Today’s society is characterised by the production of massive amounts of information— freely transferred—and instant access to knowledge. This current overproduction of data is translated into complex diagrams to enhance the clarity. Nevertheless, it is commonplace in information design practice to find diagrams that are not communicating the intended messages. The act of conceiving the diagram takes place during conceptual design. This can be where misleading analysis and superfluous information organisation actions may lead to ill-conceived conceptual design, and therefore to ill-conceived diagrams, i.e. overloaded, unintelligible and disorganised. Existing tools for conceptual design of diagram creation do not properly meet design practitioners’ needs in that they tend to be excessively time-consuming to implement. This indicates a need for the exploration of new design methods focused specifically on the conceptual design stage of the process of designing diagrams. This practice-led thesis presents one such possible design method, i.e. MapCI Cards, aimed at guiding experienced graphic and information design practitioners in the preparation of complex diagrams. MapCI Cards presents a collection of guidelines that make use of prompts and questions, in order to assist the conceptual design stage of diagram creation. The use of the proposed design method does not guarantee the production of outstanding outputs. The purpose of MapCI Cards is not to create aesthetic design; rather, it is to increase an understanding through guided content analysis and organisation of the information to be conveyed. Lists, draft diagrams, mind-maps and sketches are some of the possible resulting outputs of using the MapCI Cards. In short, the cards assist the development of the conceptual idea of the potential final diagram that will be developed in the prototype design stage. The first stage of this research investigates how complex diagrams organise information, using the London Underground diagram as a case study. Analytical relational surveys are used to explore diagram creators’ decision-making processes. Sets of studies of diagram structures (Walker, 1979a; Tufte, 1983), design processes (Wurman, 1989; Jones, 1992) and information organisation (Wurman, 2001; Shedroff, 2003; Roam, 2008) are examined and combined. After this, the data collected are analysed using qualitative visual methods, and rearranged to develop the content in MapCI Cards. Two pilot workshops are designed as the revising and optimising methods. Then, five self-documentation cases drawn from practising information designers in the UK are conducted to test MapCI Cards within professional practice. The performance of the proposed guided approach to conceptual design is measured through an interpretation model, and key informants’ insights are used to delimit its conditions and limitations.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

This study explores young children's use of digital tablets in Swedish preschool environments, with special interest in how the use of digital tablets may affect children's agency. A multimodal, design theoretical approach was used, combined with sociology of childhood, to highlight the dynamics between children's agency and the affordances provided by the digital tablets. Two video ethnographic substudies were conducted within two separate preschool settings, including preschools where children use digital tablets to communicate in a minority language. In order to take into account as many modes of communication as possible, video recordings of children's use of the digital tablets was set side-by-side with screen recordings of the digital tablets. Major findings include how children's agency in digital tablet activities is intertwined with the different affordances, as emerging in the children's interaction with one another and the digital tablet. It was found that when affordances were built on visual, auditive and corporeal modes of communication, children's agency was enabled. Such affordances are in this study argued to be more, for the children, apt modes of communication for children to exert agency. Furthermore, it is argued that when children are given the possibility to communicate in their minority language, using for example Skype, this is a form of children's agency. The didactical implications and the societal potentials for children's use of digital tablets in preschools are discussed in relation to the creative skills individuals may need in an unknown future.

This thesis aims to discover possibilities of using products that mechanically transform to support environmentally significant behaviour (ESB), a term that refers to intentional behaviour of an individual to change the natural world. The first half of the work explored the potential relationship between mechanical transformation principles and certain ESBs. This exploration found that implementing transformative mechanisms in products enabled spontaneous use of the products in unanticipated situations. For example, a collapsible reusable shopping bag helped users avoid purchasing disposable bags when they went to grocery stores impulsively. The second half studied a variety of organisms to identify transformation patterns in nature. These patterns were summarized in a two-dimensional matrix to facilitate conceptual design of transformable products. In summary, this work showed that mechanical transformation facilitates at least three types of ESB, and also developed a new tool to assist designers in developing conceptual transformable products that can support ESBs.

This thesis aims to discover possibilities of using products that mechanically transform to support environmentally significant behaviour (ESB), a term that refers to intentional behaviour of an individual to change the natural world. The first half of the work explored the potential relationship between mechanical transformation principles and certain ESBs. This exploration found that implementing transformative mechanisms in products enabled spontaneous use of the products in unanticipated situations. For example, a collapsible reusable shopping bag helped users avoid purchasing disposable bags when they went to grocery stores impulsively. The second half studied a variety of organisms to identify transformation patterns in nature. These patterns were summarized in a two-dimensional matrix to facilitate conceptual design of transformable products. In summary, this work showed that mechanical transformation facilitates at least three types of ESB, and also developed a new tool to assist designers in developing conceptual transformable products that can support ESBs.

No description available.

The purpose of this research document is to understand the social issues that are generated from a globally ageing demographic, which relate to the aged identity and the current care environments available to them. Research will be conducted under the hypothesis that the design of a strategically sited care facility which, grouped with facilities that pertain to the care of the aged, could improve the quality of life for the elderly whilst promoting intergenerational connectivity. It is also hoped that ageist stereotypes could be abridged by lowering the dependency of the elderly on care providers by providing preventative and post operative rehabilitative care. The scope of the work is limited to the urban context of South Africa's ageing population primarily based on the current trend of mass urbanisation, after the abolition of the Apartheid government, which is creating a new family dynamic within South Africa where the care of the elderly is shifting onto medical institutions and care facilities. The demand for aged care facilities and the lack of resources in the field of aged care potentially create a situation where medical facilities are unnecessarily overburdened. An architectural response was generated through an investigation of current literature, case studies, precedent studies and personally conducted interviews with a number of aged care professionals. The research was conducted from a global standpoint and then focused towards issues that affect the aged individuals identity and care. The goal of this research was ultimately to inform the design of a care facility within Pietermaritzburg that is responsive to the needs of the elderly whilst being innovative towards its approach of aged care within a community. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

A new methodology for innovative product development based on the application of sustainability principles for the entire life-cycle of a product and beyond is developed. This involves an analysis of multi-life cycle material flow leading towards perpetual life products, making it truly sustainable. In order to achieve the function of such a sustainable product, it has to fulfill the concept of 6R (Recover, Reuse, Recycle, Redesign, Reduce and Remanufacture), which are composed of 6 stages of material flow in a products life, as opposed to the traditional 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recover) concept. We apply the 6R concept in designing a new aluminum beverage can with much enhanced sustainability factors, especially in recycling processes.

This thesis for the master of architecture degree focuses on the particular requirements for Senior Citizen Center in San Francisco.In the traditional society of the West, things did not change quickly, and people did not frequently move from one place to another; but this present-day society is one of dynamic suburbs; villages and towns can change their appearances in a very short time. The treatment of older people in contemporary society has caused many of them to feel alienated from the mainstream. Technical progress and the “rational” organization of present day civilization has largely eliminated the aged as persons having more experience that may beneficially be shared with the rest of us. I believe it is important to consider and respect the value of elderly people.My chosen program and site for this creative project is to design and solve the main problems of high density, the location, and the existing environments.In my own country of Thailand, there are only a few places specifically built for homeless elderly. It is very interesting therefore for me to explore and acquire knowledge for the design of Senior Citizen Center in the United States. There is a certain potential for this being useful someday in my own country. / Department of Architecture

The purpose of this paper is to present, illustrate and systematize documentation on projected and existing international examples and housing conditions for an aging population and to question the architect's role in terms of person-environment relations.As architects we often base our design on assumptions. A thorough training in the techniques of systematic observation can provide information, and data for improvements and necessities.The paper consists of two main parts. The first part focuses on research of theoretical and practical design aspects through a retrospective look at the history and the physiology of aging.Major goals are:• To increase the knowledge of person-environment interactions through a better understanding of behavioral systems of older people (environment as a stimulant).• To examine environmental attributes constituting an appropriate environment for an independent life (therapeutic aspects of design).• To identify necessities and ways of filling gaps in the relationship between theoretical design aspects and their practical application.•To refelect on historical aspects of aging by showing the ambivalence and changeability in man's systems of values.The second part of the paper considers several international innovative housing and living arrangements in an illustrative way. / Department of Architecture