Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming social activities and interactions which are naturally varied and dynamic. In this process, ‘gaps’ develop between the technologies and emerging social requirements. Given that the main challenge for Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is to identify and ameliorate these socio-technical gaps, it is essential to understand how individuals work and collaborate in groups, societies, and communities. The main question addressed in this study regards the identification of these gaps in the social activities of Online Collaborative Consumption (OCC). The intention is to improve user experience and design requirements to support OCC at the socio-technical design level. OCC facilitates sharing, swapping, trading, or renting products, services, and resources, via the computer-mediated interactions. Etsy, an online marketplace and community for handmade and craft goods, is the focus of this study as a community in which OCC takes place. The evaluation of online communities by using an ethnographic approach is an equally important question which this study investigates. Due to a lack of standard methods, a new combined methodological approach is proposed in this research (Predictive ethnography) and it was used in evaluation of collaborative communities to investigate the socio-technical gaps. In this approach, online ethnography complemented predictive evaluation with the aid of heuristics including sociability, usability, and user experience (UX) items. These heuristics were drawn from previous literature as the success factors for the online communities. The textual interactions from discussions of the forum and teams on Etsy that were related to these heuristics were collected and coded. Over 1000 posts from 178 threads were collected. Their frequencies were measured to demonstrate their importance, and further ethnography helped the researcher in qualitative analysis and meaning making of the textual interactions. The subsidiary question this research aims to answer is how social capital is developed in the OCC communities. Social capital is utilised as a tool to enhance the understanding of the socio-technical requirements of OCC communities and to improve the process of social capital generation. The same above-mentioned methodological approach (Predictive ethnography) was applied with the heuristics replaced by social capital measures. Over 9500 posts collected from 97 threads from the textual discussions of different Etsy teams. This study investigates the social capital formation in different types of teams such as topic-based ones that are created based on the common interest topics, and location-based ones that are created based on the shared locations of the members. In the topic-based teams, a significant amount of knowledge sharing and intellectual capital was observed. In location-based teams, most interactions were within social interactions and relational capital. The new method proposed in this research has shown its effectiveness in gaining insight from the natural discussions of the members. In total, 33 socio-technical gaps were identified and presented with possible recommendations. The most significant gaps concerned: Trust creation features; relevant rules of behaviour; clear displayed policies; and social presence tools.

abstract: This paper discusses the second phase of sustainability in the field of design and identifies the success factors of design innovation in the ethnic craft industry in northern Thailand. This study explored craftspeople’s capital, their means of developing it, and potential routes to sustainable development on the capital. The literature review examines three topics: (1) ethnic identity and craft; (2) northern Thailand and hill tribes; and (3) design thinking, vulnerability, and resilience. Empirical research was conducted with hill tribe craftspeople in northern Thailand. Seven types of capital—human, social, natural, physical, financial, cultural, and emotional capital—were identified through interviews and observation. Those types of capital indicated what the craftspeople wanted and needed. The key findings were as follows: First, social capital has a close relationship with both human capital and emotional capital, indicating that for craftspeople, networks and membership ensure knowledge and increase connections with friends and family. Secondly, emotional capital is affected by financial capital. Financial capital refers to the monetary resources used to achieve craftspeople’s livelihood objectives. The craftspeople required high order volumes to earn to more money and thus improve their economic condition; they experienced more stress when order volumes were low. Third, financial capital is not related to social and cultural capital. Graphs implied certain relationship among them, with the reasons varying depending on the individual craftsperson’s environment. A high level of social and cultural capital does not affect low financial capital, and vice versa. Finally, cultural capital directly influences emotional capital because the happiness of hill tribe craftspeople is related to their identity and dignity as craftspeople. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2017

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of economic growth and job creation. Governments have devoted considerable resources to increase their competitiveness in the market. Several design support programmes (DSPs) have emerged from this investment to promote design as a strategic resource for innovation and business growth. Although existing research indicates that an effective use of design can enhance the business performance, a lack of interest amongst SMEs to work with designers is cited in several studies. Despite the great amount of money, energy and time that has been spent on design support for SMEs, there is still a lack of knowledge about effective delivery and evaluation. This thesis focuses on the problem of finding better ways to assist SMEs with design for economic growth by evaluating the effectiveness of design support for SMEs. This research, therefore, has examined the activities of UK-based DSPs, investigated the expertise of design consultancies and inquired about the self-image of designers in order to expand the knowledge of design support for SMEs. The research applied an interpretive paradigm, where multiple realities are recognised as socially constructed. Data was gathered through interviews with individuals representing DSPs, SMEs, design consultancies and government support agencies assisting SMEs. Observation of business support events and publicly available documents were used as additional sources. A thematic analysis and a systematic metaphor analysis were employed to examine the resulting data. The research has highlighted a number of key issues that are pivotal to the success of design support for SMEs. This PhD research also proposes two explanatory frameworks to contribute to design theory and practice: a seven-step evaluation framework for planning and evaluating the outcomes of DSPs and a re-framing of the generalist-specialist dilemma that can inform the activities of design consultancies and DSPs and can guide designers to improve their expertise.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Capitalising on South Africa’s innovation resource through entrepreneurship in the creative industries. In light of the current global challenges as well as local needs and opportunities, there is a need for improved utilisation of South Africa’s innovation resource. Due to designers possessing creativity and the ability to innovate, it is proposed that an increase in the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship activity in the creative sectors will have notable impacts on the sustainability, competitiveness and value of South Africa’s economic activity. It is argued that designers and creative individuals inherently possess a number of entrepreneurial traits and that design education promotes the development of many entrepreneurial behaviours. Thus, it is necessary to offset and maximise these skills with the requisite businessrelated cognitions, attributes and abilities. For this reason, this study looks at the contextual characteristics and needs of small businesses operating in South African design sectors. The objective is to provide relevant and practical suggestions for improving ‘effective’ entrepreneurial activity in the design industries. The current state of entrepreneurship education in a representative sample of South African entrepreneurship courses is analysed. The outcome of this process is used as a base-line in consulting a number of experts in the South African small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, in order to ascertain the context-specific ‘success factors’ for small businesses in South Africa. Empirical data is then gathered regarding the current state of entrepreneurship and small business content in design education in South Africa. The results of all these processes are analysed in conjunction with the empirical results regarding the individually perceived abilities and attitudes of designers currently operating small businesses in South Africa. The outcome of this analysis is a framework describing the important elements (and relationships between elements) necessary in the development of effective entrepreneurial ability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Benutting van Suid-Afrika se innovasie hulpbron deur middel van entrepreneurskap in die kreatiewe bedrywe. In lig van die huidige wêreldwye uitdagings, insluitend die plaaslike behoeftes en geleenthede, is daar ‘n noodsaaklikheid vir die beter benutting van Suid-Afrika se innovasie-hulpbron. As gevolg van die feit dat ontwerpers oor kreatiwiteit en die vermoë om te innoveer beskik, word daar voorgestel dat ‘n verhoging in die gehalte en hoeveelheid entrepreneuriese aktiwiteite in die kreatiewe sektore ‘n beduidende impak op die volhoubaarheid, mededingendheid en waarde toevoeging van Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese aktiwiteite sal hê. Daar word geredeneer dat ontwerpers en kreatiewe individue oor ‘n bepaalde aantal intrinsieke entrepreneuriese eienskappe beskik en verder dat ‘n aantal entrepreneuriese gedragspatrone deur ontwerp onderwys ontwikkel en bevorder kan word. Dit is daarom nodig om hierdie vaardighede met die vereiste sake beginsels, eienskappe en vermoëns te versterk en optimeer. Om hierdie rede ondersoek hierdie studie die kontekstuele eienskappe en behoeftes van klein sake-ondernemings in die Suid-Afrikaanse ontwerp sektore. Die doel is om toepaslike en praktiese voorstelle vir die verbetering van ‘effektiewe’ entrepreneuriese aktiwiteite in die ontwerp nywerhede te voorsien. Die huidige stand van entrepreneurskap-onderwys is bepaal deur ‘n verteenwoordigende steekproef van die Suid-Afrikaanse entrepreneurskap kursusse te ontleed. Die uitkoms van hierdie proses word gebruik as ‘n basis-lyn in die raadpleging van ‘n aantal deskundiges in die Suid- Afrikaanse klein sake-sektor, ten einde die konteks-spesifieke ‘sukses faktore’ vir klein ondernemings in Suid-Afrika vas te stel. Empiriese data word dan versamel met betrekking tot die huidige stand van die entrepreneurskap en kleinsake inhoud wat in die ontwerp onderwys van Suid-Afrika vervat word. Die resultate van al hierdie prosesse is ontleed tesame met die empiriese resultate wat verkry is ten opsigte van die vermoëns en houdings wat gekoppel word aan ontwerpers wat tans werksaam is in die klein ondernemings in Suid-Afrika. Die uitkoms van hierdie analise poog om ‘n raamwerk daar te stel vir die beskrywing van die belangrikste elemente (en verhoudings tussen elemente) wat benodig word in die ontwikkeling van effektiewe entrepreneuriese vermoëns.

<p>A key aspect of color change is altering perceived value or intensity. This dissertation presents a methodology to achieve value change through mechanical means via the deflection of bistable structures. We create the Mechxel, two methods of mechanical pixel-based, reversible color change using 3D printed switchable multistability and bistable switch panels that augment the projected area a viewer perceives which enables the creation of image and character tessellation.</p> <p>Switchable multistability (SMS) arises from the combination of pre-strain and shape memory, allowing us to access multiple elastically programmed shapes at elevated temperatures with fast morphing and low actuation forces, while retaining high stiffness at room temperature. We design and manufacture SMS Mechxels using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing on the Ultimaker 3D printer in a bilayer layup of polylactic acid (PLA) with a [90/0] print direction while iteratively miniaturizing the physical size to enhance the resolution while also reducing the size of the overall tessellated display. Leveraging SMS properties programmed into each Mechxel, the projected area to a viewer will vary between the unit’s stable states, creating a difference in perceived value of coloration due to changes in area. To ease the tessellation process, we also introduce a tessellation user interface that maps images to their tessellated equivalent to reduce tessellation trial and error. This interface also calculates the number of Mechxels required in their respective states and the final physical size of the display. We then carry out image processing to justify this change in value between stable states and run preliminary optical character recognition.</p> <p>Inspired by mechanical bistable mechanisms, the bistable switch Mechxels utilize changes in a surface’s projected area to a viewer via changes in the angle of a bistable tile using a 5-by-5 grid for character replication and display. Comprising of three main components – two bistable switches, a colored tile and a base, design considerations were made to create an easy to assemble and replaceable 3D printed grid system that could be interacted with by audiences or easily electromechanically actuated. Using pixel-by-pixel comparisons and Sorensen-Dice coefficient, characters using the typeface Silkscreen were documented on these tiled grids yielding high similarity and low error when compared to their digital reference images in various positions and orientations. We also experiment with transitional waves as a promising means of actuation to change the Mechxel between their stable states.</p> <p>The Mechxels considered in this research introduce a new means of purely mechanical color change, character, and image display either leveraging the elastic properties of shape memory polymers (SMPs) or bistable mechanisms. With potential applications in passive morphing architecture, adaptive camouflage, and interactive aesthetic, Mechxels opens the door to limitless design possibilities through a new perspective into color change.</p>

The importance of product design has been getting attention in the past decade from scholars and practitioners. Design plays a critical role in firms’ product development and business strategies. In recent years, scholars began to see design innovation as another vital innovation element of a new product. A new product should encompass at least two innovation elements: technology innovation and design innovation. While technology points to the function of a product, design points to the form of a product. Despite the advocacy of scholarly examination of design innovation, there are few studies of design innovation. In this dissertation, two empirical studies have been conducted to examine the outcome of design innovation and the antecedents of design activities, respectively. Study 1 examines the effect of design innovation (as well as technology and service innovation) on new product performance. Additionally, the study examines the roles of marketing innovation and process innovation in mediating the relationships between these innovation activities and new product performance. Study 2 examines how firms’ absorptive capacity, competitive responsiveness, and product development resources drive design and R&D activities. Design and R&D activities typically lead to the introduction of design and technology innovation. Regarding the findings from this dissertation, the first study shows that design, technology, and service innovation (which, argued by this study, are the three main innovation elements of a new product) all contribute to new product performance. Additionally, marketing innovation and process innovation are found to mediate the relationship between these innovation elements and performance. The second study shows that a firm’s competitor responsiveness, absorptive capacity (captured by “institutional sources” and “market sources of information”), and product development resources (captured by “cross-functional design team”, “design or information control technologies”, and “concurrent engineering”) are positively related to firms’ design and R&D activities. / Thesis / Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) / Design plays a critical role in firms’ product development and business strategies. Traditionally, technology innovation has been the focus of new product development. In recent years, scholars have begun to see design innovation as another vital innovation element of a new product. In this dissertation, two empirical studies have been conducted to examine the outcome of design innovation and the antecedents of design activities, respectively. There are two key goals of this dissertation. The first goal is to understand the outcome of design innovation and what other factors jointly contribute to the outcome. The second goal is to understand what strategies that firms adopt lead to design activities. Answers to the first question show the performance implication of design innovation and the factors that drive the performance. Meanwhile, answers to the second question shed light on the firm strategies that drive design activities, which may lead to the introduction of design innovation. Empirical studies that tackle these questions are sparse.

This thesis addresses creativity in design as a property of systems rather than an attribute of isolated individuals. It focuses on the dynamics between generative and evaluative or ascriptive processes. This is in distinction to conventional approaches to the study of creativity which tend to concentrate on the isolated characteristics of person, process and product. Whilst previous research has advanced insights on potentially creative behaviour and on the general dynamics of innovation in groups, little is known about their interaction. A systems view of creativity in design is adopted in our work to broaden the focus of inquiry to incorporate the link between individual and collective change. The work presented in this thesis investigates the relation between creativity and innovation in computational models of design as a social construct. The aim is to define and implement in computer simulations the different actors and components of a system and the rules that may determine their behaviour and interaction. This allows the systematic study of their likely characteristics and effects when the system is run over simulated time. By manipulating the experimental variables of the system at initial time the experimenter is able to extract patterns from the observed results over time and build an understanding of the different types of determinants of creative design. The experiments and findings presented in this thesis relate to artificial societies composed by software agents and the social structures that emerge from their interaction. Inasmuch as these systems aim to capture some aspects of design activity, understanding them is likely to contribute to the understanding of the target system. The first part of this thesis formulates a series of initial computational explorations on cellular automata of social influence and change agency. This simple modelling framework illustrates a number of factors that facilitate change. The potential for a designer to trigger cycles of collective change is demonstrated to depend on the combination of individual and external or situational characteristics. A more comprehensive simulation framework is then introduced to explore the link between designers and their societies based on a systems model of creativity that includes social and epistemological components. In this framework a number of independent variables are set for experimentation including characteristics of individuals, fields, and domains. The effects of these individual and situational parameters are observed in experimental settings. Aspects of relevance in the definition of creativity included in these studies comprise the role of opinion leaders as gatekeepers of the domain, the effects of social organisation, the consequences of public and private access to domain knowledge by designers, and the relation between imitative behaviour and innovation. A number of factors in a social system are identified that contribute to the emergence of phenomena that are normally associated to creativity and innovation in design. At the individual level the role of differences of abilities, persistence, opportunities, imitative behaviour, peer influence, and design strategies are discussed. At the field level determinants under inspection include group structure, social mobility and organisation, emergence of opinion leaders, established rules and norms, and distribution of adoption and quality assessments. Lastly, domain aspects that influence the interaction between designers and their social groups include the generation and access to knowledge, activities of gatekeeping, domain size and distribution, and artefact structure and representation. These insights are discussed in view of current findings and relevant modelling approaches in the literature. Whilst a number of assumptions and results are validated, others contribute to ongoing debates and suggest specific mechanisms and parameters for future experimentation. The thesis concludes by characterising this approach to the study of creativity in design as an alternative �in silico� method of inquiry that enables simulation with phenomena not amenable to direct manipulation. Lines of development for future work are advanced which promise to contribute to the experimental study of the social dimensions of design.

This thesis addresses creativity in design as a property of systems rather than an attribute of isolated individuals. It focuses on the dynamics between generative and evaluative or ascriptive processes. This is in distinction to conventional approaches to the study of creativity which tend to concentrate on the isolated characteristics of person, process and product. Whilst previous research has advanced insights on potentially creative behaviour and on the general dynamics of innovation in groups, little is known about their interaction. A systems view of creativity in design is adopted in our work to broaden the focus of inquiry to incorporate the link between individual and collective change. The work presented in this thesis investigates the relation between creativity and innovation in computational models of design as a social construct. The aim is to define and implement in computer simulations the different actors and components of a system and the rules that may determine their behaviour and interaction. This allows the systematic study of their likely characteristics and effects when the system is run over simulated time. By manipulating the experimental variables of the system at initial time the experimenter is able to extract patterns from the observed results over time and build an understanding of the different types of determinants of creative design. The experiments and findings presented in this thesis relate to artificial societies composed by software agents and the social structures that emerge from their interaction. Inasmuch as these systems aim to capture some aspects of design activity, understanding them is likely to contribute to the understanding of the target system. The first part of this thesis formulates a series of initial computational explorations on cellular automata of social influence and change agency. This simple modelling framework illustrates a number of factors that facilitate change. The potential for a designer to trigger cycles of collective change is demonstrated to depend on the combination of individual and external or situational characteristics. A more comprehensive simulation framework is then introduced to explore the link between designers and their societies based on a systems model of creativity that includes social and epistemological components. In this framework a number of independent variables are set for experimentation including characteristics of individuals, fields, and domains. The effects of these individual and situational parameters are observed in experimental settings. Aspects of relevance in the definition of creativity included in these studies comprise the role of opinion leaders as gatekeepers of the domain, the effects of social organisation, the consequences of public and private access to domain knowledge by designers, and the relation between imitative behaviour and innovation. A number of factors in a social system are identified that contribute to the emergence of phenomena that are normally associated to creativity and innovation in design. At the individual level the role of differences of abilities, persistence, opportunities, imitative behaviour, peer influence, and design strategies are discussed. At the field level determinants under inspection include group structure, social mobility and organisation, emergence of opinion leaders, established rules and norms, and distribution of adoption and quality assessments. Lastly, domain aspects that influence the interaction between designers and their social groups include the generation and access to knowledge, activities of gatekeeping, domain size and distribution, and artefact structure and representation. These insights are discussed in view of current findings and relevant modelling approaches in the literature. Whilst a number of assumptions and results are validated, others contribute to ongoing debates and suggest specific mechanisms and parameters for future experimentation. The thesis concludes by characterising this approach to the study of creativity in design as an alternative �in silico� method of inquiry that enables simulation with phenomena not amenable to direct manipulation. Lines of development for future work are advanced which promise to contribute to the experimental study of the social dimensions of design.

Healthcare systems need to adjust services and methods to accommodate the needs, desires, and capabilities of people. Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) is the state of the art in participatory service design within the UK National Health Service (NHS), that draws upon design tools and ways of thinking in order to bring healthcare staff and patients together to improve the quality of care. The Co-design process that is integral to the EBCD approach is powerful but also challenging, as it requires active collaboration among multidisciplinary teams, including organizational stakeholders (e.g., investors, managers, advocates, etc.), end-users (e.g., staff, patients, carers, etc.), designers/researchers, and developers. Over the last decade, given the evaluation of the EBCD approach, there has been a gap between theory and practice resulting in limited outcomes in healthcare service improvements. Systematic reviews suggest this low success results from the lack of a systematic elaboration of Co-Design methods, limited tools and insufficient guidance on the ideation process, the tendency to develop a solution without enough divergent thinking, and a poor structure of participation. In order to improve health care services and address the gaps mentioned, we propose a methodology called Double Hexagon, that includes principles of Co-Design, Human-Centred Design, and Design Thinking. This framework is a Human-Centred Design framework that seeks to assist designers and non-designers in moving from designing “product” categories to designing for “people” by providing a concrete and step-by-step realization for “Designing for People”. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The multi-million-dollar medical uniform industry has not utilized advancements in garment and textile technology that could positively impact the protection of healthcare professionals and patients. In most cases the uniforms meet basic requirements – they clothe the professional in a recognizable way. Little innovation in design, function and performance, has been applied to these garments. This is particularly evident in the case of the stereotypical white lab coat worn by many physicians, despite evidence indicating that these lab coats may carry contamination and play a role in the spread of deadly bacteria. Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are among the most serious problems facing modern medical care, costing millions of lives and dollars annually worldwide. This research investigates the design and use of the physician’s lab coat – an immediately recognizable symbol of Western medicine. The research identifies the medical, functional, cultural and symbolic roles of the lab coat within the hospital environment and beyond, to the larger the global society. This thesis examines the extent to which the design of medical wear can impact the effect of hospital-acquired infections, support doctor/patient relationships and enhance the performance and behavior of the healthcare professional by envisioning a future lab coat which offers increased protection for physician and patient, aids in communication and enhances the performance of the doctor by utilizing digital technologies incorporated into the lab coat whereby the lab coat becomes the only tool necessary for the physician.