This thesis suggests the concept of layering as a &ldquo / generative&rdquo / operation in architectural design process. To understand generation of architectural forms and trace their transformations in this process, this study proposes layering as an integrative and intellectual operation embracing analysis, design and representation phases of architecture. In order to do that, the operation of layering is discussed under three titles: Layering as an analytical tool, as a design tool and as a representational tool. This means that, &ldquo / layering&rdquo / can operate to understand complex forms (to analyze), to generate space (to design), and to communicate in design process (to represent). In this context, for a deeper inquiry into the operation of layering, House II designed by Peter Eisenman is analyzed. The complex and layered form of House II addresses an extensive formal analysis that attempts to reveal the formations and transformations of layers constituting the building. Considering the building as a formal system, &ldquo / layers&rdquo / are defined as the fragments of the whole, and &ldquo / layering&rdquo / is conceptualized as the main operation that organizes relationships between these fragments. These analyses reveal the multi-layered formation of House II. Creating an architectural system, the operation of layering has the capacity to organize varied architectural elements by defining relationships in-between them.

This thesis assumes the architectural design process as a systematic study, in which knowledge is stored, organized and operated on by computational methods. From this perspective, the study explores the efforts for systemizing the architectural design process. Firstly, the focus is on the early approaches of systemizing design in the Design Methods Movement. The thesis identifies and evaluates the use of a number of critical concepts in this movement and in recent architecture practice, in order to see the development and transformation of design methods in terms of computing knowledge in a systematic way. The thesis evaluates the features that make design systematic within the Design Methods Movement and inquires whether such features like complexity, hierarchy, feedback loops and selection are influential in recent computational design methods of architecture. The thesis looks into two generative design methods, namely evolutionary design and shape grammars, which have been studied by designers since the 1960s, the start of the Design Methods Movement. These two methods exemplify current systematic approaches to design and according to the thesis these are the instances of how recent architecture employs the features discussed as characteristic in the Design Methods Movement.

The design of Assistive Technology (AT) products that are highly functional as well satisfactory is presents many challenges. Various types of input are used in design of AT products to help overcome them. A study was conducted to gather data on the impact that different types of input (from simulation tools, a professional therapist, and end users) during the design of an AT product has on the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of the final design. The results show that input from stakeholders (end users or a therapist) can be very effective. However, effectiveness of the input is influenced by many factors and its impact on the design can be highly variable. Input from simulation tools was also found to be equally effective. Implications of these findings for the process of designing AT products are discussed.

<p>The essence of an effective knowledge transfer process for a technical organization cannot be overemphasized. It does not only translate to its advancement but also improves the learning capacity of the staff in the organization.</p><p>The purpose of this work is to analyze and diagnose the current process of technical knowledge transfer</p><p>It goes further to proffer a suitable model of design process for the technical instructions (which is one form of knowledge that is present in the organization) so as to improve not only the instructional manual but also the processes involved.</p><p>The instructional model is a model gotten from the field of instructional technology (a sub-sect of educational technology) which is used to achieve this feat.</p>

The game industry is a fast growing market. What have been seen recently are a high turnovers and a rapid increase of both game companies and their employees. The game market is developing and the game companies are trying to keep up with the market. Both when it comes to the development of games and also to reach new levels in the design process. The design process is unique and the game companies have different ways to develop their products. The methods are different depending on the game company but the basic foundation is to use support in the development process of the product. The question we ask ourselves is: How do game companies proceed in their design process when the surroundings are changing at a rapid pace? This thesis aim to find out how the deigns process function in the Swedish game industry. Focus will be on today´s design process but also on how the development is preceded. Through a quantitative interview and a qualitative survey we analyses the current situation of today‟s Swedish game companies in terms of the design processes. The result shows that all the respondents use their design process with a combination of their own methods and previous research. How to create an idea differs depending on the game companies. The implementation of the idea may vary and some of the methods are retained when they are considered important. The market also has a certain influence of how a design process should be performed. The customers have become more knowledgeable and have higher demands on how the game should perform. Therefore, the gaming companies need to adapt to the market development in order to achieve their success. / Spelbranschen är en bransch som expanderar snabbt med hög omsättning och en snabb ökning av spelföretag och anställda. I och med att spelbranschen och spelutvecklingen går framåt i en hög takt försöker spelföretag hålla samma takt med spelutvecklingen för att nå nya framsteg och utveckling i sina designprocesser. I en designprocess har spelföretag olika tillvägagångssätt för att utveckla sina spelprodukter. Tillvägagångssätt kan se olika ut beroende på vilket spelföretag man arbetar för, men den grundläggande tanken är att använda dem som hjälpmedel vid utvecklingen av en spelprodukt. Men hur går spelföretag tillväga med sina designprocesser när omgivningen förändras i en rask takt? Vårt examensarbete går ut på att undersöka hur en designprocess ser ut i dagsläget av den svenska spelbranschen och hur de går tillväga. Genom en kvalitativ intervju och en kvalitativ enkät har vi fått en bild av hur det ser ut för dagens svenska spelföretag när det gäller deras designprocesser. Resultatet visar att samtliga respondenter som vi har fått in, utför sin designprocess med en kombination av sina tillvägagångssätt med tidigare forskning. Idéskapande kan vara olika från olika spelföretag, genomförande av idé kan variera, men en del av metoder behålls då de anses vara viktiga. Marknaden har även en viss påverka på hur en designprocess utförs. Kunderna bli mer kunnig och har höga krav på hur spelet ska se ut, därför måste spelföretagen anpassa sig efter marknadens utveckling för att kunna nå sina framgångar.

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans la continuité de celles entreprises en vue d’éclaircir la question du processus de design, et plus spécialement le design architectural de la maison. Elle cherche aussi à développer la réflexivité du designer sur les actes qu’il pose en lui offrant un point de vue depuis l’angle de la psychanalyse. Elle vient rallonger les initiatives amenées par la troisième génération des recherches sur les méthodologies du design en s’intéressant à un volet, jusque-là, peu exploré : le processus inconscient du design architectural. Elle pose comme problématique la question des origines inconscientes du travail créatif chez le concepteur en architecture. La création étant un des sujets importants de la psychanalyse, plusieurs concepts psychanalytiques, comme la sublimation freudienne, l’abordent et tentent de l’expliquer. Le design étant une discipline de création, la psychanalyse peut nous renseigner sur le processus du design, et nous offrir la possibilité de l’observer et de l’approcher. La métaphore architecturale, utilisée pour rendre la théorie freudienne, est aussi le champ d’application de plusieurs théories et concepts psychanalytiques. L’architecture en général, et celle de la maison en particulier, en ce que cette dernière comporte comme investissement émotionnel personnel de la part de son concepteur, constructeur ou utilisateur, offrent un terrain où plusieurs des concepts psychanalytiques peuvent être observés et appliqués. Cette recherche va approcher l’exemple architectural selon les concepts développés par les trois théories psychanalytiques les plus importantes : freudienne, lacanienne et jungienne. L’application de ces concepts se fait par une "autoanalyse" qui met le designer en double posture : celle du sujet de la recherche et celle du chercheur, ce qui favorise hautement la réflexivité voulue. La libre association, une des méthodes de la psychanalyse, sera la première étape qui enclenchera le processus d’autoanalyse et l’accompagnera dans son développement. S’appliquant sur le discours et la forme de la maison, la libre association va chercher à distinguer plusieurs mécanismes psychiques susceptibles d’éclairer notre investigation. Les résultats de l’application des concepts freudiens viendront servir de base pour l’application, par la suite, des concepts de la théorie lacanienne et jungienne. Au terme de cette analyse, nous serions en mesure de présenter une modélisation du processus inconscient du design qui aurait conduit à la création de la maison prise en exemple. Nous découvrirons par cela la nature du processus inconscient qui précède et accompagne le travail créatif du designer. Nous verrons aussi comment ce processus se nourrit des expériences du designer qui remontent jusqu’aux premières années de son enfance. Ceci permettrait de rendre compte de la possibilité d’appliquer les concepts psychanalytiques sur le design architectural et, par ce fait, permettre de déterminer les éventuels façons de concevoir l’apport de la psychanalyse à la pratique de cette discipline qu’est le design ainsi que son enseignement. / This research is a continuation of those invested in order to clarify the question of the design process, especially the architectural design of the house. It also seeks to develop the reflexivity of the designer on his acts by offering a view from the perspective of psychoanalysis. It extends the initiatives brought by the third generation of design methods researches focusing on an unexplored field: the unconscious process of architectural design. Its’ problematic is the unconscious origins of creative work of the designer in architecture. Creation is one of the important topics of psychoanalysis, several psychoanalytic concepts like Freudian sublimation, try to explore and explain it. The design being a creative discipline, psychoanalysis can lighten us about the design process, and give us the opportunity to observe and approach it. The architectural metaphor, used to express the Freudian theory, is also the scope of several psychoanalytic theories and concepts. Architecture in general, and particularly architecture of the house, offers a field where many of the psychoanalytic concepts can be observed and applied, because of the emotional investigation that the designer, the user, or the builder invest in it. This research will approach the architectural example according to the concepts developed by the three most important psychoanalytic theories of Freud, Lacan and Jung. The application of these concepts will be made through an auto-analysis that puts the designer in a double stance: the research subject and the researcher, which highly promotes the reflexivity that the design researches look for. Free association is the first step that will start the self-study process, and follows its development. Applied to the speech and the shape of the house, free association will seek to distinguish several psychological mechanisms that inform our investigation. The results of the application of Freudian concepts will serve as a basis on which the concepts of Lacanian and Jungian theory will be applied. At the end of this analysis, we would be able to present a model of the unconscious process of design that lead to the creation of the house used as an example. We will discover the nature of the unconscious process that precedes and follows the creative work of the designer. We will also see how this process is fed from designer experiences dating back to the early years of his childhood. This would help to see the possibility of applying psychoanalytic concepts in architectural design and help identifying potential approaches to the contribution of psychoanalysis to the practice of design and it’s teaching.

Les projets interdisciplinaires constituent rarement le terrain des études 
sur le processus de conception en design. Les théories générales du design, en tentant de définir ce qui est commun à toutes les disciplines du design, ont davantage étudié les cas typiques que les cas atypiques. Or, nous croyons qu’il existe dans les projets interdisciplinaires une négociation argumentative et une ouverture vers l’autre, propice à l’analyse du processus de conception en design. Pour réaliser l’étude de ce processus, la stratégie empruntée a été la «recherche-projet» qui propose une participation active sur le terrain. 
À l’intérieur de cette stratégie méthodologique, nous avons réalisé l’étude de cas d’un projet hybride, une signalétique identitaire destinée à marquer les écocentres montréalais et orienter leurs usagers. Comme plusieurs autres pratiques du design, la complexité des projets interdisciplinaires demande l’apport de plusieurs acteurs dans le processus. 
Ces personnes conçoivent le projet à travers des représentations visuelles et des échanges verbaux, nous avons choisi de faire porter notre étude principalement sur le second. Pour ce faire, nous avons choisi comme cadre théorique le Traité de l’argumentation de Chaïm Perelman et Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca en nous intéressant plus spécifiquement aux concepts d’«accord» et d’«auditoire». Parce que le véhicule de l’action en design est la notion de «projet», l’Anthropologie du projet de Jean-Pierre Boutinet sera notre guide à travers cette conduite. L’objet de recherche de ce mémoire sera donc le processus de conception en design qui sera étudié à travers le regard de l’argumentation. L’argumentation s'est révélée la clé du problème que posent les jugements de valeur, commune à toutes les disciplines du design. Qu’est-ce qu’un «bon» projet réalisé? Est-il possible de répondre à cette question, sans tomber dans un cadre argumentatif, sans devoir révéler les arguments qui nous permettent de croire vraisemblable une telle proposition? C’est en mettant en lien la théorie du projet en design et la théorie de l’argumentation que nous avons éclairé la pratique du designer, sa relation à ses collègues et ultimement avec lui-même. L’argumentation s’est avérée un outil permettant la construction de la réalité dans le projet interdisciplinaire. / Interdisciplinary projects rarely constitute a field of research on design process. The general theories of design, while trying to define what is common amongst all disciplines of design, have a tendency to study typical cases rather than atypical cases. Hence, we believe that within interdisciplinary projects live an argumentative negotiation and openness towards others, relevant to analyse the design process. To study the design process, we used a project-grounded research strategy, which proposes an active participation in the field. Within this methodology, we conducted our research during a hybrid project: an identity signage destined to brand the “écocentres” of the city of Montreal while orienting its users. Like many other practices of design, the complexity of interdisciplinary projects demands the contribution of many actors in the process. Theses people envision the project with visual representations and verbal exchanges. We chose to direct our attention principally to the latter. In order to do so, we followed the theoretical framework of Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca called “The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation” while focusing more specifically on the concepts of agreement and audience. Because the vehicle for action in design is the notion of projet1, “Anthropologie du projet” by Jean-Pierre Boutinet will be our guide to conduct this study. The object of research of this thesis will therefore be the process of design through the lens of argumentation. Argumentation has revealed itself as the key to the problem of value judgements, common to all design disciplines. What is a good completed project? Is it possible to answer this question without falling in an argumentative framework and without having to reveal the arguments that allow us to believe true such a proposition? It is by linking the design theory of projects and the theory of argumentation that we have shed light on the practice of the designer, his relationships with his clients, his colleagues, and ultimately, with himself. Argumentation is a tool that enables the construction of reality in the interdisciplinary project.

This article discusses the understanding of the design process in research projects by taking specific tools from project management into account. Explorative and creative design projects often run the risk of loosing focus on project goals during the process. This article aims to provide a novel approach to the ongoing discussion of the clash between creativity and efficiency during the creation of artifacts. By discussing the self-conducted case study – project „Yu‟ – this article reflects on the design process as well as the relationship between the designer and the user. The model created and presented includes two techniques; the active user dialogue and the goal and user needs definition. Both are inspired by similar approaches in project management, which illustrate the importance of the designer's responsibility for the final design outcome. The article identifies and discusses similar approaches in design theory and is aiming to emphasize the positive possibilities for an elaborate design approach. / YU project at the Mobile Life Centre

Winnipeg is a spatially, culturally, psychologically and visually fragmented city, particularly due to the vehicular-oriented growth which has engendered segmented land-use, dismantled walkable networks and provoked disconnection between culture and nature as well as within nature itself. In particular, the displacement of daily life from the complex web of interrelationships in ecosystems, which are essentially the mechanisms supporting our existence, should be the primary concern of urban design. In order to resolve this critical issue, this practicum will isolate and examine a problematic site while deconstructing fragmentation into specific causes, namely pollution, habitat degradation, placelessness and lack of urban ecological education. Concluding that this condition is ultimately created by our own fragmented thinking, the production of pragmatic solutions which continually evoke further fragmentation, I present a series of solutions to these challenges in the form of a landscape architectural design proposal for the City of Winnipeg.

The earth’s resources are limited; with the speed that humanity are using earth’s resources today, we would need 1.5 times of the earth’s regenerative capacity to compensate for what we use. Raw materials has since a long time ago been mined from the bedrock, which affects the earth in a negative way. If we could use materials and products that are circulating in our society, but are not being used and thereby considered as waste, traditional mining could be replaced with urban mining. Imagine what would happen if earth’s resources would be limited by laws and regulations in the future; mining as it is known today would not be allowed and there would be a need of resources that is gathered in another way, an unknown way. The world is constantly changing and this results in the fact that there will always be unexplored areas that needs to be defined and developed to be able to handle the changes in the future. Considering the fact that urban mining is such an unexplored field, there is a need of creating a process to define the segment in order to develop product/services within it. The outcome of this thesis is therefore recommendations for how a generic design process can be tailored and implemented for innovation development in undefined areas. The result is reached through investigating a development project, which focuses in the research area urban mining, as a case study and also by studying design processes in theory. The investigation is conducted with an explorative approach by observing the field and sub-fields of urban mining. This thesis shows that drivers and trends for urban mining exist, and that there is a future need to capitalize this market. The result also shows that the most important characteristics of the design process when designing for the unknown, is the fact that defining the research area requires even more effort when dealing with an initially unknown field, compared with known research areas. / Jordens resurser är begränsade; med den hastighet som mänskligheten använder jordens resurser idag, skulle vi behöva 1,5 gånger jordens återhämtningsförmåga för att kompensera för det vi använder. Råmaterial har sedan länge brutits från berggrunden, vilket påverkar jorden på ett negativt sätt. Om vi istället skulle kunna använda material och produkter som cirkulerar i vårt samhälle, men inte används och därmed betraktas som avfall, skulle traditionell materialutvinning kunna ersättas med urban mining. Tänk vad som skulle hända om jordens resurser i framtiden begränsas genom lagar och regler; materialutvinning som det är känt idag inte skulle tillåtas och det då skulle finnas ett behov att samla resurser på ett annat sätt, ett idag okänt sätt. Världen förändras ständigt vilket resulterar i det faktum att det alltid kommer att finnas outforskade områden som måste definieras och utvecklas för att kunna hantera dessa förändringar i framtiden. Urban mining är ett sådant outforskat område och därför finns det ett behov av att skapa en process för att definiera segmentet och på så vis kunna utveckla produkter och tjänster inom området. Resultatet av denna uppsats är därför rekommendationer för hur en allmän design process kan skräddarsys och implementeras för innovativ utveckling i odefinierade områden. Resultatet uppnås genom att analysera ett utvecklingsprojekt, som fokuserar på forskningsområdet urban mining, som en fallstudie, samt att studera designprocesser i teorin. Undersökningen genomförs med ett explorativt tillvägagångssätt genom att utföra observationer inom ämnet urban mining. Arbetet visar att drivfaktorer och trender för urban mining existerar och att det finns ett framtida behov att utforska och dra fördel av denna marknad. Resultatet visar också att de viktigaste egenskaperna hos design processen vid utveckling inom okända områden är det faktum att forskningsområdet kräver ännu större fokus på att definiera området, jämfört med kända forskningsområden.