Prototyping is generally acknowledged as an effective method for generating cost-effective, preliminary designs of various products including web and mobile user interfaces. Out of the existing types of prototyping, paper prototyping is known for being the most cost-effective of them all, as well as the most constrained for the realistic user experience elements it can render. High-Fidelity prototypes on the other hand offer a richer experience to the user, at the high cost of developing sophisticated software/hardware-based demonstrations. Although both of these types of prototypes continue to be widely and successfully used in product and interface design, there is no evidence of a cost-effective technique that would elicit user’s feedback which as rich as high-fidelity prototypes but without implementation effort. This study proposes an innovative prototyping technique called “Paper in Screen” (Bolchini, Pulido, Faiola, 2009) which enables designers to cheaply and rapidly prototype a mobile application in its key components (interface design and mobile device integration) without the need for implementing a high-fidelity prototype. A study was performed with 10 user experience professionals to evaluate their perception of the technique’s effectiveness, from which a number of benefits and drawbacks of the “Paper in Screen” were learned. The obtained results point to areas of future research in mobile prototyping.

This thesis contains the research findings from my participation in two research projects. The first is the development and assessment of Active Learning Modules (ALMs) for engineering students. The ALMs assist students in learning complex Finite Element Analysis (FEA) principles. We measure the effectiveness of the modules by issuing pre- and post-module quizzes and analyze the differences of the quiz scores. Active learning modules are used to meet the needs of all students’ learning styles. Each student who uses an ALM takes a series of learning style assessment quizzes (MBTI, LIS …). We statistically compare the learning styles and quiz scores to ensure all learning styles are improving equally well. In cases where they are not, we created a tool to make suggestions to the ALM developer on how to adjust the ALM to meet the needs of the outlying learning style group(s). Following modification, the implementation and evaluation process of the ALM is repeated. My second area of research focused on the development of a concise prototype strategy development tool. This tool guides engineering product development teams through six critical prototype strategy choices: (1) How many concepts should be prototyped? (2) How many iterations of a concept should be built? (3) Should the prototype be virtual or physical? (4) Should subsystems be isolated? (5) Should the prototype be scaled? (6) Should the design requirements be temporarily relaxed? This list of choices is not comprehensive but served as a starting point for this groundbreaking research. The tool was tested at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Air Force Academy. Results indicate the method did improve students’ performance across a number of assessment metrics. / text

Stuttgart, Univ., Diss., 2006.

Software products can be categorized into three types namely bespoke, market driven and customizable generic products. Each of these products is facing different problems in their development and to address these problems different software process models have been introduced. The use and validation of different software process models for bespoke and market driven products have been discussed in earlier work. On the other hand, less attention was paid to the customizable generic products. Our thesis will fill this gap by conducting a case study on evolutionary prototyping (EP) for customizable generic products. The main aim of the thesis is to make an initial validation of EP for customizable generic products. In order to fulfill the aforementioned aim we performed a literature study on prototyping and EP, together with development of two customizable generic products. During this development process, we used approach of EP. The results from our investigation will provide researchers and practitioners with a deep insight to the EP and also to guide them in making decision regarding the use of EP. The main findings from our investigation are as follows: • EP is not used standalone as a software process model. Rather it is used as a concept that can be augmented with some iterative software process model. • Negative and positive aspects of EP were highlighted by discussing situations where it could be a better choice, with its advantages and disadvantages. • An initial validation was performed on EP for customizable generic products. Reported results from this case study show that the selected approach is a good choice when you want to have innovative product, clear ambiguous and sketchy requirements, discover new requirements, save resources of software testing, involve and satisfy customer. EP shows vulnerabilities in documentation of product and quality of code. / Mobile number : 0046762183249

To date, service prototyping has been discussed academically as an unproblematic add-on to existing prototyping techniques, or as methods for prototyping social interaction. In fact, most of the knowledge on how services are prototyped comes from organisations and practicing design consultants. Some attempts to define service prototyping have been made but generally without concern about how complete service experiences should or could be represented. Building on existing knowledge about prototyping, a draft of a service prototyping conceptualisation is generated. Based on the draft, the question of how to prototype holistic service experiences is raised and in total, 5 studies have been conducted that contribute knowledge to that overarching question. In addition, each study has its own research question. Study 1 conceptualises prototypes and prototyping in a framework while study 2 and 3 looks at what practicing service designers say they do to prototype services and how they involve different stakeholders in the process. Study 4 examines aspects of design communication and how service experiences are communicated and used during design meetings, and study 5 finally, attempts to generate a process that can be used to evaluate the impact of location oriented service prototypes in e.g. healthcare settings. A number of challenges for service prototyping are identified in the studies, along with the issue of who authors prototypes. The conceptualisation of prototyping is adjusted based on the studies and a framework is constructed that support the conceptualisation. Little evidence for holistic approaches to prototyping services is found in the interviews and service designers involve their clients primarily when prototyping. Service experiences are introduced in communication using a format termed micro-narratives. This format and the purpose of using references to previous experiences are discussed. The thesis is concluded with a suggestion of a process for service prototyping. This process is specific for service design and attempts to support service designers in making holistic service representations when prototyping. Service prototyping requires further research. / ICE

published_or_final_version / abstract / Mechanical Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Die vorliegende Arbeit hatte die Herstellung phasenreiner ß-Tricalciumphosphat (ß-TCP) - Implantate durch 3D-Pulverdruck zum Ziel. Variiert wurden hierbei die zum Druck verwendeten Pulver-Binder-Systeme. Als Verfestigungsmechanismen wurden hydraulisch abbindende Pulver-Binder-Systeme aus Tricalciumphosphat / Phosphorsäure bzw. Tetracalciumphosphat / Citronensäure untersucht, sowie der Zusatz quellfähiger Polymere zum Pulver, etwa Polyacrylsäure oder Hydroxypropylmethyl-Cellulose. Die gedruckten Strukturen wurden anschließend in Hinblick auf die zu erreichende Auflösung, die mechanischen Eigenschaften und die Zusammensetzung des Endproduktes verglichen. / Custom made ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) bone substitutes with a macroporous architecture were fabricated in this study using 3D powder printing with three different preparation strategies and analysed with regard to their mechanical and physical properties. Samples were either obtained by (A) using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (5wt%) modified TCP (Ca/P=1.5) powder with water as a binder, (B) by using phosphoric acid (10%) as a binder with a calcium phosphate powder of a Ca/P ratio of 1.7 and different binder/volume ratios or (C) by printing a tetracalcium phosphate (Ca/P=2.0) / dicalcium phosphate (Ca/P=1.0) / tricalcium phosphate powder mixture with citric acid (25wt%). The production process was followed by a heat treatment at 1100°C for all variations to produce phase pure ß-TCP (Ca/P=1.5). The results showed that ß-TCP samples fabricated according to method (B) showed the best printing resolution with a minimum macropore diameter of approximately 500µm and a compressive strength of up to 7.4 ± 0.7 MPa. Since the samples could be removed from the powder bed immediately after printing, this method would significantly decrease processing time for commercial fabrication.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Eignung einer im 3D-Pulverdruckverfahren fabrizierten Trägerstruktur auf Calciumphosphat-Basis (Bruschit) als Zellkultur-Scaffold untersucht. Dazu wurden die Konstrukte in vitro mit osteoblastären Zellen besiedelt und deren Proliferations- und Differenzierungsverhalten über eine Kultivierungsdauer von 12 Tagen analysiert. Als Parameter dienten hierbei die Zellviabilität, die Aktivität des osteoblastären Enzyms Alkalische Phosphatase sowie die Mediumkonzentration von Osteocalcin. Des Weiteren wurde der pH-Wert des Kulturmediums sowie die Konzentrationen der freien Elektrolyte Calcium und Phosphat untersucht. Die Ergebnisse belegen eine gute Zytokompatibilität des Trägermaterials. Diese äußerte sich in einer progredienten Proliferation phänotypisch osteoblastärer Zellen (gemäß Rasterelektronenmikroskopie). Die Zellen exprimierten das ostoblastentypische Enzym Alkalische Phosphatase, welches als früher Differenzierungsmarker gilt. Die Analyse der Osteocalcinproduktion führte aufgrund methodischer Probleme nicht zu verwertbaren Ergebnissen. Die Untersuchung des verbrauchten Zellkulturmediums ergab keine unphysiologischen Schwankungen des pH-Wertes. Jedoch konnten signifikante Veränderungen der Konzentration an freien Calcium und Phosphat-Ionen im Medium festgestellt werden. Diese sind auf die Löslichkeit des Trägermaterials im physiologischen Milieu zurückzuführen. Zusammenfassend konnte mittels vorliegender in vitro Versuche eine geeignete Zytokompatibilität des untersuchten Materials herausgearbeitet werden. Für mögliche klinische Anwendungen zum Knochenersatz sind weitergehende Untersuchungen, insbesondere osteokonduktiver Eigenschaften im orthotopen Implantatlager im Rahmen von in vivo Untersuchungen, erforderlich. / This study investigated the cytocompatibility of low-temperature direct 3-D printed calcium phosphate scaffolds in vitro. The fabrication of the scaffolds was performed with a commercial 3-D powder printing system. Diluted phosphoric acid was printed into tricalcium phosphate powder, leading to the formation of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (brushite). The biocompatibility was investigated using the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Cell viability and the expression of alkaline phosphatase served as parameters. The culture medium was analyzed for pH value, concentration of free calcium and phosphate ions and osteocalcin. The brushite scaffolds showed a considerable increase of cell proliferation and viability. The activity of alkaline phosphatase showed a similar pattern. Optical and electron microscopy revealed an obvious cell growth on the surface of the brushite scaffolds. Analysis of the culture medium showed minor alterations of pH value within the physiological range. The content of osteocalcin of the culture medium was reduced by the printed scaffolds due to adsorption. We conclude that the powder printed brushite matrices have a suitable biocompatibility for their use as cell culture scaffolds. The material enables osteoblastic cells in vitro to proliferate and differentiate due to the expression of typical osteoblastic markers.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.