Publications
109 results found
Hsu P-Y, Aurisicchio M, Angeloudis P, 2017, Supply chain design for modular construction projects, 25th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), Publisher: IGLC, ISSN: 2309-0979
The construction sector is currently undergoing a shift from stick-built construction techniques to modular building systems. If construction supply chains are to support this transformation, they need to be modified and strengthened using an adapted logistics system. The aim of this study is to establish a mathematical model for the logistics of modular construction covering the three common tiers of operations: manufacturing, storage and construction. Previous studies have indicated that construction site delays constitute the largest cause of schedule deviations. Using the model outlined in this paper we seek to determine how factory manufacturing and inventory management should be adapted to variations in demand on the construction site. We propose a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model that captures construction scenarios with demands for modular products that are either foreseeable or abruptly disrupted. The use of the model is illustrated through a case study of bathroom pods for a building project. The model outputs include supply chain configurations that reduce total costs across a range of scenarios. The model could serve as a decision support tool for modular construction logistics.
Baxter W, Aurisicchio M, Mugge R, et al., 2017, Decontaminating experiences with circular offerings, Product Lifetimes and The Environment (PLATE) 2017
Baxter W, Aurisicchio M, Mugge R, et al., 2017, Decontaminating experiences with circular offerings, Product Lifetimes and The Environment (PLATE) 2017
Bahrudin F, Aurisicchio MARCO, Baxter WESTON, 2017, Sustainable materials in design projects, EKSIG 2017, Publisher: TU Delft Open
New types of sustainable materials are introduced in our markets every year to minimise the environmental impact of products. The search for more environmentally benign materials is crucial in reducing the depletion of non-renewable material resources. Recent literature indicates that there is a growing interest and rapid technological progression from various industry stakeholders on this matter. Nevertheless, the sustainability issues pursued by designers and other material developers are still ambiguous. The overall aim of this research is to develop new understanding of the sustainable materials being developed and applied in product design. Seventy-two material-centred design projects are analysed in terms of resource renewability and resource origin. The data obtained are further classified according to the material group and products produced with such materials. Renewable materials make up half of the materials used. Moreover, waste materials comprise up to half of the materials used. Three materials groups were found to be more frequently used, namely natural composites, synthetic polymers and organic materials. Most of these materials are being made into furniture, household objects and clothing and accessories. Within the natural composites and organic materials, various extraordinary materials were used, reflecting the dynamicity of designers’ work and experimentation with materials. As for synthetic polymers, recycled plastics are the main materials used and this is not surprising given their abundance in the environment. In general, the application of sustainable materials seems to be at its infancy but explorations are vibrant and progressive. The impact of these materials in the mainstream market is unknown and other sustainability factors need further evaluation. As such, design as a discipline is yet to facilitate the uptake of these materials.
Baxter W, Aurisicchio M, Childs PRN, 2017, Contaminated interaction: another barrier to circular material flows, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol: 21, Pages: 507-516, ISSN: 1088-1980
Contamination poses a significant problem to the circular economy (CE), which derives much of its value from maintaining pure material flows. The aim of this article is to frame contaminated interaction among other forms of contamination and investigate its effects on the CE. The research is based on a review of the contamination literature and case studies. We differentiate between three types of contamination influencing circular material flows: technical, which deals with fitness for use; systemic, which deals with efficiency in processing; and interaction, which deals with user-object interaction and decision making. Our focus is on developing a foundational understanding of contaminated interaction and how it influences circular processes. Through multiple examples, contaminated interaction is shown to create three barriers to the CE: downcycling, disposal, and hindered circulation. Among other proposals to address contaminated interaction, the research calls for the development of experientially transferrable design—products that can move between users and uses without negative consequences.
Baxter W, Aurisicchio M, Mugge R, et al., 2017, Positive and negative contamination in user interactions, ICED17: 21st International Conference on Engineering Design, Publisher: Design Society, Pages: 509-518
The purpose of this paper is to present contaminated interaction as a design construct. Interactions with an object can be altered, positively, neutrally or negatively, due to some prior use. In such cases, the interaction departs from the designed condition and is said to be contaminated. This is particularly significant as objects, physical or non-physical, have multiple uses or are shared amongst users. We propose an ontological model of contaminated interaction based on a review of literature and an analysis of user experiences. The model outlines the process of contaminated interaction including the drivers and outcomes. In a negative context, contamination can lead to consumers misusing, negatively experiencing, or avoiding the object altogether. Positive contamination sees the opposite effect in which usability can increase, users report more positive experiences and users seek out or cherish the object. Together, this model presents an approach to understanding and addressing contamination in the design process to enable the creation and maintenance of meaningful experiences.
Eng N, Aurisicchio M, Bracewell R, 2017, Mapping software augments engineering design thinking, Journal of Mechanical Design, ISSN: 1528-9001
Objective: Maps have longbeenadvocated tosupport thinking with loosely-structured design information. This paperevaluatesthe applicationof mapping methods supported by the Decision Rationale editor (DRed)in the aerospace engineering industry. Specifically,the research investigateswhatDRed mapping methodsare used, whereengineers find them useful and why.Method: DRed was selected because it has been formally embedded in the design processes of the partner company and all engineering staff have access to it.The toolwas investigated usingsemi-structured interviews with fourteen engineers each already trained with DRed through their work and representing diverse departments and experience levels. Nineteen use cases were collected ranging from high-profile,multi-stakeholder projects to everyday individual work. Collected caseswere analysedfor methodsapplied, common contexts of use and reasons for use. Results: The resultsvalidate baselineDRed mapping methods to capture design rationale and analyse the root causes of engineering problems.Further, it providesempiricalevidencefor new DRed mapping methods to manage requirements, analyse functional interactions in complex systems and manage personal information.The contextswithin whichmapping methodsare usedtendtowards: system-level informationthat cut across sub-system boundaries; irregular intervalsbetween map applications; dealing with loosely-structured information; individual use or small team collaborations;and application to problemsfaced during regular design practice. The reasons to use mapping methods, as articulated by engineers,point towards supportforengineering design thinking, communication and planning. Conclusion: Using empirical evidence of its recurrentuse, this research establishesthat DRed is a powerful and versatile tool for engineers in industryand its mapping methodsaidimportant and otherwiseunsupportedwork.The
Bahrudin FI, Aurisicchio M, Baxter WL, 2017, Sustainable materials in design projects, Pages: 194-207
New types of sustainable materials are introduced in our markets every year to minimise the environmental impact of products. The search for more environmentally benign materials is crucial in reducing the depletion of non-renewable material resources. Recent literature indicates that there is a growing interest and rapid technological progression from various industry stakeholders on this matter. Nevertheless, the sustainability issues pursued by designers and other material developers are still ambiguous. The overall aim of this research is to develop new understanding of the sustainable materials being developed and applied in product design. Seventy-two material-centred design projects are analysed in terms of resource renewability and resource origin. The data obtained are further classified according to the material group and products produced with such materials. Renewable materials make up half of the materials used. Moreover, waste materials comprise up to half of the materials used. Three materials groups were found to be more frequently used, namely natural composites, synthetic polymers and organic materials. Most of these materials are being made into furniture, household objects and clothing and accessories. Within the natural composites and organic materials, various extraordinary materials were used, reflecting the dynamicity of designers' work and experimentation with materials. As for synthetic polymers, recycled plastics are the main materials used and this is not surprising given their abundance in the environment. In general, the application of sustainable materials seems to be at its infancy but explorations are vibrant and progressive. The impact of these materials in the mainstream market is unknown and other sustainability factors need further evaluation. As such, design as a discipline is yet to facilitate the uptake of these materials.
Zeeuw Van Der Laan A, Aurisicchio M, 2017, Planned obsolescence in the circular economy, 2nd Conference on Product Lifetimes and the Environment (PLATE), Publisher: IOS PRESS, Pages: 446-452
Michalakoudis I, Childs P, Aurisicchio M, et al., 2016, Using functional analysis diagrams to improve product reliability and cost, Advances in Mechanical Engineering, Vol: 9, Pages: 1-11, ISSN: 1687-8140
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Value Engineering (VE) are well-established methods in the manufacturing industry, commonly applied to optimize product reliability and cost respectively. Both processes, however, require cross-functional teams to identify and evaluate the product/process functions and are resource-intensive, hence their application is mostly limited to large organizations. In this paper, we present a methodology involving the concurrent execution of FMEA and VE, assisted by a set of hierarchical Functional Analysis Diagram (FAD) models, along with the outcomes of a pilot application in a UK-based manufacturing Small-Medium Enterprise (SME). Analysis of the results indicate that this new approach could significantly enhance the resource efficiency and effectiveness of both FMEA and VE processes.
Baxter W, Yang, Aurisicchio, et al., 2016, Exploring a human-centred design of possessions, NordDesign 2016
Understanding the idea of possession is essential for creating successful products and services, particularly in digital and access contexts. This paper examines current shortcomings in conceptualising ownership and possessions before presenting a framework for the process of developing user possession. The framework is grounded in psychological ownership theory and informed by interviews with thirteen participants. The theory considers ownership as a mental state in which users feel the object is theirs. The interviews explored this mental state underthree contexts: traditional material possession, digital possession, and access-based possession. This work helps inform the meaning of possessions, and can aid designers and policy makers in how to approach the notion of designing possessions from a human-centered viewpoint.
Rago A, Toni F, Aurisicchio M, et al., 2016, Discontinuity-free decision support with quantitative argumentation debates, Fifteenth International Conference, KR 2016, Publisher: AAAI
IBIS (Issue Based Information System) provides a widelyadopted approach for knowledge representation especiallysuitable for the challenging task of representing wicked decisionproblems. While many tools for visualisation and collaborativedevelopment of IBIS graphs are available, automateddecision support in this context is still underdeveloped, eventhough it would benefit several applications. QuAD (QuantitativeArgumentation Debate) frameworks are a recently proposedIBIS-based formalism encompassing automated decisionsupport by means of an algorithm for quantifying thestrength of alternative decision options, based on aggregationof the strength of their attacking and supporting arguments.The initially proposed aggregation method, however, maygive rise to discontinuities. In this paper we propose a novel,discontinuity-free algorithm for computing the strength of decisionoptions in QuAD frameworks. We prove that this algorithmfeatures several desirable properties and we comparethe two aggregation methods, showing that both may be appropriatein the context of different application scenarios.
Baxter W, Aurisicchio M, Childs PRN, 2016, Tear Here: the Impact of Object Transformations on Proper Disposal, IAPRI 20th World Conference on Packaging
Efforts promoting proper disposal of packaging generally focus on infrastructure and messaging. Significantly less attention has been given to how the attributes of packaging can be used to change disposal behaviour. This research shows how changes in packaging attributes (e.g. alterations in shape, colour, or size) influence two disposal behaviours: recycling and littering. Specifically, we use an implicit association test to measure the subconscious tendency to categorize altered objects as trash rather than recycling. The results indicate that 82% or respondents showed at least a slight effect and 53% showed a strong effect towards associating altered objects with waste. Next, we evaluate object transformations on littering behaviour through an observational field study. Observations (N = 2823) indicated that littering is influenced by deformed, torn, disassembled, and partially full packaging. No significant effect was found with regard to packaging that is wet, sticky, has undergone colour changes or that is has remains (e.g. sauce) on it. These findings suggest that the (re)design of packaging can significantly influence proper disposal. Based on this, packaging can be (re)designed in two ways. First, many types of packaging have scripted alterations such as the iconic ‘tear here’ indicator. These can be changed to preserve properties associated with recyclables and non-littering. Second, packaging can be designed so that there are fewer alterations during use. This work can also help identify inherent attributes that encourage proper disposal.
Franco E, Aurisicchio M, Ristic M, 2016, Design and control of 3-DOF needle positioner for MRI-guided laser ablation of liver tumours, International Journal of Biomechatronics and Biomedical Robotics, Vol: 3, ISSN: 1757-6792
This article presents the design and control of a pneumatic needle positioner for laser ablation of liver tumours under guidance by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The prototype was developed to provide accurate point-to-point remote positioning of a needle guide inside an MR scanner with the aim of evaluating the potential advantages over the manual procedure. In order to minimise alterations to the MR environment, the system employs plastic pneumatic actuators and 9 m long supply lines connecting with the control hardware located outside the magnet room. An improved sliding mode control (SMC) scheme was designed for the position control of the device. Wireless micro-coil fiducials are used for automatic registration in the reference frame of the MR scanner. The MRI-compatibility and the accuracy of the prototype are demonstrated with experiments in the MR scanner.
Aurisicchio M, Bracewell R, Hooey B, 2016, RATIONALE MAPPING AND FUNCTIONAL MODELLING ENHANCED ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS, Safety Science, Vol: 85, Pages: 241-257, ISSN: 0925-7535
Objective: The process of understanding the causes of adverse events associated with complex engineered systems can be time consuming and expensive. It often requires substantial human and physical resources ranging from a few engineers up to multiple teams of domain specialists from collaborating organisations. The research presented in this article aims to provide more effective support to the analysts involved in root cause analysis (RCA) by exploring the combined application of the Issue Based Information System (IBIS) and the Function Analysis Diagram (FAD) methods. The first method (IBIS) introduces the concept of argument-based rationale for explicit justification of the nodes of a cause-effect chain as well as of redesign decisions, while the second method (FAD) introduces the notion of structure-dependent functional modelling of complex systems in normal and failure states. Method: Causation data from publicly available technical reports of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was reverse-engineered using a root cause analysis approach based on the IBIS and FAD notations. IBIS and FAD were implemented using a free and open source software tool known as designVUE. The approach was evaluated by comparing it to a method for root cause analysis widely used in industry and assessing how it satisfies generic requirements for root cause analysis.Results: The results show that the proposed IBIS-FAD approach provides a rich description of the causes for an accident presented in a manner that facilitates information access and understanding. The IBIS notation allowed for explicit modelling of the reasons supporting or refuting failure hypotheses along with evidence. The FAD notation provided a clear and concise method to visualise the complex set of non-linear interactions leading to the failure of a system by annotating graphical schematics of the design with the functions exchanged between its components. Finally, the results show that the approach supports the c
Baxter W, Childs PRN, Aurisicchio M, 2015, Using psychological ownership to guide strategies for slower consumption, Product Lifetimes And The Environment (PLATE), Publisher: Nottingham Trent University
Baxter WL, Aurisicchio M, Childs PRN, 2015, A psychological ownership approach to designing object attachment, Journal of Engineering Design, Vol: 26, Pages: 140-156, ISSN: 0954-4828
The mental state in which an individual claims an object as theirs is called psychological ownership. Psychological ownership is associated with motives, routes, affordances, and outcomes directly linked to attachment. This research introduces psychological ownership in the context of designing object attachment and identifies affordance principles that help facilitate it. A framework presenting the motives for and routes to psychological ownership is proposed to provide a holistic understanding of object attachment. In the framework each route to psychological ownership, that is, control, intimate knowledge, and self-investment, has a corresponding class of affordances. Overall a total of 16 affordance principles are identified through contextual inquiry with 4 objects (a car, a mobile phone, a pair of shoes, and a park bench). Previous studies have identified various elements of this framework but have fallen short of clearly defining and relating the motives, routes, and affordances to psychological ownership identified here. These affordance principles are readily mapped to experience design models and provide a practical resource for designers. Together, the framework and the affordances inform design decisions and move towards a prescriptive design method for facilitating object attachment.
Baxter WL, Aurisicchio M, Childs PRN, 2015, Materials, use and contaminated interaction, Materials & Design, Vol: 90, Pages: 1218-1227, ISSN: 0261-3069
Materials help communicate meaning to users. This meaning changes with time as the object transforms due to use. Through a two-phase study, this research develops new understanding of how people appraise used objects and the mechanisms driving contamination—the aversion that one has towards engaging with used objects. In the first phase, observations of indicators of use were collected from participants in order to develop a general typology for indicators of use and deduce the sensorial properties of used objects. In the second phase, these observations were analysed to isolate the data, which caused feelings of aversion. The subset of observations marked with aversion was labelled as contaminated. Further analysis revealed three mechanisms driving contamination—hygiene, utility, and territory—presented together as the HUT contamination model. Sensorial properties from the first study were mapped to contamination mechanisms and properties most frequently contributing to contamination were identified. The properties contributing to the various contamination mechanisms differ significantly. Hygienic contamination typically results from transient object states, utility contamination from permanent changes to object characteristics, and territorial contamination from object settings and contextual factors. As expected, the majority of the indicators contributing to contamination are related to material properties. This work acts as a link between material selection and contaminated interaction with used objects.
Michalakoudis I, Childs P, Aurisiccio M, et al., 2015, Using Functional Analysis Diagrams as a Design Tool, ASME 2014 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
This paper presents the process and outcomes of the pilot introduction of Functional Analysis Diagram (FAD) as a design assist tool within a Small Medium Enterprise (SME). During this study, two sets of Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) sessions were conducted using the traditional and the proposed, FAD assisted (FMEA-FAD) method developed, aiming to optimize the failure mode selection phase of the process. The results have shown that the FMEA-FAD method has significantly improved the efficiency and the effectiveness of the process. They were also consistent with previous research, suggesting that FAD is relatively easy to use, supports high levels of understanding through functional decomposition, and can be used as an interdisciplinary communication platform (Aurisicchio et al., 2011). Given the resource limitations in SMEs, such an efficiency improvement could be vital for a resource intensive process such as FMEA.FAD discourages disciplinary terminologies in function descriptions; instead, the functions can be represented simply by the combination of an active verb and a measurable noun. Breaking the system down into lower level subsystems and studying the functional interrelationships between system components, can help us understand the overall system functions (Pahl et al., 1996). As market needs are mostly determined based on past user experience (Norman, 2010), innovation commonly occurs incrementally. Although this practice reduces risks — being, as it is, based on already tested platforms, incremental innovation often leads to the retention of superfluous components and outdated technologies. The process of functional modeling prompts the users to question the existence of every component and feature within a product or process, potentially leading to a radical reassessment of a design against the need which created it.
Baroni P, Romano M, Toni F, et al., 2015, Automatic evaluation of design alternatives with quantitative argumentation, Argument and Computation, Vol: 6, Pages: 24-49, ISSN: 1946-2166
This paper presents a novel argumentation framework to support Issue-Based Information System style debates on design alternatives, by providing an automatic quantitative evaluation of the positions put forward. It also identifies several formal properties of the proposed quantitative argumentation framework and compares it with existing non-numerical abstract argumentation formalisms. Finally, the paper describes the integration of the proposed approach within the design Visual Understanding Environment software tool along with three case studies in engineering design. The case studies show the potential for a competitive advantage of the proposed approach with respect to state-of-the-art engineering design methods.Engineering design is often described as an information-processing activity based on problem-solving within the constraints of bounded rationality (Simon, 1996; Simon & Newell, 1971). It consists of decomposing an initial problem into a range of sub-problems, proposing and assessing partial solutions, and integrating them as to satisfy the overall problem. This process is collaborative and often involves communication between non-co-located engineers. The development and communication of design solutions require engineers to form and share design rationale, that is, the argumentation in favour or against proposed designs.These aspects of the engineering design process have led to the development (Kunz & Rittel, 1970) and subsequent investigation (Buckingham Shum & Hammond, 1994; Fischer, Lemke, McCall, & Morch, 1991) of the issue-based information system (IBIS) method, a graph-based formalisation of the decisions made during a design process along with the reasons why they were made. The IBIS method envisions a decision-making process where problems (or issues) are given solutions (or answers) after a thorough debate involving technical, economical, life, environmental and safety considerations. It also provides means to actively develop
Aurisicchio M, Baroni P, Pellegrini D, et al., 2015, Comparing and integrating argumentation-based with matrix-based decision support in Arg&Dec, Pages: 1-20, ISSN: 0302-9743
The need of making decisions pervades every field of human activity. Several decision support methods and software tools are available in the literature, relying upon different modelling assumptions and often producing different results. In this paper we investigate the relationships between two such approaches: the recently introduced QuAD frameworks, based on the IBIS model and quantitative argumentation, and the decision matrix method, widely adopted in engineering. In addition, we describe Arg&Dec (standing for Argue & Decide), a prototype web application for collaborative decision-making, encompassing the two methodologies and assisting their comparison through automated transformation.
Hooey BL, Aurisicchio M, Bracewell R, et al., 2014, Evidence-Based Error Analysis: Supporting the Design of Error-Tolerant Systems, 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
Ortíz Nicolás JC, Aurisicchio M, Desmet PMA, 2014, Pleasantness and arousal of twenty-five positive emotions elicited by durable products, 9th Design and Emotion Conference
Dai W, Aurisicchio M, 2013, An Empirical Investigation of Requirement Evolution in an Industrial Project, International Conference on Engineering Design 2013
Aurisicchio M, Bracewell R, Armstrong G, 2013, The function analysis diagram: Intended benefits and coexistence with other functional models, AI EDAM-ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN ANALYSIS AND MANUFACTURING, Vol: 27, Pages: 249-257, ISSN: 0890-0604
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- Citations: 34
Aurisicchio M, Bracewell RH, 2013, The Function Analysis Diagram: intended benefits and co-existence with other functional models, Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, Vol: 27
Understanding product functions is a key aspect of the work undertaken by engineers involved in complex system design. The support offered to these engineers by existing modelling tools such as the Function Tree and the Function Structure is limited as they are not intuitive and do not scale well to deal with real world engineering problems. A research collaboration between two universities and a major power system company in the aerospace domain has allowed the authors to further develop a method for function analysis known as Function Analysis Diagram (FAD) which was already in use by line engineers. The capability to generate and edit these diagrams was implemented in the Decision Rationale editor (DRed) a software tool for capturing design rationale. This article presents the intended benefits of the method and justifies them using an engineering case study. The results of the research have shown that the FAD method has a simple notation, permits the modelling of product functions together with structure, allows the generation of rich and accurate descriptions of product functionality, is useful to work with variant and adaptive design tasks and can co-exist with other functional modelling methods.
Baroni P, Romano M, Toni F, et al., 2013, An Argumentation-Based Approach for Automatic Evaluation of Design Debates, Publisher: SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN
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- Citations: 13
Ortiz Nicolas JC, Aurisicchio M, Desmet PMA, 2013, DIFFERENTIATING POSITIVE EMOTIONS ELICITED BY PRODUCTS: AN EXPLORATION OF PERCEIVED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 25 POSITIVE EMOTIONS BY USERS AND DESIGNERS, 19th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED), Publisher: DESIGN SOC, ISSN: 2220-4334
Ortíz Nicolás JC, Aurisicchio M, Desmet PMA, 2013, How users experience great products, 5th International Congress of International Association of Societies of Design Research
Ortíz Nicolás JC, Aurisicchio M, Desmet PMA, 2013, Understanding 25 positive emotions in product development: Frequency and preference of experience, and difficulty in eliciting them., 19th International Conference on Engineering Design
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