Archimedes, the founder of statics and hydrostatics, in his mathematics and physics studies, created methods related to his inventions of new machines, for example, the method of mechanical theorems ...based on his lever invention. He also used the principles of decomposition and replication underlying his heat ray invention, and these two principles permeate his work. Analysis of Archimedes’ work shows how he was perhaps the first to use methodically a strategy for solving diverse complex problems. In this article, we use the term Archimedes Code to encompass the way Archimedes approached problems including those two principles. Archimedes was perhaps the first design theorist and the first to think systematically about how to address design challenges. Furthermore, his work demonstrates the fundamental role of engineering practice in advancing science. The new insights regarding the Archimedes Code and its value in design practice may inspire both design researchers and practitioners.
‘Practice what you preach’ is a phrase occasionally used to refer to those not acting as they want others to act. There are countless opportunities in professional work and daily life to bring such ...criticism upon ourselves. While the subject is broad, this study focuses on the application of this idea in research practice, and more specifically in design research. One point of departure is the question: ‘how should we practice research if its results are products just like other products?’ The Principle of Reflexive Practice (PRP) states that considering the outcome of design research or research itself as a product, many design principles, tools, methods or knowledge are applicable to design research.
A corollary of the principle is that in order to succeed in contemporary research environments, design researchers would gain significant benefit such as improving the success rate of their research projects, if they exercise design methods and tools in designing their research. By exercising these methods, researchers would gain quick and rich feedback about the methods they develop; they would become aware of issues that require users’ perspective that could not be possible without their own practical use.
The PRP makes participants in design research aware of the reflexive opportunity in studying design that could be mobilized to advancing their practice and making their research results more effective. Notwithstanding, adopting the PRP is not easy; therefore, it is presented as a challenge to design research. Four examples of using the PRP as a guiding principle in research are presented to demonstrate its importance and benefits.
Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches are a step forward in the evolution of computer-aided engineering, and yet, they often incorporate deficiencies that may jeopardize their practical ...utility and usability, as well as the validity of the resulting models. We demonstrate how a domain-specific modeling approach can relieve some hurdles in adopting MBSE, and how it can be used in tandem with a general-purpose modeling approach to augment and introduce rigor to models. Specifically, we demonstrate the consequences of theoretical issues that were previously identified in Object Process Methodology and suggest an approach to solve them. We use a generalized case-study—derived from extensive process modeling in both academia and industry—to show that a domain-specific model can significantly relax the user’s modeling effort. This demonstration is based on two quantitative metrics: the number of representational elements and available modeling tactics. We discuss the contribution of our approach to model quality, particularly with respect to its rigor and communicability.
Abstract
The diversity of design research studies and their associated methods and reporting style make it difficult for the design research community of practice to leverage its work into further ...advancing the field. We illustrate how a structured multilevel analysis of diverse studies creates a canonical model that allows for the transfer of insight between studies, enhances their comprehension, and supports improved study designs. The benefits of such an approach will increase if different stakeholders adopt such structured approaches to enrich the design research community of practice.
The planning of system development efforts is crucial to the successful realization of projects. However, development planning typically lacks systematic, engineering discipline, and consequently ...risks project and business success. Model-based process design is a potential information systems approach to addressing the increasing complexity of such planning. We characterize the ontology of development process design, based on real-life observations and scientific publications. We then synthesize the required ontology with the desirable characteristics of models, and derive key requirements for model-based development process design. Next, these requirements are used to evaluate the adequacy of three prominent, standardized model-based process design approaches—BPMN, OPM and SPEM. The findings reveal that the surveyed models are a partial fit, and do not promote sound process design. Finally, by generalizing the categorical evaluation results, possible root causes for the identified inadequacies are proposed. A new model design, which should rely on the formulated requirements set, is called for, in pursuit of a wider adoption of model-based design paradigms and better information systems realization to support the development of complex systems.
We Are Not Users Subrahmanian, Eswaran; Reich, Yoram; Krishnan, Sruthi
03/2020
eBook
Odprti dostop
A call to reclaim and rethink the field of designing as a liberal art where diverse voices come together to shape the material world.
We live in a material world of designed artifacts, both digital ...and analog. We think of ourselves as users; the platforms, devices, or objects provide a service that we can use. But is this really the case? We Are Not Users argues that people cannot be reduced to the entity called “user”; we are not homogenous but diverse. That buzz of dissonance that we hear reflects the difficulty of condensing our diversity into “one size fits all.” This book proposes that a new understanding of design could resolve that dissonance, and issues a call to reclaim and rethink the field of designing as a liberal art where diverse voices come together to shape the material world. The authors envision designing as a dialogue, simultaneously about the individual and the social—an act enriched by diversity of both disciplines and perspectives.
The book presents the building blocks of a language that can conceive designing in all its richness, with relevance for both theory and practice. It introduces a theoretical model, terminology, examples, and a framework for bringing together the social, cultural, and political aspects of designing. It will be essential reading for design theorists and for designers in areas ranging from architecture to software design and policymaking.
In this viewpoint article we discuss the challenges to achieving sustainability transitions from the perspective of theories of design and of technology. We first introduce the environmental issues ...that face industrial civilization, noting the differences in viewpoints concerning whether planetary limits are largely insurmountable or if they may be alleviated through human ingenuity. We then give an overview of theoretical perspectives on the nature of technology and of technological change and innovation before discussing the implications of these theoretical perspectives for possible approaches to sustainability transition. In particular, we note the importance of the maturity of technologies and the challenges of increasing technological complexity. We then introduce a selection of theoretical perspectives on the nature of design, before discussing the implications of these, especially the knowledge requirements in identifying feasible transition steps, and the inherent conflict between different viewpoints on planetary limits. We emphasize the risk of fixation and the importance of trade-offs. We conclude by proposing a five-fold set of actions.
•Design theory offers a fresh perspective on sustainability transitions that may be translated into research and practice actions.•Sustainability challenges are multi-objective, requiring creative but unpopular trade-offs.•Those proposing solutions to challenges of sustainability are often fixated on adaptation of current technologies and on solution patterns that lead to increased complexity requiring more energy.•The use of technology to address sustainability challenges has a diminishing return.•Problem, institutional, and social spaces have to be considered for any proposed action.
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