Yes / The evaluation of impact of collaborative research on robust design methodologies and methods is important to both academic and industry stakeholders. This paper introduces a framework for impact evaluation which combines the broader framework adopted for the academic research impact assessment with the organisation viewpoint centred on business results, process improvement and product development teams capability improvement. A large scale empirical study conducted with evidence from technical reports on workplace projects from an automotive OEM proved the validity of the proposed framework.

Yes / For composite beams with low degrees of shear connection, additional deflections occur due to slip in the shear connectors, which can be significant for beams with low degrees of shear connection. A design formula is presented for the effective stiffness of composite beams taking account of the stiffness of the shear connectors, which is compared to measured deflections of 6 symmetric beams and an 11m span composite beam of asymmetric profile. It is shown that the comparison is good when using a shear connector stiffness of 70 kN/mm for single shear connectors and 100 kN/mm for pairs of shear connectors per deck rib. Results of push tests on a range of deck profiles confirm these initial elastic stiffnesses. To ensure that the slip at the serviceability limit state does not lead to permanent deformations of the beam, it is proposed that the minimum degree of shear connection should not fall below 30% for un-propped beams and 40% for propped beams of symmetric cross-section. / European Commission

Stolar förhåller sig på ett mycket intimt sätt till våra kroppar och de kan även fungera som markörer i ett socialt maktspektrum. Gynekologstolen utvecklades under 1800-talet, den moderna medicinens glansdagar. Det var även en tid där kvinnor började begära större sociala och politiska rättigheter och det uppkom ett stort behov att biologiskt legitimera kvinnans underordning under mannen. Sedan dess har gynstolens strukturella utformning knappt förändrats. Den är en central symbol för den gynekologiska undersökningen och som jag kunde analysera i workshops och intervjuer kan den för patienter förknippas med känslor som utsatthet eller att ge upp bestämmelserätten över den egna kroppen. För vissa kvinnor är dessa känslor så starka att de skjuter upp kommande undersökningar eller undviker de helt. Som följd av det kan allvarliga sjukdomar förbli oupptäckta. I mitt kandidatarbete har jag undersökt patienters upplevelse av gynekologiska undersökningar idag och kopplat de till historiska erfarenheter. Huvudfokus av mitt arbete har som fysisk beröringspunkt varit gynekologstolen. Jag har vidare arbetat med formgivningen av en lounge chair som är lämpad för gynekologiska undersökningar. I framtagningen av stolen har jag valt att förhålla mig till design av sjukvårdsprodukter på ett icke-traditionellt sätt genom att lägga huvudfokus på patientupplevelsen. Genom detta har jag försökt att exemplifiera hur detta tillvägagångssätt i produktframtagning för vården kan leda till mer hållbara patientupplevelser. Mitt fokusområde har varit att förskjuta historiska maktförhållanden i gynekologin och att utveckla en stol för gynekologisk undersökning gemensamt med de som traditionellt inte har fått vara delaktiga i framtagningen av objekt som användes på deras kroppar: kvinnor. / <p>The full thesis contains copyrighted material which has been removed in the published version.</p>

High-speed craft are in high demand in the maritime industry, for example, in maintenance operations for offshore structures, for search and rescue, for patrolling operations, or as leisure craft to deliver speed and excitement. Design and operation of high-speed craft are often governed by the hydrodynamic phenomena of slamming, which occur when the craft impact the wave surface. Slamming loads affect the high-speed craft system; the crew, the structure and various sub-systems and limit the operation. To meet the ever-increasing demands on safety, economy and reduced environmental impact, there is a need to develop more efficient high-speed craft. This progression is however limited by the prevailing semi-empirical design methods for high-speed planing craft structures. These methods provide only a basic description of the involved physics, and their validity has been questioned. This thesis contributes to improving the conditions for designing efficient highspeed craft by focusing on two key topics: evaluation and development of the prevailing design methods for high-speed craft structures, and development towards structural design based on first principles modeling of the slamming process. In particular a methodological framework that enables detailed studies of the slamming phenomena using numerical simulations and experimental measurements is synthesized and evaluated. The methodological framework involves modeling of the wave environment, the craft hydromechanics and structural mechanics, and statistical characterization of the response processes. The framework forms the foundation for an extensive evaluation and development of the prevailing semi-empirical design methods for high-speed planing craft. Through the work presented in this thesis the framework is also shown to be a viable approach in the introduction of simulation-based design methods based on first principles modeling of the involved physics. Summarizing, the presented methods and results provide important steppingstones towards designing more efficient high-speed planing craft. / <p>QC 20160907</p>

The field of pile design and construction in the United Kingdom is currently in a period of change. Not only are new processes and techniques being developed but also the legislative landscape is changing with the introduction of new Europe wide normative standards (BSI, 2004, 2007). This project sought to optimise pile design through better understanding and interpretation of ground conditions and of the pile-soil interaction for two pile types, continuous flight auger and bored displacement piles. Quantitative methods for interpreting and summarising previous knowledge and experience have been developed; the strata are divided into discrete bands and properties are represented with summary statistics. Experience and previous knowledge relating to the shear strength of London Clay have been quantified and presented using this approach. Furthermore, a straightforward tool has been provided for the implementation of such data into design; the previous knowledge and new site specific data are combined using Bayesian updating. Through use of this technique, the uncertainty associated with interpreting ground conditions from site data has been demonstrated to be reduced. The techniques described have been adopted into design practice within the sponsoring company. Bored displacement piles are a relatively new pile type. There is little published data or scientific understanding of the processes undergone by the soils during and after construction and the effect that these have on pile performance. This research identified the need for, and developed, a unified framework of descriptors for the various types of bored displacement pile and investigated the installation energy and performance of bored displacement piles in London Clay. The energy to construct the pile was observed to be highly variable and not directly related to capacity. Performance of bored displacement piles was observed to be similar to continuous flight auger piles of similar dimensions; typical values for the adhesion between bored displacement piles and the surrounding soil were established and these were comparable to those achieved by continuous flight auger piles. In addition, to enable the analysis of the probability of failure of a pile, the sources of variation have been investigated and the variability quantified. Besides the soil conditions, the dimensions of the pile, notably pile diameter, were found to be a significant source of variation.

Researchers have approached the problem of designing context-aware systems, computer systems that can react intelligently to the context in which they are used, from both software engineering and human-centred perspectives. While engineered context-aware systems have found successful application in optimising technical settings without requiring mundane and explicit interaction from humans, challenges remain in furthering their application to more complex environments. In particular, when technical decisions and human actions are intertwined in sophisticated work environments (rather than, for example, the simple act of transferring a mobile phone call to receive a signal from the nearest tower), the problem of designing context-aware systems demands further examination and calls for a new approach. A natural extension of the software engineering approach in more challenging environments is to try to implement increasingly sophisticated algorithms for managing context in the hope that this will lead to autonomous application behaviour. In contrast, research from a human-centred perspective, grounded in the social sciences and philosophy, demonstrates that context is not entirely objective and measurable but rather is dynamic and created through human action. It may not be easily detected through technical sensing systems, and therefore simply employing more sophisticated algorithms within the technical sphere may not be effective. While engineering approaches have continued to evolve, the problem of how to design interfaces to context-aware applications still remains. The research reported in this dissertation investigated the problem of designing context-aware systems for the complex environment of a dental surgery. I undertook, though a participatory design approach (a) to better characterise the problem of designing context-aware systems, and (b) to understand how design methods could be employed to bridge the human and software engineering approaches. The gap in existing research on context-aware systems is evident in the way that the methods applied to designing systems don't provide an insight into how people actively create the context in which they work (in a practical rather than theoretical sense) they don‘t closely examine the behaviours of people, the role and arrangement of artefacts, and the dynamic relationships between people and artefacts. I found that an understanding of how these features of work and human behaviour are realised in practice in a given environment is fundamental to being able to design an effective context-aware system for that environment. The challenge is to design at the boundary between the technical and the social. The contribution of this thesis is an approach that explores context-aware design through synthesis. The synthetic approach leads to design opportunities and guidelines based on an understanding of the processes through which people actively co-create the context in which they work. I have applied and built upon a number of existing user-centred design and participatory design methods, in addition to creating some new methods in order to develop an understanding of how designers can examine the human aspects surrounding the co-creation of context and apply these in a way that progressively informs the design process. The methods collectively represent a novel approach to designing context-aware applications and differ from the more traditional technical approaches of developing software frameworks and infrastructures, and formal models of context, tasks, users, and systems. The techniques presented have focused primarily on developing an understanding of how humans find meaning in their actions along with their interaction with other people and technology. Participatory design methods help participants to reveal potential implicit technical resources that can be presented explicitly in technologies in order to assist humans in managing their interactions with and amidst technical systems gracefully. The methods introduced and the design approach proposed complement existing research on context-awareness from both a human-centred and software engineering perspective. This research builds on the notion of providing resources which allow users to manage their own context and also manage shifts in control while interacting with other people and with a variety of technical artefacts. It does this by examining a complex work environment, in particular looking at the kinds of resources people use and expect to use (and the constraints around these), the form(s) it is appropriate for them to take, and the patterns of interaction they will ultimately be used within.

Interest in environmental issues has increased enormouslyover the last few decades and environmental problems areperceived to be on the increase. Due to the fact that thenumber of products on the market increases enormously, it isevident that we face a great challenge to overcome the problemconcerning our consumer society. An increasing barrage oflegislation accompanied by the public’s awareness of, andconcern for, the environment forcing the industry to respond.Products and their environmental impact have moved to thecentre stage and it is widely believed that designers have akey role in adapting products to a sustainable society. Threekey issues are identified in this development scenario: (a) theimportance of adapting products to a more sustainable society,(b) the specific situation facing the designer, especially inearly design phases, and (c) balancing environmental impactswith functional preferences. Research in this thesis presents a theoretical framework fordescribing environmental issues and the role of the designer inproduct development, as well as functional characteristics ofproducts in the early phases of design. Based on anengineering-design science foundation, theoretical models andconcepts have been developed describing how both functional andenvironmental preferences can be visualised in design forenvironment and product development. Case studies andinterviews have been performed and integrated into a coherenttheoretical model for identifying and evaluating functional andenvironmental preferences within ecodesign approach andreasoning. The overall concept proposed in this thesis is called theeco functional matrix, based on two parts: functional profileand environmental profile. The functional profile represent thefunctional characteristics and environmental profile theenvironmental characteristics respectively of a product in theearly phases of design. One of the objectives behind theconcept is to highlight the importance of balancing functionalrequirements and environmental impacts, presenting both theadvantages and disadvantages of the product. The basic idea isto account for user and societal preferences as well asenvironmental impact when assessing alternative productconcepts at early design stages. Balancing both the functionalrequirements and the negative environmental impacts of productsis the road to sustainable development. <b>KEYWORDS</b>Design for environment, life-cycle design,eco-design, eco-design methods, product environmentalcharacteristics, product functional characteristics, customerbenefit, value analysis, functional profile, environmentalprofile, eco functional matrix, product properties.

<p>Interest in environmental issues has increased enormouslyover the last few decades and environmental problems areperceived to be on the increase. Due to the fact that thenumber of products on the market increases enormously, it isevident that we face a great challenge to overcome the problemconcerning our consumer society. An increasing barrage oflegislation accompanied by the public’s awareness of, andconcern for, the environment forcing the industry to respond.Products and their environmental impact have moved to thecentre stage and it is widely believed that designers have akey role in adapting products to a sustainable society. Threekey issues are identified in this development scenario: (a) theimportance of adapting products to a more sustainable society,(b) the specific situation facing the designer, especially inearly design phases, and (c) balancing environmental impactswith functional preferences.</p><p>Research in this thesis presents a theoretical framework fordescribing environmental issues and the role of the designer inproduct development, as well as functional characteristics ofproducts in the early phases of design. Based on anengineering-design science foundation, theoretical models andconcepts have been developed describing how both functional andenvironmental preferences can be visualised in design forenvironment and product development. Case studies andinterviews have been performed and integrated into a coherenttheoretical model for identifying and evaluating functional andenvironmental preferences within ecodesign approach andreasoning.</p><p>The overall concept proposed in this thesis is called theeco functional matrix, based on two parts: functional profileand environmental profile. The functional profile represent thefunctional characteristics and environmental profile theenvironmental characteristics respectively of a product in theearly phases of design. One of the objectives behind theconcept is to highlight the importance of balancing functionalrequirements and environmental impacts, presenting both theadvantages and disadvantages of the product. The basic idea isto account for user and societal preferences as well asenvironmental impact when assessing alternative productconcepts at early design stages. Balancing both the functionalrequirements and the negative environmental impacts of productsis the road to sustainable development.</p><p><b>KEYWORDS</b>Design for environment, life-cycle design,eco-design, eco-design methods, product environmentalcharacteristics, product functional characteristics, customerbenefit, value analysis, functional profile, environmentalprofile, eco functional matrix, product properties.</p>

Šiame dokumente nagrinėjama tyrimo sritis susijusi su „E-Portfolio“ tipo sistemų projektavimu ir galimų projektavimo metodų parinkimu. Analitinėje darbo dalyje pristatomos „E-Portfolio“ sistemos, jos vėliau palyginamos. Projektinėje dalyje pateikiama suprojektuotos tokios sistemos – „ePortfelis“, - architektūra. Tiriamojoje darbo dalyje apžvelgiami skirtingi projektavimo metodai ir jų tinkamumas „E-Portfolio“ sistemų projektavimui. / The main objective of this project was to design and develop an e-portfolio system „ePortfelis”. During this process the analysis of alternative e-portfolio systems was performed, as well as gathering of e-portfolio requirements. The design of developed system was carried according to RUP process. There were reviewed three different software design methods during the software design methods analysis part: SSADM, Booch method and JSP. It was determined that of those three above mentioned methods JSP was most unsuitable for designing e-portfolio systems.

Assistive technologies (AT) are the products provided to elderly and disabled people to enable them to live more independently. Despite their ability to help maintain independence and prevent injury, the literature discussed within this thesis indicates that assistive technologies are not meeting the needs of the end-user. In response, research has been undertaken with the following objectives: 1. To identify how and why assistive technology products are failing to satisfy the customer. 2. To establish if a design tool can be created that overcomes the issues identified in the inductive research and which enables companies to design customer-satisfying assistive technology products. In progressing these objectives, two phases of research were planned. The first comprised four parallel studies (focus groups, case studies, questionnaires and a literature study), which together examined the state of AT products and the product-development activities of AT manufacturers. The second phase of research examined four customer-focused product design methods for their suitability for utilisation by small companies within the AT sector. On finding that no method in its entirety was suitable, a customer-focused design tool for small AT companies was developed. The resulting tool comprises eight elements for application in the initial stages of the product development process. The tool was tested in four separate studies, which examined its usability and acceptability to AT companies and which gave further insights into the AT sector. The research both finds that AT products are failing the customer in five areas and that manufacturers are contributing to this failure through a lack of customer-focus in their design processes. In addition to identifying the market research and product development activities of small AT companies, a key contribution to knowledge resulting from the research is the concept of sectoral readiness for methods of design. In its conclusion the thesis finds that the two research objectives have been met.