August 21–23, 2000, pp. 5–32, Loughborough University, United Kingdom.
In design faculties both in Australia and in other parts of the world, there has been an attempt to define what is meant by design research. A number of published works discuss design research.1,2,3 This paper does not attempt to add to the already many definitions of design research, but rather provide insight “bring[ing] tacit knowledge into articulate focus”, in an attempt to articulate design research from a personal perspective.2 We will explore the practice of the academic designer through two case studies. When using the term academic designer, we mean a designer who has moved from practice to academia, yet still undertakes practice, or design; as the framework for their research. The practice of the academic designer arguably differs from the designer in commercial practice.
3. Downton, P. 2003, Design Research, RMIT University Press, Melbourne.
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The academic designer must work within and answer to the framework of the university, and their creative practice must conform to measurable research expectations. The practice of the academic designer is multilayered and may include undertaking activities such as: grant application, investigation and discovery through designing, written reflection of the practice– research, exhibition, integration of new knowledge into studio teaching, and academic peer–review. We will explore the practice of the academic designer through the presentation of two lighting product case studies: the Stitch Light and Pop Light. These two products have been written about using traditional publication means, as well as exhibited as non– traditional research.
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ACADEMIA VS. THE ‘REAL WORLD’ OF DESIGN The word design is a verb and refers to both the thinking and making process. However, the term has become popular to refer to the output of design, or in other words, designed artefacts; although we must remember that the outcome of the design process is not ‘design’ per se. Design theorist Ken Friedman2 explains that design constitutes a process, which comprises both explicit and tacit knowledge: “Design is a process. The design process is rooted in and involves both theoretical disciplines and fields of practice. As fields of practice do, design knowledge involves explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge. Disciplines are also practices, and they too involve explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge both. The challenge of any evolving field is to bring tacit knowledge into articulate focus. This creates the ground of shared understanding that builds the field. The continual and conscious struggle for articulation is what distinguishes the work of research field from the practical work of the profession”.
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It is arguably this tactic knowledge that makes design research imperative to undertake, while at the same time, difficult to argue for as a form of research. To define design research is difficult, as “design research encompasses a broad range of activities, aspirations and goals. No single definition can account for this variety”.4 Design research does not necessarily follow the sequential process of methodology, data collection and analysis; which is associated with the quantitative scientific model. It is therefore important to understand how design research relates, and also differs, from the research carried out in other disciplines. Computer Science Educator Daniel Edelson5 succinctly captures this in his statement: “In the traditional theory–testing paradigm, design and research are distinct processes that happen sequentially. Design takes place first as the implementation of theory, followed by the evaluation–oriented research. The design process is not regarded as an opportunity for learning. In contrast, design research explicitly exploits the design process as an opportunity to advance the researcher’s understanding”.
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This comment captures that those outside of the design disciplines would understand the very term itself, design research, quite differently. It is used here to differentiate the broad research model adopted by the academic designer. Perhaps as a result of tacit knowledge, design research may follow a more emergent research model, not necessarily a specific research design; and its output may be communicated quite differently – often as non–traditional research. While the work of the academic designer must conform with the accepted definition of research described by Higher Education Research Data Collection, and be characterised by other specific requirements such as peer review; the work of the academic designer is arguably not well understood in the broader research sphere and is marginalised by research requirements. The academic designer undertakes a broad range of activities – investigation and inquiry or ‘the research’, and some activities linked to institutional research protocols and requirements.
4. Barnacle, R. 2003, ‘Mapping Design Research @ RMIT’, Research Training Group, Melbourne, RMIT. p.11. 5. Edelson, D. C., 2002 ‘Design Research: what we learn when we engage in design’ The Journal of the Learning Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, pp.105–121.
6. Bernabei, R., 2013, ‘Critique, Process and the Academic/Designer’, Critique 2013, November 26–28, 2013, pp. 113–125, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia.
However, if we compare this with the ‘real world’ of design, the commercial design practitioner and the academic designer do share a number of similarities in their process. They both scrutinise and amass problems. They have a broad understanding of the scope of the problem and a field of expertise in materials, manufacturing processes and users. They are also leaders in problem solving, as the popularity of ‘design thinking’ attests, which has been adopted quite broadly across a number of disciplines.
Perhaps one of the main differences between them, beyond the research requirements outlined, is that the academic designer has a higher degree of freedom of choice as to the paths to investigate – freedom to decide what problems will be tested. Unlike the practitioner, there is usually an absence of a commercial client, whose dollar is dictating how much time can be spent on which part of the process, with a pre–determined outcome.6 Ken Friedman2 says: “When a form of research is tied too closely to the practice of any specific era, it is by definition – often incapable of creating the new knowledge of the future. It leads to incremental improvements more often than breakthroughs”.
This highlights that the academic designer has a contribution to make, both to research, and potentially to industry.
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FIGURE 01 STITCH LIGHT AND POP LIGHT; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
CASE STUDIES: SHINING LIGHT ON THE ACADEMIC DESIGNER
A research framework developed by the authors provides specific examples of work produced through design research. The authors were interested in exploring the intersection between mass–customisation, craft and mass–manufacture; which led to the development of what the authors have termed the ‘user–completion’ model. This framework emerged after research into product personalisation and emotional design, which the authors saw as a trajectory of their past research in story–telling in product design. Using knowledge from the established fields of co–design and mass–customisation, and integrating this with craft–based practice, the authors developed a refined model using a design research approach, to further explore personalisation and emotional attachment. They coined the outcome the ‘user–completion model’, developed specifically for product design. This focused on a specific part of the design process – assembly and completion. This user–completion model will be further explained through the following design case studies. The user–completion model was first tested through the design and user feedback received from a lighting product design. This light was developed after a successful grant application provided funding to develop the product. The outcome of this research – the artefact and the research model – was then disseminated as written scholarship, bringing non–traditional research into focus, with a traditional research output.
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Jacqueline Power in conversation with Rina Bernabei: discuss their case study examples. The authors have decided to discuss the case studies in an interview format. They have done this as they feel it allows for a more personal reflection of the design inquiry and exploration – the research. The authors also believe the conversational mode is a better reflection of the iterative design process. Rina Bernabei is a Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design in the Faculty of the Built Environment (BE), University of New South Wales, and a director of an award winning Sydney–based design company Bernabeifreeman Pty, Ltd. She has used her many years of industry and practice experience to design two lights using the user–completion model.
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The first light was the Stitch Light designed in 2012, and has been exhibited at Object: Australian Centre for Design. The second light was the Pop Light, designed in 2013 and exhibited in small galleries in Sydney – both lights have received much press and publication. These lighting products were funded by UNSW Built Environment grants, and the design research of both products has been widely disseminated through academic research publication.
AUTHORS DISCUSSION RB: Could you further explain the user–completion model and how it is used in the design process?
JP: Can you explain the demands put on the designer in this model?
JP: The user–completion model focuses on the final stage of the design process involving finishing and assembly. It is a way of designing that engages users in the process of the product completion. Finishing the product might include surface finishes applied to the product, such as paint; or surface application of decoration. The user–completion approach allows the user to decide how the final product will look, how it will function and its visual appeal. Unlike the process of mass customisation in which the manufacturer will assemble the product components as per user requirements, in the user–completion approach the user assembles the product components themselves. This means the user can test different combinations, providing them with greater creative control.
RB: The designers must develop a ‘design kit’ of component parts that provide different assembly options for the users, and also allow users to personalise in the finishing of the product. This is no easy feat from a design perspective, as it requires the designer to conceptualise a somewhat open–ended product that has many options for the end user. I first attempted this in the design of the Stitch Light.
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FIGURE 02 DEVELOPMENT SKETCHES OF STITCH LIGHT; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
7. Mugge, R., Schoormans, J. P. L. and Schifferstein, H. N. J. 2009, ‘Emotional bonding with personalised products’, Journal of Engineering Design, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 467–476.
JP: Could you further explain the design process for the Stitch Light?
JP: Why did you feel it was important for the user to be involved in the process?
RB: The concept is that the user would buy the Stitch Light as a design kit. The kit consists of a series of aluminium spinnings, a perforated aluminium diffuser centre panel and nylon cord.
RB: Allowing the user to engage in the process is widely known as personalisation. Allowing users to customise and personalise the product to their wants and desires can have a positive effect on their relationship with the final product. As Ruth Mugge,7 personalisation expert, writes:
Each of these design kit elements can be mass manufactured. The design kit allows users to assemble the light in different ways, resulting in different light forms and lighting functions, such as up–down light, directional light etc. The user can then personalise the light through embroidery of the perforated panel, which the users stitch themselves. There are innumerable variations for the final look of the light.
“[the] personalisation process requires the investment of a great deal of effort, the person is occupied with the product for an extended period of time, which may positively influence the strength of the emotional bond with the product”.
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JP: What did the process of designing the Stitch Light reveal? RB: The Stitch light required a certain skill level from the user for them to be able to achieve a successful design. In particular, users required skill in embroidery. After the Stitch light was exhibited, we were approached by a commercial manufacturer/ retailer to investigate the potential of commercialising the light. I think it is interesting that the manufacturer felt it was too difficult a task to ask the end user to personalise the light, and so they were going to outsource the embroidery (the personalisation aspect). Only three specific embroidery designs would be offered and would not be changeable. The manufacturer also felt that the light also offered too many variations in the way it was assembled, and so it was agreed that only three light assembly combinations would be offered for retail. So in terms of product design, while our design was based upon our academic research, when it came to commercialising the product to meet the client (manufacturer’s) brief, all of the innovative aspects of the design were withdrawn. Further down the track, the Stitch light was assessed for commercial viability, and it was deemed that it would be too expensive to manufacture (due to the high labour costs of the embroidery).
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FIGURE 03 STITCH LIGHT IN PROGRESS, PERSONALISATION THROUGH EMBROIDERY; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
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FIGURE 04 STITCH LIGHT DETAIL; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
FIGURE 05 POP LIGHT WORKSHOP; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
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8. Power, J., & Bernabei, R. 2013, ‘Personalised Mass Manufactured Products: a possibility or a contradiction?’ Research Through Design 2013 Conference Proceedings, September 3–5, 2013 pp. 112–115, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
JP: After the experience of the Stitch light, what further ideas did you want to test? RB: Following the exhibition and writing about our findings as conference papers and receiving peer review, I decided to apply for another Faculty Built Environment grant to further explore the idea of the user–completion model. The Pop light aimed to make personalisation easier, so that users of all skill levels could achieve a satisfying result.
The Pop light is a cardboard pendant light kit comprised of six semi–perforated cardboard panels, a polycarbonate crossbar, and an electrical kit. Like the Stitch light, each of these core design kit elements can be mass–manufactured. Following the instructions, the user assembles the card panels to create a predetermined pendant light form. Users are then invited to ‘pop’ out any of the 300 semi–perforated holes on each panel, into any pattern they wish. Several patterns are illustrated in the instructions as examples, with encouragement for users to design their own patterns. Popping out the cardboard holes is a much simpler and quicker method of personalisation than the embroidery of the previous Stitch light. For the Pop Light we wanted to use low cost materials, which would provide the opportunity to analyse if the value of the materials can be increased through the user–completion approach and personalisation.8
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FIGURE 05 POP LIGHT DEVELOPMENT; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
FIGURE 06 POP LIGHT DIELINE; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
JP: How do you think simplifying the personalisation affected the user experience?
JP: What came first, ‘the chicken or the egg’ in terms of the ideas behind the final Stitch and Pop light?
RB: By simplifying the user–completion approach in the Pop Light, I think the product may have lost its ability to be personalised to the same level as the Stitch Light. In addition, for someone with a higher skill set, the product would not hold the same challenge. There is a fine line that needs careful design and user testing to understand these gradations of user interaction and satisfaction.
RB: For a long time, we wanted to design a product that engaged users in the design process and allowed for personalisation. We had a lot of ideas and prototypes around this, but through defining the user– completion model and understanding how it differed from mass–customisation, mass–manufacture, craft and, co–creation and co–design; we were able to define our design ideas and thinking. At the end of the day, I feel that the designs were improved because of the additional layers of the academic framework. The same can be said for the grant application process – by defining your ideas and situating them within a larger academic discourse, in a sense you are defining your design brief, which makes it easier to design.
JP: How do you feel the imposed academic framework influenced your design practice? RB: A lot of designers come from a background based on the ‘doing’ of design, which is predominately based in visual ‘doing’. I felt that by reflecting and immersing myself in writing about the process and the work, and basing this within a larger discourse of design research, it actually informed my design practice and informed the design outcomes in a positive way.
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FIGURE 06 POP LIGHT BEFORE AND AFTER ‘POPPED’ PERSONALISATION; DESIGNED BY RINA BERNABEI AND KELLY FREEMAN
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JP: How do you feel that your practice as an academic designer differs to that of the commercial practitioner? RB: Usually, there isn’t the time or the freedom in commercial design to undertake research on bigger questions. Sometimes there is not the context for discussions with peers, and therefore for peer review and critique. While at first having to write about one’s work in an academic framework felt restraining, it is actually very liberating in terms of understanding the design at a deeper level. In large international design companies, such as Apple, I wonder whether there is a comparable framework for reflection and review? The question is, whether these types of frameworks result in artefacts that are able to further design discourse? Design research takes place at a much slower pace than the commercial world – with both positive and negative results. One must remember that academia can be very insular, narrowing the field of peer review; except for the case of exhibition, which reaches a broader audience. Also, written reflections on design research don’t necessarily review the design process and the artefact itself. The focus shifts to other more academic concerns. Finally, I question whether a certain amount of risk may be lost through the academic framework that could be exciting if able to happen.
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CONCLUSION JP: Why is the user–completion model and the design artefacts considered design research? RB: The resulting designs – the physical artefacts – and the framework, together constitute design research. The user–completion model was developed after much designing and testing – exploration and inquiry into the physicality of the design, as well as understanding user interaction in the process and all possible outcomes, including failure of the model. The artefacts themselves in all their iterations along the way, are the practice–based research. This research was then disseminated through traditional research modes and further refined through comparing this to other established design paradigms of co–design, mass–customisation and craft. This traditional research would not have any basis without the design’s realisation. Finally, the new knowledge was tested on users through the physical design in workshop settings and it was peer–reviewed in exhibition and publication.
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Design research is still clouded with misunderstanding, which is perhaps unsurprising because of the multi– faceted nature of design research. Universities allow academics to do what they do best: inquire, experiment; formulate procedures, frameworks, and methodologies for traditional research. If institutions were to more widely accept design research as equivalent to traditional research, we believe it would bring benefits to both the design disciplines, as well as the broader academic community. Design research provides the opportunity to strengthen the work of designers, as well as share this way of thinking to create an inter–disciplinary space to practice across disciplines.
As described, there are both differences and similarities in the practice of the commercial designer and the academic designer. The primary focus of the academic designer must be on justifying every decision within the international discourse of design and the academic framework. Both explicit knowledge and tactic knowledge, as described by Ken Friedman, need to be articulated in the practice of the academic designer. The academic framework may cause the academic designer to write about, critique and analyse the work instead of ‘doing’ it; but this provides another layer of reflection, which must be seen as beneficial, as it may result in more refined design work. However, the flip side of these benefits is the minimisation of risk through the design process, the slowed momentum of the process, and that review is often focused on the academic questions posed.
This focus is because of the largely written nature of the expected outcomes which cannot easily critique the design process and artefact. As universities’ frameworks start to further recognise design research as valid, it will mature both as a specific form of research. We hope the case studies, the images of the designed artefacts and some of the insights into the designing process provided here offer some illumination into the academic designer and their design research practice.
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doctoral research RECENTLY COMPLETED PHD DESIGN RESEARCH
79 AN INVESTIGATION OF INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS WITH RESPECT TO EVALUATION CRITERIA, RELATED SEMANTICS AND AN AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY
Dr. Brandon Gien
83 DESIGN AND CONTEXT: AN INVESTIGATION INTO HEALTH HARDWARE FOR REMOTE AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Dr. Christian Tietz
87 A DESIGN STUDY OF METROPOLITAN RAIL CARRIAGE INTERIOR CONFIGURATION TO IMPROVE BOARDING, ALIGHTING, PASSENGER DISPERSAL AND DWELL TIME STABILITY
Dr. Selby Coxon
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AN INVESTIGATION OF INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS WITH RESPECT TO EVALUATION CRITERIA, RELATED SEMANTICS AND AN AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY. Dr. Brandon Gien, University of Canberra , December 2012 FIGURE 01 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA INTRODUCES THE GOOD DESIGN LABEL IN 1963 AS A SYMBOL OF QUALITY DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE. PRODUCTS CARRYING THE LABEL ARE INCLUDED IN THE AUSTRALIAN DESIGN INDEX (ADI).
This thesis investigated design award programs at a national and international level with the aim of developing new knowledge and understanding about the characteristics of these programs and their respective design evaluation systems, especially in the context of an Australian case study. The Australian International Design Awards program (now called Australia’s Good Design Awards) has been investigated in detail, along with a selection of comparable, international design award programs employed in major industrial countries. Particular attention has been directed to analysing the respective design evaluation methods used in these programs and the associated theory and criteria on which they are based. A critical review of literature and information on product and industrial design evaluation methods has not detected any comprehensive, theoretical and empirical studies, which could be used to improve Australia’s Good Design Awards case.
FIGURE 02 DÉCOR BYO WINE COOLER. DESIGNED BY DÉCOR CORPORATION. AWARDED THE AUSTRALIAN DESIGN AWARD IN 1979
FIGURE 03 CAFÉ BAR. DESIGNED BY NIELSEN DESIGN ASSOCIATES. AWARDED THE GOOD DESIGN LABEL AND PRINCE PHILIP PRIZE FOR AUSTRALIAN DESIGN IN 1974. ITA BUTTROSE PRESENTING THE AWARD ON ABC TELEVISION REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 4 MILLION PEOPLE.
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FIGURE 04 RESEARCH OUTCOME: PROPOSED DESIGN EVALUATION SYSTEM
The design evaluation criteria used in all of these programs is often unclear, and frequently expressed as abstract concepts whose meanings or semantic content require further clarification in order to improve communications between all the parties concerned. Consequently, there is a need for further research in this area of professional design to establish the rationale and pragmatic basis of these programs. In this inquiry, novel, conceptual models of a design evaluation system have been developed based on a substantial theoretical and empirical investigation employing a mixed–methods research design.
It is anticipated that the findings of this investigation will be applied to future Good Design Awards program operations in which products from international as well as national manufacturers are evaluated by expert panels of judges. Recommendations are also made for future research in the Good Design Awards and other design award contexts, with the possibility of deploying findings in other countries. All images reproduced with the permission of Good Design Australia.
A useful database of empirical information has been established for future reference and study. The writer’s close association with the coordination of the Good Design Awards over many years, informed by critical feedback from industry, judges and participants, has been a major motivating factor underpinning this research.
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TOP END
DESIGN
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CONTEXT
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CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
DESIGN AND CONTEXT: AN INVESTIGATION INTO HEALTH HARDWARE FOR REMOTE AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES Dr. Christian Tietz, University of Technology, Sydney, June 2014 FIGURE 01 DESIGN CONTEXT
FIGURE 02 SURVEY LOCATIONS
The Prime Minister’s 2011 report ‘Closing the Gap’ highlights that Indigenous Australians in remote communities suffer bad health, not only because access to critical medical equipment is difficult, but also because of poor nutrition. A national survey of over 7,000 Indigenous houses showed less than five percent have all the required facilities to prepare, cook and store their food. To cook we need a stove – it is a piece of health hardware – enter the designer. 71% of surveyed households use electric stoves, 60% of these stoves last between six months to two years only. In other public housing the same stoves last between 10–15 years. Why is that so? My PhD thesis investigated the performance of a standard designed object, a stove, in the context of its use. The use environment was not a conventional service rich suburban setting but remote Australia, making access to and consulting with the users difficult and costly. So what if I the designer, instead of talking to the people, would interview the stove?
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7 6.01
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4.02 3.74 3.26
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0 H2/C10
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FIGURE 03 STOVE USE DATA SHOWING INDIVIDUAL DAILY USE AND AVERAGE USE IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA.
FIGURE 04 STOVE USE GRAPH COMPARING USE IN FOUR HOUSES IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA
FIGURE 05 CONTEXT STOVE IMAGE SHOWING EXAMPLE OF COOKING UTENSILS USED
For my research I interviewed 16 stoves in two remote communities for one year, recording their power use with data loggers in the meter–box. Every three minutes I asked them – what are you doing? What did they tell me? The scientifically tabulated data showed daily average use is three and a half hours, up to six hours per day in some instances. Graphs show a pattern of typical morning, midday and evening peaks. The average duration of use is 15 minutes or less. Therefore the stove is not used to heat the house or for kids to play with, but to cook, boil water for tea and reheat food. 47% of surveyed households don’t have extra cooking appliances – microwaves, kettles, or toasters.
The manufacturer states the stoves are built to be used for only five hours per week. Therefore after one to one and a half days these stoves have exceeded their weekly performance and in their short life they’ve worked the equivalent of 10–15 years. We need not blame the average of six point four householders per stove in this study, who use their stove so often because it provides an important and valuable service to them. The fault is clearly with the stove – it is simply not fit for purpose. The solution is not only a purpose designed stove (a reliable piece of health hardware ensuring long life and healthy cooking), but how to change the entrenched existing system of procurement and installation? A politically and administratively difficult to implement action, due not only to the higher cost but also due to the expected associated political fall out of supplying high quality products into this socio–cultural environment. Yet to do nothing, and to replace the same poorly performing stoves over and over again with the resulting negative health impacts, seems perfectly acceptable.
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FIGURE 01 INTERIOR VIEW OF FULL SIZE MOCK–UP TO AUTHENTICATE THE EFFICACY OF THE VESTIBULE ENTRY AREA. BUILT FROM TIMBER, CARDBOARD AND PLASTIC.
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A DESIGN STUDY OF METROPOLITAN RAIL CARRIAGE INTERIOR CONFIGURATION TO IMPROVE BOARDING, ALIGHTING, PASSENGER DISPERSAL AND DWELL TIME STABILITY Dr. Selby Coxon, Monash University, May 20th 2015 1. Lau, S. 2005, ‘Evaluating Interior and Door Configurations of rail vehicles by using variable loading densities’, Transport Research Record: Journal of the transportation Research Board, No 1927, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2005 pp, 268 – 276.
Suburban railways around the world are experiencing a rapid increase in patronage. While this is a welcome development as an alternative to road congestion, higher passenger densities, particularly during peak times of the day, have implications for train punctuality, crowding, for accessibility and passenger comfort. Lau1 and Daamen et al.2 suggest that the design of the train carriage interior has a significant influence on accessibility and passenger dispersal. Evidence from current literature connects these factors to determining the length of time a train is held at a station, with consequences for service punctuality and network capacity. There is also evidence3 that rail transport operators face conflicting responses to the problem in balancing consistent timetables with passenger comfort.
2. Daamen, W., Lee, Y., and Wiggenraad, P. 2008, ‘Boarding and alighting behaviour of public transport passengers’, Transport Research Record: Journal of the transportation Research Board, No 2042, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C. 2008 pp 71-81 DOI: 10.3141/2042-08. 3. Mees, P. 2007, ‘Infrastructure constraints or poor service planning? Increasing service to Melbourne’s city loop and Dandenong rail corridor’, Conference paper delivered at the 30th Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF), Proceedings held on 25-27 September 2007 in Melbourne, Australia.
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This exegesis describes a design study into the creation of an alternative train carriage design, based on the physical parameters of Melbourne network infrastructure. Melbourne’s network was chosen for its proximity to the candidate’s studio activity, but also for its particularly onerous problems of accommodating both a metro (short trip) system with a lengthy outer suburban service on tracks shared with regional and freight services. This research centred on a studio methodology that collated evidence from a wide range of related contemporary literature on the topic to inform an empirical design activity. The study embraced drawing, computer aided design, physical models and computer simulations to determine the efficacy of suggested concepts. The outcome is a design concept that consists of a series of innovations, not only pertinent to Melbourne but with resonance further afield.
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FIGURE 02 INTERIOR VIEW OF CARRIAGE SHOWING THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR ARRANGEMENT OF SEATING. THE IMAGE IS CREATED WITH ALIAS SOFTWARE BY ILYA FRIDMAN.
These innovations embraced three key features to effect an improvement to dispersal and passenger ingress and egress: 1.
FIGURE 03 COMPUTATIONAL SIMULATION OF PASSENGER BOARDING AND ALIGHTING BEHAVIOURS USING UNITY SOFTWARE. PROGRAMMING BY ELLIOT WILSON.
Extra doors that operate only during peak periods for increased passenger exchange. During off–peak periods, the space behind these temporary doors is occupied by seating. Accompanying the extra doors are physical and graphical devices to encourage patrons to move to the left to facilitate simultaneous boarding and alighting.
2.
A central aisle of seating clusters with both longitudinal and transverse seating, creating two corridors down the length of the carriage.
3.
Folding seats that can be locked into an upright ‘perch’ position to create more standing positions during peak periods and released to form conventional seating during less crowded periods.
These design innovations were modelled by computer crowd simulation software to establish their efficacy. The outcome of the modelling has shown that the concept design demonstrates a significant improvement in passenger accessibility, dispersal and dwell– time stability compared to existing Melbourne rolling stock for the same passenger loading capacity at peak time. This outcome represents a significant contribution to the research field and, if adopted, could have positive implications for network operations. However, a limitation of this research is acknowledged in that devising the concept from first principles, transport– operating companies and passengers would need to embrace a moderate level of cultural change to the prevailing norm. Exploring this adoption would point to the development of a future study.
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recent work
STUDENT PROJECTS
92 MONASH UNIVERSITY
ORA, Stephanie Tan
IMPALA Bike Tent,Tom Millward
94 UNSW AUSTRALIA
XO wearable Pamela Ablang
FIREFRONT, Max Glanville
FREEDIVE, Edric Verbeek–Martin
97 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA
WORKSTATION, P Townsin
HIVE, Nick Jolly
99 UTS SYDNEY
YOLK, William Duong
MONASH UNIVERISTY Stephanie Tan ORA is a point of care pathology and vital signs device. With an ageing population and increasing rates of chronic disease, increasing our action in preventative health has never been more important. ORA aids medical professionals in rural and regional healthcare locations.
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MONASH Tom Millward IMPALA Bike Tent is a single person shelter that fits inside a one litre container. A bicycle frame is used as support for the tent, eliminating the need for poles and greatly reducing pack size. Together with the use of ultra–light materials, Impala provides an easy to use waterproof shelter for touring cyclists.
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UNSW AUSTRALIA Pamela Ablang XO wearable is a wearable massage device designed for individuals with a spinal disability. On a physical level it enables them to participate in intimate activities. It can be activated through the control interface of the app or by applying hands on pressure for a more sensual experience
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UNSW AUSTRALIA Max Glanville FireFront enables detection of a bushfire early, resulting in a rapid response by both residents and fire services to help determine either an early escape or preparation to fight and protect. Detectors mounted around the property, combined with the home module and mobile app, allow residents to stay alert and prepared year round whether present or absent from their property. The combination of these devices allow vital continuous communication between residents and fire services, both during and after an emergency. Winner – 2015 Hills Young Australian Design Award.
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UNSW AUSTRALIA EDRIC VERBEEK MARTIN FreeDive is designed for the rental market and can be used by anyone to explore the underwater world in safety and comfort without SCUBA. With its full face mask and surface–supplied air, FreeDive lets divers breathe as easily under water as they do on land, staying submerged at up to 5 metres for an hour.
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Paul Townsin Observation Trolley is an integrated observation throlley and workstation that includes monitoring equipment and storage.
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Nick Jolly HIVE is infinitely expandable and can be customised to suit virtually any bathroom space. The tessellating hexagonal units create bench & storage spaces. The hexagonal units can be created using a range of materials including metals, plastics and solid or laminate timbers.
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UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY William Duong YOLK is designed to restore relationships between parents and adolescents. Parents often struggle to understand their child’s behaviour; teenage children wish that their parents remain objective and not reprimand them too soon before an opportunity to explain. YOLK guides its users to speak and think assertively, helping to articulate their emotions and develop their empathy skills.
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DESIGNER’S STATEMENT Design research practice has directly informed the creative direction of this publication. The connections, crossovers and essence of creative play found in design research practice has been translated visually into intersecting shapes, transparent elements and a bright, vibrant colour palette. This ethos has also inspired the overlapping serif ‘D’ and ‘R’ letterforms, which recur throughout the publication as a graphic treatment. Similar to the product development process, the physical publication underwent much experimentation and finessing through a series of mock-ups. Working closely with Digitalpress, I have been able to realise this vision through the use of raised spot vanish treatments, intense Pantone colour matching and exposed section-sewn detailing. The design of this third issue of IDEN has been a labour of love, and I would like to thank the editors for entrusting me with full creative control. Cover: 300gsm BJ Ball Superfine Eggshell Ultra White. Interior Pages: 120gsm Spicers Precision.
about INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EDUCATORS NETWORK [IDEN] IDEN has over the last several years evolved as an informal grouping of Industrial Design program heads from across Australia and New Zealand. It first formed as the Industrial Design National Network in 2005 at a meeting in Canberra hosted by Stephen Trathen. The Network discussed a range of shared concerns and initiatives around benchmarking curriculums, graduate standards and employer expectations. Its new name, IDEN, was formulated as an inclusive acronym for our NZ colleagues from across the ditch, and to include in the future the greater Asia Pacific region.
IDEN JOURNAL EDITORS Miles Park (UNSW)
milesp@unsw.edu.au
Berto Pandolfo (UTS)
berto.pandolfo@uts.edu.au
Christian Tietz (UNSW)
christian.tietz@unsw.edu.au