Thesis (M. S.)--Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Joe Ballay; Committee Member: Kevin Shankwiler; Committee Member: Neta Ezer

Thesis (DTech (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-256). Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / Eastman, Chuck, Committee Member ; Paredis, Chris, Committee Co-Chair ; Allen, Janet, Committee Member ; Rosen, David, Committee Member ; Tsui, Kwok, Committee Member ; McDowell, David, Committee Member ; Mistree, Farrokh, Committee Chair. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1967. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-65).

Products are designed to satisfy user needs. Thus, industrial designers are expected to have a thorough understanding of user needs and to incorporate those understandings into the design of products; however, it is not a straightforward task for designers to translate their conditional understanding into a product. The gap between product and user can be even wider when latent user needs, such as cultural ones, are calculated into the problem. Therefore the meanings and functions imbued in products by the designer may not be recognized and acknowledged by users, due to the differences in cultural preferences of designers and users from separate cultures. In spite of the fact that user satisfaction has been extensively supported in the design literature, it seems that such an approach allows only a passive role for designers, who actually act as cultural intermediaries; that is, the designers' role is merely presumed to catalyze the process and match user requirements to the end product. Thus, the impact of designers' cultural preferences is considered as incidental, or at least overlooked. A content analysis method was triangulated to collect and analyze diverse visual and textual data relating to the concept generation stage of the product development process. To collect data, professional industrial designers in the two culturally diverse countries of Australia and Iran were recruited to participate in half-hour design exercise sessions to sketch to a design brief, followed by responding to an interview questionnaire. The analysis of data revealed that: (1) designers' cultural preferences do influence their approaches toward tackling the design problem; (2) there are nexuses between the design aspects of the concepts generated and the cultural dimensions of the values of the societies in which the designers were born and has lived, and; (3)potential users can unconsciously comprehend the meaning invested in the product by the designer. This thesis breaks new ground for further advancing the study of the Designer-Precedent Approach (DPA) in other cultural and social contexts, while it challenges the conventional approaches of user-centered design (UCD) broadlyperceived as the ultimate method of incorporating users' wants into products.

Products are designed to satisfy user needs. Thus, industrial designers are expected to have a thorough understanding of user needs and to incorporate those understandings into the design of products; however, it is not a straightforward task for designers to translate their conditional understanding into a product. The gap between product and user can be even wider when latent user needs, such as cultural ones, are calculated into the problem. Therefore the meanings and functions imbued in products by the designer may not be recognized and acknowledged by users, due to the differences in cultural preferences of designers and users from separate cultures. In spite of the fact that user satisfaction has been extensively supported in the design literature, it seems that such an approach allows only a passive role for designers, who actually act as cultural intermediaries; that is, the designers' role is merely presumed to catalyze the process and match user requirements to the end product. Thus, the impact of designers' cultural preferences is considered as incidental, or at least overlooked. A content analysis method was triangulated to collect and analyze diverse visual and textual data relating to the concept generation stage of the product development process. To collect data, professional industrial designers in the two culturally diverse countries of Australia and Iran were recruited to participate in half-hour design exercise sessions to sketch to a design brief, followed by responding to an interview questionnaire. The analysis of data revealed that: (1) designers' cultural preferences do influence their approaches toward tackling the design problem; (2) there are nexuses between the design aspects of the concepts generated and the cultural dimensions of the values of the societies in which the designers were born and has lived, and; (3)potential users can unconsciously comprehend the meaning invested in the product by the designer. This thesis breaks new ground for further advancing the study of the Designer-Precedent Approach (DPA) in other cultural and social contexts, while it challenges the conventional approaches of user-centered design (UCD) broadlyperceived as the ultimate method of incorporating users' wants into products.

Existe uma comprovada correlação positiva entre a utilização de design e o desempenho comercial das empresas. Portanto, é desejável que o design industrial seja integrado à engenharia no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP). Este trabalho investiga a integração entre design industrial e engenharia no PDP, com ênfase em empresas brasileiras de pequeno porte, pois existem evidências de negligência desta abordagem integradora e dificuldades práticas, uma vez optado pela integração. Foram propostos um framework, que buscou estabelecer as classes de fatores ou dimensões que podem ter alguma influência no fenômeno, e um conjunto de boas práticas, que pudesse ser utilizado como parâmetro comparativo para a realidade e para a aplicação prática em estudos de caso. Também foram levantados, na revisão bibliográfica, e utilizados um modelo de maturidade de design e uma ferramenta de auditoria do produto. A pesquisa de campo, do tipo pesquisa-ação, utilizou uma amostra de 180 empresas e 10 estudos de caso em profundidade, envolvendo visitas às empresas, entrevistas com empresários e participantes do processo de desenvolvimento, análise documental e participação ativa em casos reais de desenvolvimento de produtos. Os resultados demonstram que a grande maioria das empresas de pequeno porte brasileiras situa-se nos dois níveis mais baixos, entre os quatro possíveis, do modelo de maturidade, o que é uma situação indesejável. A distribuição das empresas de base tecnológica é muito semelhante, o que torna ainda mais preocupante o quadro, pois este tipo de empresa é considerado um instrumento para transformação de conhecimento em riqueza. Os estudos de caso de desenvolvimento de produtos, com ênfase na integração precoce do design industrial à engenharia no PDP, permitem afirmar que os produtos desenvolvidos desta forma tendem a obter melhor desempenho tanto na performance técnica quanto de interface, o que potencialmente melhora suas chances de competição no mercado atual. Foram identificados benefícios e barreiras, adaptações nas boas práticas propostas para sua aplicação nas especificidades das pequenas empresas e implicações da situação observada. / There is a proved positive correlation between design use and business performance. Therefore, it is desirable to integrate industrial design to engineering design in product development process (PDP). This study investigates the integration between industrial design and engineering design in PDP, giving emphasis on brazilian small businesses. There is evidence about the neglect of this integrated approach and difficulties in practice. It has been proposed a framework - trying to stablish the classes of factors or dimensions that have influence on the phenomenon - and a set of best practices to use as a comparative parameter to empirical data and to pratical aplication on case studies. Also, it has been used a design maturity model and a product audit tool, based on the literature review. The field research - action-research type - used a sample of 180 companies and 10 case studies, involving visit to businesses, interviews with business owners and product development process participants, documental analysis and active participation on real cases of product development. The results show that most of brazilian small businesses take place on the two lower levels, among four possible, what is an undesirable situation. The technology-based business distribution on the model is very similar, becoming more concerning this situation, because this kind of enterprise is considered as an instrument to transform knowledge in wealth. The product development case studies with emphasis on early integration of industrial design in the PDP allow to state that products that were developed with this approach tend to gain better results on both technical and human interface performance, what potentially improve the chances to compete in actual market. It was identified benefits and barries, adaptations in proposed best practices for aplication on small businesses and consequences of the observed situation.

Esta pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo exploratório, procurou identificar manifestações de obsolescência programada presentes atualmente no mercado brasileiro, assim como os principais produtos relacionados a ela. A maneira como artefatos são produzidos e comercializados desde a implementação da obsolescência programada estão colocando a sociedade frente a uma limitação ambiental no que diz respeito ao esgotamento dos recursos e um crescimento alarmante na geração de lixo eletrônico. Frente a essa limitação, modelos de consumo e fabricação são questionados. Considerando o design como uma atividade engajada intrinsecamente nas questões sociais, ele pode ser uma importante ferramenta para modificar este cenário. A pesquisa baseou- se nas definições de obsolescência programada elaboradas por Packard, Papanek e Slade para definir parâmetros conceituais que possibilitassem a identificação da obsolescência programada por meio de práticas de consumo. Foi usado como método de coleta de dados um questionário para identificar a percepção dos consumidores e entrevistas com designers para tentar estabelecer uma relação entre o fenômeno estudado e o design. Os produtos mais citados foram telefones celulares e computadores. Durabilidade mostrou-se pouco importante para aparelhos com rápida evolução tecnológica como o telefone celular. Para produtos sem essa característica tecnológica, durabilidade mostrou-se rara, pois, de acordo com o resultado da pesquisa, há uma grande associação entre materiais baratos e frágeis, que comprometem a durabilidade dos produtos. Apesar de o resultado permitir identificar os três tipos de obsolescência programada determinados pelos autores -- artificial, psicológica e tecnológica --, a pesquisa concluiu que o conceito de obsolescência programada, da maneira como foi criado, está tão assimilado nos dias de hoje que acaba por tornar o termo em si obsoleto. Isso porque hoje produtos não precisam ser feitos para quebrar para que sejam trocados e muitas vezes descartados. / This exploratory qualitative research tried to identify planned obsolescence\'s manifestations in the Brazilian market, as well as the main products related to it. The way consumer goods have been produced and sold since the planned obsolescence\'s implementation is leading society to an environmental limitation in terms of natural resources and alarming growth in the generation of electronic waste. Consumption the way it is and manufacturing are questioned, faced with this limitation. Considering design as an activity intrinsically engaged in social issues, it can be an important tool to modify this scenario. The research was based on planned obsolescence and on conceptual parameters by Packard, Papanek and Slade, which allowed the identification of planned obsolescence through consumption practices. As a method, a questionnaire to identify consumer perception and interviews with designers tried to establish a relationship between the studied phenomenon and the design. The most cited products were cell phones and computers. Durability proved to be unimportant for devices with rapid technological evolution such as cell phones. For products without this technological characteristic, durability proved to be rare, as according to the research results there is a great association between cheap and fragile materials, which compromise the durability of the products. Although the result allows to identify the three types of programmed obsolescence determined by the authors -- artificial, psychological and technological --, the research concluded that the concept of programmed obsolescence, in the way it was created, is so assimilated today that it ends up making the term itself obsolete. This is because today products do not have to be made to break to be changed and often discarded.

Essa Tese enfoca a prática projetual de José Carlos Mário Bornancini (1923-2008) e Nelson Ivan Petzold (1931) para (i) demonstrar como a parceria gaúcha Bornancini e Petzold (B/P), iniciada em 1962 e encerrada em 2008, contribuiu ao desenvolvimento tecnológico de empresas brasileiras e ao acesso do conhecimento tácito atingindo um patamar de excelência projetual, reconhecido nacionalmente; e (ii) investigar como a trajetória da parceria B/P pode colaborar ao ensino de design. No Brasil, a institucionalização do ensino de design ocorre durante a década de 1960, momento que coincide com o início da atuação de B/P no desenvolvimento de projeto de produto. Como o tema engloba a tecnologia, o ensino e o design, foi concebida uma abordagem singular para integrar esses elementos: a perspectiva humanista, desdobrada nas dimensões ética, interdisciplinar e interacional. A história recente mostra que a Reforma Universitária de 1968 se caracterizou pela ênfase tecnicista na formação superior. No ensino de design, não foi diferente. A relação assimétrica entre áreas humanas e áreas tecnológicas teve forte repercussão. Acrescenta-se ainda a priorização dos contextos internacionais, por conseguinte o conhecimento da trajetória de designers locais é pouco explorado. Tendo em vista contribuir ao ensino de design nos aspectos histórico e metodológico a Tese dedica-se a estabelecer relações entre a prática projetual da trajetória pioneira de B/P, articulando-a com as abordagens contemporâneas do design Os procedimentos metodológicos empregados amparam-se nas abordagens de pesquisa qualitativa por meio da coleta e análise de dados. As referências teóricas apoiam-se nas áreas humanas e sociais, filosofia da ciência, psicologia, pedagogia, história e ensino do design no Brasil, história e economia no Rio Grande do Sul, interdisciplinaridade, metodologias de projeto, design centrado no usuário e design participativo. A análise dos dados obtidos verificou que os aspectos histórico e metodológico estão interligados. A investigação da trajetória da parceria conclui que (i) sua integração no ambiente organizacional contribuiu à adoção do paradigma tecnológico no Rio Grande do Sul, formando a primeira geração de projetistas que desenvolve design industrial sob a matriz modernista. E, (ii) no ensino em design, a prática de Bornancini e Petzold aponta que além do conhecimento técnico-científico (fator tecnológico), a integração interpessoal (fator interacional) é fundamental para o êxito do desenvolvimento de projeto de produto. Evidencia-se o ponto de contato da parceria com as abordagens contemporâneas do design: entender que todos os envolvidos no desenvolvimento de projeto de produto precisam ser valorizados. / This thesis focuses on the project practice of José Carlos Mário Bornancini (1923-2008) and Nelson Ivan Petzold (1931) in order to (i) demonstrate how the partnership between Bornancini and Petzold, initiated in 1962 and closed in 2008, contributed to the technological development of Brazilian companies and to the access of tacit knowledge reaching a level of project excellence, recognized nationally; and (ii) to investigate how the path of the B/P partnership can contribute to design teaching. In Brazil, the institutionalization of design teaching takes place during the 1960s, a moment that coincides with the beginning of B / P performance in the development of product design. As the theme encompasses technology, teaching and design, a unique approach was conceived to integrate these elements: the humanistic perspective, unfolded in the ethical, interdisciplinary and interactional dimensions. Recent history shows that the University Reform of 1968 was characterized by the technicist emphasis on higher education. In design teaching, it was no different. The asymmetrical relationship between human areas and technological areas had a strong repercussion. It also adds the prioritization of international contexts, therefore the knowledge of the trajectory of local designers is little explored. In order to contribute to the teaching of design in the historical and methodological aspects, the thesis is dedicated to establishing relationships between the design practice of the pioneer B / P trajectory, articulating it with the contemporary approaches to design The methodological procedures employed are based on qualitative research approaches through the collection and analysis of data. The theoretical references are based on human and social areas, philosophy of science, psychology, pedagogy, history and teaching of design in Brazil, history and economics in Rio Grande do Sul, interdisciplinarity, design methodologies, user centered design and participatory design . The analysis of the data obtained verified that the historical and methodological aspects are interconnected. The investigation of the partnership trajectory concludes that (i) its integration into the organizational environment contributed to the adoption of the technological paradigm in Rio Grande do Sul, forming the first generation of designers that develops industrial design under the modernist matrix. And, (ii) in design teaching, the practice of Bornancini and Petzold points out that in addition to technical-scientific knowledge (technological factor), interpersonal integration (interactional factor) is fundamental to the success of product design development. The point of contact of the partnership with contemporary design approaches is evidenced: to understand that everyone involved in the development of product design needs to be valued.