Digital soapboxes : towards an interaction design agenda for situated civic innovation

We argue that there are at least two significant issues for interaction designers to consider when creating the next generation of human interfaces for civic and urban engagement: (1) The disconnect between citizens participating in either digital or physical realms has resulted in a neglect of the hybrid role that public place and situated technology can play in contributing to civic innovation. (2) Under the veneer of many social media tools, hardly any meaningful strategies or approaches are found that go beyond awareness raising and allow citizens to do more than clicking a ‘Like’ button. We call for an agenda to design the next generation of ‘digital soapboxes’ that contributes towards a new form of polity helping citizens not only to have a voice but also to appropriate their city in order to take action for change.

The Stitchery collective : more than pretty clothes for pretty people

As a cultural field, the world of fashion is usually associated with ‘exclusive’ qualities such as celebrity, glamour and the value of being young beautiful and size 10. By and large fashion design courses adhere to this model of fashion production and consumption training their graduates to compete successfully in an industry that seems far removed from the notions inclusivity and connection of community engagement. However, alternative models can and do exist. This presentation tells the story of ‘the stitchery collective’ a group of graduates from QUTs Creative Industries Fashion program who are developing an innovative model of fashion practice focussed around the ideas and values both of community engagement and community cultural development. Their work to date has included projects that target specific community groups – such as “Fashioning Social Inclusion” (2010-2011) that works with Brisbane women who belong to migrant and refugee communities, as well as more recently “WARM” a workshop delivered to children at the 3rd International Kids’ Carnival hosted by La Biennale in Venice (February 2012). A common thread across these programs is a desire to investigate the premise that clothing and dress can potentially act as a lingua franca that enables connection and communication; and that in fact aspects of ‘fashion’ culture can be mobilised in a community focussed context to enhance cultural exchange. The issue of how ‘learning’ happens in these contexts provides rich scope for analysis and discussion – given the innovative and engaged nature of the work our discussion will particularly highlight the ‘leaning through doing’ that occurs as well as the ‘collective’ nature of the design processes we develop and promote. The story will include the voices and perspectives of several of the stitchery collective’s members as well as community partners.

Design innovation and the 21st century fashion blur

This paper presents the fashion course at QUT, Creative Industries

The stitchery collective

The stitchery collective is fashion-based design collective. Founded in February 2010 the collective brings together creative practitioners from across an expanded field of fashion design to develop innovative new models for both the design, production and consumption of fashion in the 21st century. Under the broad question "can fashion be more than pretty clothes for pretty people?" the collective has developed a range of workshops, exhibitions and creative projects that both engage the wider public and targeted community groups. The projects include "consciousness raising: up cycling workshops, zero-waste pattern cutting workshops, and sewing workshops with members of Brisbane's Karen, Sudansese, and Iraqi communities. Through these projects we test how innovative fashion design practice can engage with questions of environmental sustainability, ethical practices, and social inclusion. Established around a set of people -centred values, the stitchery collective therefore seeks to re-cast fashion as a 'less bad' field of creative endeavor and, one that sustains, inspires and connects individuals and communities. In seeking to develop new models of fashion practice that are socially oriented and environmentally responsible the stitchery outcomes align with the broader field of Design for Sustainability.

Improved shear design rules for lipped channel beams with web openings

Cold-formed steel Lipped Channel Beams (LCB) with web openings are commonly used as floor joists and bearers in building structures. The shear behaviour of these beams is more complicated and their shear capacities are considerably reduced by the presence of web openings. However, limited research has been undertaken on the shear behaviour and strength of LCBs with web openings. Hence a detailed numerical study was undertaken to investigate the shear behaviour and strength of LCBs with web openings. Finite element models of simply supported LCBs under a mid-span load with aspect ratios of 1.0 and 1.5 were developed and validated by comparing their results with test results. They were then used in a detailed parametric study to investigate the effects of various influential parameters. Experimental and numerical results showed that the current design rules in cold-formed steel structures design codes are very conservative. Improved design equations were therefore proposed for the shear strength of LCBs with web openings based on both experimental and numerical results. This paper presents the details of finite element modelling of LCBs with web openings, validation of finite element models, and the development of improved shear design rules. The proposed shear design rules in this paper can be considered for inclusion in the future versions of cold-formed steel design codes.

A Design Theory for Context-Aware Information Systems

This research studies information systems that adapt to the context in which they are used and provides recommendations on how the design of such systems can be improved. This thesis covers the problem of context-awareness via two case studies in the insurance and transportation industries. The study highlights shortcomings in the understanding of the relationship between information systems and context. Furthermore, it presents a new, theory-informed approach to design, and provides guidance for system developers seeking to implement context-aware information systems.

Capitalising on mixed methods research : design, examples, and practice

Overview: - Development of mixed methods research - Benefits and challenges of “mixing” - Different models - Good design - Two examples - How to report? - Have a go!

EatChaFood : challenging technology design to slice food waste production

This paper presents work in progress of EatChaFood – a prototype app designed to increase user knowledge of the currently available domestic supply and location of food, with a view to reducing expired household food waste. In order to reap the benefits that EatChaFood can provide we explore ways to overcome manual data entry as a barrier to use. Our user study has to recognise the limitations of the prototype app, and conduct an evaluation of the interaction design built into the app to promote behaviour change. Innovations in the near future such as the automatic scanning of barcodes on food items or photo-recognition will close the gap between perceived prototype usability and usefulness.

Defining sustainability requirements for design-build (DB) contractor selection in public sector projects

The design-build (DB) delivery system is an effective means of delivering a green construction project and selecting an appropriate contractor is critical to project success. Moreover, the delivery of green buildings requires specific design, construction and operation and maintenance considerations not generally encountered in the procurement of conventional buildings. Specifying clear sustainability requirements to potential contractors is particularly important in achieving sustainable project goals. However, many client/owners either do not explicitly specify sustainability requirements or do so in a prescriptive manner during the project procurement process. This paper investigates the current state-of-the-art procurement process used in specifying the sustainability requirements of the public sector in the USA construction market by means of a robust content analysis of 40 design-build requests for proposals (RFPs). The results of the content analysis indicate that the sustainability requirement is one of the most important dimensions in the best-value evaluation of DB contractors. Client/owners predominantly specify the LEED certification levels (e.g. LEED Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) for a particular facility, and include the sustainability requirements as selection criteria (with specific importance weightings) for contractor evolution. Additionally, larger size projects tend to allocate higher importance weightings to sustainability requirements.This study provides public DB client/owners with a number of practical implications for selecting appropriate design-builders for sustainable DB projects.

Design of an experimental apparatus to analyse bagasse behaviour in a chute

Pressure feeder chutes are pieces of equipment used in sugar cane crushing to increase the amount of cane that can be put through a mill. The continuous pressure feeder was developed with the objective to provide a constant feed of bagasse under pressure to the mouth of the crushing mills. The pressure feeder chute is used in a sugarcane milling unit to transfer bagasse from one set of crushing rolls to a second set of crushing rolls. There have been many pressure feeder chute failures in the past. The pressure feeder chute is quite vulnerable and if the bagasse throughput is blocked at the mill rollers, the pressure build-up in the chute can be enormous, which can ultimately result in failure. The result is substantial damage to the rollers, mill and chute construction, and downtimes of up to 48 hours can be experienced. Part of the problem is that the bagasse behaviour in the pressure feeder chute is not understood well. If the pressure feeder chute behaviour was understood, then the chute geometry design could be modified in order to minimise risk of failure. There are possible avenues for changing pressure feeder chute design and operations with a view to producing more reliable pressure feeder chutes in the future. There have been previous attempts to conduct experimental work to determine the causes of pressure feeder chute failures. There are certain guidelines available, however pressure feeder chute failures continue. Pressure feeder chute behaviour still remains poorly understood. This thesis contains the work carried out between April 14th 2009 and October 10th 2012 that focuses on the design of an experimental apparatus to measure forces and visually observe bagasse behaviour in an attempt to understand bagasse behaviour in pressure feeder chutes and minimise the risk of failure.

Establishing design thinking : accident, program frameworks and personal practices

Distribution through electronic media provides an avenue for promotion, recognition and an outlet of display for graphic designers. The emergence of available media technologies have enabled graphic designers to extend these boundaries of their practice. In this context the designer is constantly striving for aesthetic success and is strongly influenced by the fashion and trends of contemporary design work. The designer is always in a state of inquiry, finding pathways of discovery that lead to innovation and originality that are highly valued criteria for self-evaluation. This research is based on an analysis of the designer perspective and the processes used within an active graphic design practice specializing entirely within a digital collage domain. Contemporary design methodologies were critically examined, compared and refined to reflect the self-practice of the researcher. The refined methodology may assist designers in maintaining systematic work practices, as well as promote the importance of exploration and experimentation processes. Research findings indicate some differences in the identified methodologies and the design practice of the researcher in the sense that many contemporary designers are not confined to a client-base but are self-generating design images influenced by contemporary practitioners. As well as confirming some aspects of more conventional design processes, the researcher found that accidental discoveries and the designer’s interaction with technology plays a significant part in the design process.

Design, modelling and measurement of hybrid powerplant for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The success or effectiveness for any aircraft design is a function of many trade-offs. Over the last 100 years of aircraft design these trade-offs have been optimized and dominant aircraft design philosophies have emerged. Pilotless aircraft (or uninhabited airborne systems, UAS) present new challenges in the optimization of their configuration. Recent developments in battery and motor technology have seen an upsurge in the utility and performance of electric powered aircraft. Thus, the opportunity to explore hybrid-electric aircraft powerplant configurations is compelling. This thesis considers the design of such a configuration from an overall propulsive, and energy efficiency perspective. A prototype system was constructed using a representative small UAS internal combustion engine (10cc methanol two-stroke) and a 600W brushless Direct current (BLDC) motor. These components were chosen to be representative of those that would be found on typical small UAS. The system was tested on a dynamometer in a wind-tunnel and the results show an improvement in overall propulsive efficiency of 17% when compared to a non-hybrid powerplant. In this case, the improvement results from the utilization of a larger propeller that the hybrid solution allows, which shows that general efficiency improvements are possible using hybrid configurations for aircraft propulsion. Additionally this approach provides new improvements in operational and mission flexibility (such as the provision of self-starting) which are outlined in the thesis. Specifically, the opportunity to use the windmilling propeller for energy regeneration was explored. It was found (in the prototype configuration) that significant power (60W) is recoverable in a steep dive, and although the efficiency of regeneration is low, the capability can allow several options for improved mission viability. The thesis concludes with the general statement that a hybrid powerplant improves the overall mission effectiveness and propulsive efficiency of small UAS.

Monte Carlo-based diode design for correction-less small field dosimetry

Due to their small collecting volume diodes are commonly used in small field dosimetry. However the relative sensitivity of a diode increases with decreasing small field size. Conversely, small air gaps have been shown to cause a significant decrease in the sensitivity of a detector as the field size is decreased. Therefore this study uses Monte Carlo simulations to look at introducing air upstream to diodes such that they measure with a constant sensitivity across all field sizes in small field dosimetry. Varying thicknesses of air were introduced onto the upstream end of two commercial diodes (PTW 60016 photon diode and PTW 60017 electron diode), as well as a theoretical unenclosed silicon chip using field sizes as small as 5 mm × 5 mm . The metric D_(w,Q)/D_(Det,Q) used in this study represents the ratio of the dose to a point of water to the dose to the diode active volume, for a particular field size and location. The optimal thickness of air required to provide a constant sensitivity across all small field sizes was found by plotting D_(w,Q)/D_(Det,Q) as a function of introduced air gap size for various field sizes, and finding the intersection point of these plots. That is, the point at which D_(w,Q)/D_(Det,Q) was constant for all field sizes was found. The optimal thickness of air was calculated to be 3.3 mm, 1.15 mm and 0.10 mm for the photon diode, electron diode and unenclosed silicon chip respectively. The variation in these results was due to the different design of each detector. When calculated with the new diode design incorporating the upstream air gap, k_(Q_clin 〖,Q〗_msr)^(f_clin 〖,f〗_msr ) was equal to unity to within statistical uncertainty (0.5 %) for all three diodes. Cross-axis profile measurements were also improved with the new detector design. The upstream air gap could be implanted on the commercial diodes via a cap consisting of the air cavity surrounded by water equivalent material. The results for the unclosed silicon chip show that an ideal small field dosimetry diode could be created by using a silicon chip with a small amount of air above it.

Teaching design thinking : Expanding horizons in design education

The term design thinking is increasingly used to mean the human-centred 'open' problem solving process decision makers use to solve real world 'wicked' problems. Claims have been made that design thinking in this sense can radically improve not only product innovation but also decision making in other fields, such as management, public health, and organizations in general. Many design and management schools in North America and elsewhere now include course offerings in design thinking though little is known about how successful these are with students. The lack of such courses in Australia presents an opportunity to design a curriculum for design thinking, employing design thinking's own practices. This paper describes the development of a design thinking course at Swinburne University taught simultaneously in Melbourne and Hong Kong. Following a pilot of the course in Semester 1, 2011 with 90 enrolled students across the two countries, we describe lessons learned to date and future course considerations as it is being taught in its second iteration.

Beyond designing : roles of the designer in complex design projects

Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory methods of co-design to contribute to designing human-centred interfaces, systems and services. Design thinking has recently developed as a set of strategies for human-centred co-design in product innovation, management and organisational transformation. Both developments place the designer in a new mediator role, requiring new skills than previously evident. This paper presents preliminary findings from a PhD case study of strategy and innovation consultancy Second Road to discuss these emerging roles of design lead, facilitator, teacher and director in action.